Hadith on people whose salaah would not rise up beyond their ears

Q: Abu Umamah (radhiyallahu anhu) narrated that Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "There are three whose salaah would not rise up beyond their ears: The runaway slave until he returns, a woman who spends a night while her husband is angry with her, and a people's Imaam whom they dislike."

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ وَاقِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو غَالِبٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا أُمَامَةَ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ ثَلاَثَةٌ لاَ تُجَاوِزُ صَلاَتُهُمْ آذَانَهُمُ الْعَبْدُ الآبِقُ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ وَامْرَأَةٌ بَاتَتْ وَزَوْجُهَا عَلَيْهَا سَاخِطٌ وَإِمَامُ قَوْمٍ وَهُمْ لَهُ كَارِهُونَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏ وَأَبُو غَالِبٍ اسْمُهُ حَزَوَّرٌ ‏.

Classification: Hasan (Good) Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book of Salaah, Hadith 360

Can you please explain the 3rd point.

Giving interest money to buy raffle tickets

Q: I had around $48.5 of interest money in my Australian bank account. I wanted to get rid of it by giving it to a poor person. A few days back, in my office, there was a collection for a bushfire relief fund and it required staff to buy some raffle tickets which the company was giving a gift to the winner. I thought of giving that interest money as a donation so I told them that I am happy to contribute $50 but won’t take any raffle tickets. They requested a lot so I took the raffle ticket but Alhamdulillah I didn’t win any prize.

Now my question is, was my niyat of getting rid of the interest money fulfilled or not? Do I still need to give that $48.5 to a poor person or will the amount of $50 which I gave in charity suffice?

Using money and calculating zakaat from a life insurance payout

Q: I had taken out a life insurance policy with a dread disease cover many years ago. (I call that my pre-hidayat days). I have now been paid out part of the money for a dread disease, which is part of the life cover. Can I calculate all the premiums I paid over the years and take the money out of the payout as halaal money for myself? Can I use the balance of the payout for Income Tax payment. I would then cancel the policy. 

Also, what are the zakaat implications regarding this money if it is halaal. Do I need to calculate zakaat from the time I started paying the premiums or not?

Buying one's own house

Q:

1. I want to ask if it is sunnah to live in your own home, bought by oneself. Does this bring more barkah in the home? Should one prioritize this as an ultimate goal?

2. We have been married for 2 decades and faced a lot of financial challenges for various environmental factors, not our own doing. Alhumdullilah. By blessings of Allahs generosity and divine miracle we have saved a small amount sufficient to buy a small investment property to put out for rent. Because we have 3 children, we need much bigger space and more funds to buy a property to accommodate our own actual family.

If there is an option to rent for one's own family living in a place with facilities for children such as shared pool, basketball etc., and make a small commercial investment elsewhere from where we can get rental fees to support our living arrangement is this a better decision?