Although there are many mortgage options now being offered to potential homebuyers, one that has received a lot of attention is the reverse mortgage. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is currently being inundated with questions with a large number of people asking “what is reverse mortgage?”
A reverse mortgage is actually backed by the federal government even though it is officially a private loan. With this, the homeowner’s equity is used for a variety of things. Keep in mind that when answering the question of what is a reverse mortgage and is it a good choice, some restrictions apply. For instance, this type of mortgage is one available to the elderly with the funds being used at the discretion of the homeowner.
One of the aspects of a reverse mortgage is that the homeowner does not have to have his or her income checked. Even so, to determine how much money can be taken out, the interest rate on the loan, and even the monthly payment, a number of things are looked at by the lender. As a starter, the borrower has to be at minimum, 62 years of age. Then, the homeowner must live full-time in the home, have adequate equity, and complete a special counseling session provided by HUD.
Other important information that goes along with the question “what is reverse mortgage” is that the homeowner can choose the way in which the funds are distributed. For instance, money can come to the homeowner as a monthly payment, a lump sum, a specified line of credit, or any combination of the three. The most critical piece of information is that the mortgage on the home is not paid until after the homeowner passes away, moves, or sells the residence.
Of course, while there are many incredible value factors for what is a reverse mortgage, gaining knowledge about the good and bad is what will ultimately help the homeowner move in the right direction. As you will see below, consider the good and bad sides to a reverse mortgage prior to making your final decision.
The Up Side
One of the primary benefits linked to a reverse mortgage is that the homeowner is allowed to use the home’s equity for numerous things. For example, the money could be used to travel, make updates on the home, and pay off medical bills, or send a grandchild to college, and so on. However, in trying to manage bills during later years, many homeowners use reverse mortgage funds to supplement a retirement account, savings, or Social Security income.
Another advantage of a reverse mortgage is that all the money being taken out against the equity is completely tax free and, there are zero restrictions on income. This means if the homeowner is bringing in only a small amount of money each month on which to live, or has no income at all, he or she would still qualify to use money from the equity.
Without verification on income and no monthly payments until dying, moving, or selling, the reverse mortgage is beneficial to many. For the elderly homeowner, a mortgage such as this allows them to continue on with a certain lifestyle without being overwhelmed. People who have worked long and hard their entire life can use funds from a reverse mortgage to kick back and enjoy life.
As long as the homeowner owns and lives in the home, no money on the mortgage loan is paid back. However, as mentioned if the person moves, sells, or should pass away, then the reverse mortgage would then start to be repaid. In the case of having heirs, anyone thinking about this type of mortgage needs to have a full understanding of all the options and factors since there are a number of variations.
Disadvantages
Unlike more traditional mortgages, a reverse mortgage is generally expensive to secure. Some of the connected costs include application fees, insurance, closing costs, appraisal, and in some cases, a monthly fee for the loan being managed by the lender. This in addition to the continuance of other home fees such as insurance, tax, repairs, homeowner association dues, and so on would need to be considered too.
Then, along with the value of what is a reverse mortgage, consider that for the application to be approved and the funding to become available, the house has to be in good order. This means the structure itself has to be sound and there should be no serious repairs. Even with this, there is a good note in that if the homeowner were faced with problems of repair, most lenders of a reverse mortgage would simply add the cost into the principal of the loan.
The question of what is a reverse mortgage and is it a good choice is very important. With a ton of information to decipher, doing your homework and talking to a professional from HUD will help guide you in the right direction.
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