Are you asking if paying off your mortgage early is a better decision or is a compromise decision that is not as good as my recommendation?

Depends if it’s a short or long term home.
Long term you should be able to sell at a profit which is partially negated by interest paid and inflation. If you’ve paid $100k in interest that may be difficult to recoup hence an early pay off. Rental income on a paid off home for about 8-10 years should cover the interest paid.
I follow your reasoning but nobody buys the cheapest home they can afford.
Buy a home outright no mortgage, need money to make money.

Home Equity Line Of Credit gets zero tax deductions these days.

Nothing wrong with your strategy, it’s just better executed with a real mortgage on your primary residence.

It’s a tight race, we’re 50/50

This is my plan, which is why I'm fully invested in bottle caps and ammo...

You're long term invested in stocks that pay dividends that pay you quarterly or whatever, and that is where your 8% comes from?, or you're actively buying and selling stocks to to get that 8%? Both/Neither?

Neither. Stock appreciation (including a small portion from dividends — typically most growth stocks pay few dividends) looking at returns from 1925 - current.

Ah, ok. I'm relatively new at all this, besides just dumping money into a 401k. I started investing last year in dividend stocks. Not much change in the actual value of said shares, but at the rate of quarterly dividends, at the rate I'm progressing, my goal is to have my salary replaced in about 10 years.

We refi-ed and got rock-bottom interest rates which we won't see again any time soon. That in and of itself is money in the bank, I'll drag that out the full 30 years. If your rate is low, need to consider that carefully... a paid off house is probably false security. If you're unemployed, you might have to sell it for the cash... and you won't be able to tap the equity with a new mortgage if you don't have income, not with today's bank rules. I'd rather have the cash in the bank... lot more flexibility that way.

One philosophy isn’t necessarily better or worse then the other.
Where are you in your life?
If I’m 30 and I’ve just closed on a 30 year fixed at 2.5% and I have 30+ years to go in this industry then yes I might do it the other way.
Especially if I’m relatively low income with small kids and all that costing money the next 18-22 years.
None of the above though.
Investing a smaller amount over a longer period or a larger amount over a shorter period? Net result the same?
These two methods meet somewhere, they have a break even point.
Depending on which side of that point you are determines which method is preferable.
There, I’ve rationalized it for myself.
Now all I have to do is believe it.

The best advice is to stay in whatever house you buy, drive old cars, and dont get divorced