Anyone else thinking about cashing out their gold for a down payment? 5-year reflection.

• •Okay, so I'm coming up on my 5-year mark for my gold IRA, and it’s pretty wild to look back.
• •I started this thing right after getting my first "real" teacher salary (Columbus City Schools, represent!).
• •I was pretty stoked to put some money aside that wasn't just sitting in a savings account gathering dust.

Okay, so I'm coming up on my 5-year mark for my gold IRA, and it’s pretty wild to look back. I started this thing right after getting my first "real" teacher salary (Columbus City Schools, represent!). I was pretty stoked to put some money aside that wasn't just sitting in a savings account gathering dust. I only had about $10k to play with initially, mostly from some inherited bonds and extra tutoring gigs, but I figured it was a good start towards diversifying beyond my meager 403b.

My strategy was pretty simple, honestly. I stuck with mostly American Gold Eagles and some Canadian Maples – nothing too fancy, just wanted to hold some physical gold within the IRA for stability. Over these five years, I've managed to contribute a bit more here and there, especially with stimulus checks and end-of-year bonuses. My portfolio is sitting just under $30k now, which isn't life-changing money, but it’s a lot more than I thought I'd have in gold this quickly. I'm seeing about a 15-20% return on my initial investments, depending on the specific coins, which feels really good given how much the regular stock market has been bouncing around.

Now for the big question: should I cash some of it out? My partner and I are starting to seriously look at houses in the Columbus area – thinking Worthington or Westerville, trying to stay close to where we both work. The market here is INSANE, as I'm sure anyone else in Ohio can attest to. We've got some savings, but even 20% down on a decent starter home is a huge chunk. I'm really torn between letting this gold keep doing its thing for long-term retirement security and using a portion of it for a house down payment. It feels like such a tangible asset to just liquidate, but also, that’s kind of the point, right? To use it when you really need it?

Has anyone else here made the jump from investing in gold for retirement to using it for a major life purchase like a house? How did you feel about it in hindsight? Any regrets? Part of me feels like I’d be ‘losing’ out on future gains, but another part just wants a yard for a dog. It's a tricky balance!