Reverse Mortgage

You are debating whether getting a reverse mortgage on your home is the best way for you to ensure you financial security in retirement. But your home is you most valuable asset and you do not want to take the chance of encumbering it with a loan from an unscrupulous lender.

You need reverse mortgage information which will tell you both how a reverse mortgage works, and where you can find trustworthy lenders. Reverse mortgage information, fortunately, is widely accessible.

What You Don’t Have To Worry About

The first pieces of reverse mortgage information which you might find helpful are those which dispel some commonly held notions. A reverse mortgage is not the same as a home equity loan, so you will not be making monthly payments on it. Your eligibility for a reverse mortgage is not determined by your income level or credit history, but even so it is not a magical answer to your financial problems, and it will accrue interest just like any other loan.

The Requirements

Any reverse mortgage information you get should explain that you must own, and be living in at least half of each year, the home of which you want to take the mortgage. You, or the youngest homeowner of the home--for instance, your spouse--must be at least 62 years of age; and your home itself must qualify for a reverse mortgage.

You will be required to consult with a reverse mortgage broker or lender, who will provide you with reverse mortgage information on the mandatory home appraisals and inspections, and the various financing terms for which you qualify. You should talk to as many brokers and lenders as your comfort level requires in order to feel that you have all the reverse mortgage information you need.

You need reverse mortgage information on the options for receiving your money; you may choose to have it in a single amount of cash; in monthly payments; as a line of credit to be accessed at your discretion; or as some combination of all three.

Spending and Repaying The Money

The final pieces of reverse mortgage information concerns the way in which you can spend your money, and your repayment obligations. This is usually good news; you will have to use it to pay off any existing obligations on your home--mortgages or liens--but after that the money is yours to do with as you please.

As to repayment obligations, there are none, as long as you remain in your home at least half of each year. You will have to maintain you home’s condition, continue your home insurance coverage, and pay property taxes, but until you leave it for good, sell it, or the last of it owners passes away, the loan will not have to be repaid.