To be clear, your IRA is "traditional"? Meaning it is not a "Roth IRA"?

Lets assume the IRA is "traditional" and is NOT a Roth IRA. This means that you will pay income tax on every dollar you take out of that account, at the same rate you would have paid tax had this been wages from your employer.

By contrast, the regular account you have with BRK stock in it, you will pay MUCH LESS tax to raise the same amount of cash by comparison to your IRA.

In quick summary, suppose you take $200,000 from your IRA. You will pay
1) regular good old income tax just as if you had made $200,000 wages at work
2) PLUS 10% penalty for taking the money out before you are 59 and a 1/2.

By contrast, if you sell $200,000 of BRK stock from your regular investment account, let us assume that your cost basis is $50,000 and so you have $150,000 of capital gain. You will pay:
1) income tax at the MUCH LOWER long-term capital gains tax rate which can be 15%, 10%, or even 0% depending on how much other income you have that year, but will always be a lower rate than regular income tax rate
2) You will pay that capital gain tax only on the $150,000 of capital gains, you will get the $50,000 cost-basis part of your withdrawl with no taxes owed on that
3) There is no penalty.

So I don't know what you are thinking to suggest that you can pay less tax taking it from the IRA than from the regular account, but I assure you you have it backwards.

Good luck with the new house!
R: