Seniors over 62 can take advantage of the equity they have build in their home by applying for a reverse mortgage. A reverse home loan can help seniors because it works as a loan advance. With this type of loan, the owner doesn’t need to make monthly payments back to the bank and doesn’t need to pay back any of the money for as long as the owner lives in the property.
In the US, the owner of the home never needs to repay the mortgage and can not be thrown out of the house because lack of payments since there are not any. The owner can receive the money as a one time payment, monthly payments or as a credit line.
Owners can apply for three different types of reverse home mortgages: single purpose reverse mortgage, federally insured reverse mortgage and private reverse mortgage.
Single Purpose Reverse Home Mortgage
A single purpose reverse mortgage is offered by Government agencies and non-profit organizations. It’s the most inexpensive of the three types of reverse mortgages. The problem with this type is that they are harder to qualify for and the owner must have a small income. It also requires that the funds from the loan are used for a specific purpose (improvements, repairs or property taxes.)
Federally Backed Reverse Mortgage
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) backs this reverse home mortgage. This type of reverse mortgage is also known as a HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage.) It’s a little more expensive than the single purpose reverse mortgage.
This type of reverse mortgage is by far the most common of the three. It accounts for over 90% of all reverse mortgages. It’s very popular because it’s very easy to apply to and qualify for. In addition, you can use the money from the loan far whatever reason you want.
Proprietary Reverse Mortgage
This kind of reverse home loan is available through private companies that haven’t been HUD certified. They usually have the same requirements than a federally insured one.
The biggest problem with this type of loan is that it can be very expensive. Since private companies offering this type of loan do not need to comply with federal regulations, some companies take advantage of it by charging excessive fees to unsuspected seniors.