In a typical the homeowner makes a monthly payment to the ; after each payment the equity increases within his or her property and typically after the end of the term (e g. 30 years) the mortgage is paid in full and the property is released from the lender. In a reverse mortgage the home owner makes no payments and all interest is added to the on the property. If the owner receives monthly payments then the debt on the property increases each month.
To qualify for a reverse mortgage in the United States the borrower must be at least 62 years of age. There are no minimum income or credit requirements but there are other requirements and homeowners should make sure that they qualify for the loan before they invest significant time or money into the process. For most reverse mortgages the money can be used for any purpose; however the borrower must pay off any existing mortgage(s) with the proceeds from the reverse mortgage and if needed additional personal funds. A pending that has not been finalized may however slow the process. Some types of dwellings such as lower-value do not qualify. Before borrowing applicants must seek free financial counseling from a source that is approved by the (HUD). The counseling is a safeguard for the borrower and his/her family to make sure the borrower completely understands what a reverse mortgage is and how one is obtained.
The amount of money that an individual homeowner can receive from a reverse mortgage depends on his or her age the (FHA) or (FNMA) of the home and the starting interest rate (effective upon closing/finalization of the loan). The location of the home may also have an impact. There is also a type of reverse mortgage for homes valued over the maximum Fannie Mae limit. These are called "cash" accounts and are proprietary loan products.
to reverse mortgages explains that if you receive or other public benefits loan advances will be counted as "liquid assets" if the money is kept in an account (savings checking etc.) past the end of the calendar month in which it is received. The borrower could then lose eligibility for such public programs if his or her total liquid assets (cash generally) is then greater than those programs allow.
A borrower can elect to move available funds into a "set-aside" account similar to a typical account to pay for his or her future property taxes and/or homeowners insurance. Currently most reverse mortgage borrowers do not exercise this option and instead elect to be responsible for the payment of taxes and/or insurance on their own. It is important to note that the homeowner must ensure that taxes and insurance are kept current at all times. If either taxes or insurance lapse it could result in a default on the reverse mortgage.
The cost of getting a reverse mortgage from a private sector lender may exceed the costs of other types of mortgage or equity conversion loans. Exact costs depend on the particular reverse mortgage program that the borrower acquires. For the most popular type of reverse mortgage in the U. S. the FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) there is an insurance premium of 2% of the loan and a 2% origination fee in addition to normal closing costs which are typically several thousand dollars but vary depending on the third-party costs (appraisal fees etc.) that must be undertaken. Thus a $200,000 loan would have $8,000 in costs beyond the normal closing costs added onto the loan at the outset. Other programs skip the insurance premium but still require the origination fees and closing costs and some programs waive the initial costs if the borrower borrows all or most of the maximum amount that he or she is eligible to receive. In addition a monthly service charge (between $25 and $35) is usually added to the total amount of the loan.
In all of these cases the costs of a reverse mortgage can typically be financed with the proceeds of the loan itself with the costs and fees being rolled directly into the principal balance of the loan rather than paid by the borrower in cash. While this does permit borrowers with little or no available cash to get a reverse mortgage it means that the initial loan will be increased and consequently that the fees will begin accruing interest.
on reverse mortgages are determined on a program-by-program basis but are typically similar to interest rates offered by Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs). All major reverse mortgage programs have adjustable interest rates that are adjusted on an annual semi-annual or monthly basis. Because reverse mortgages have no fixed duration typically there are no reverse mortgages with fixed interest rates. There are now some new reverse mortgage programs that have fixed interest rates.
Since there are no payments made during the course of the loan the interest accrued on the principal is then added to the principal of the loan.
but most of them are insured by the (FHA) and often have more favorable interest rates and fewer or no fees associated with them. These programs are typically very restrictive in terms of qualification and location and many regions states and areas do not have such programs at all.
The loan ends when the homeowner dies sells the house or depending on the loan conditions moves out of the house for 12 consecutive months (for example to go into an assisted living home). At that point the reverse mortgage can be paid off with the proceeds of the sale of the house or be refinanced by the heirs of the homeowner's estate. If the proceeds exceed the loan amount the owner of the house receives the difference; if the owner has died the heirs receive the difference. For cases where the proceeds are not sufficient to pay off the loan then the bank (or insurance that the bank has on the loan) absorbs the difference.
In most cases when the borrower moves out of the property or dies as long as the borrower (or his estate) provides proof to the lender that he is attempting to sell the home or obtain financing to pay off the outstanding debt the investor will allow him up to one year to do so. After the one year extension period is up the lender cannot provide any further extension of time to the borrower (or estate).
A significant drawback to reverse mortgages are the high upfront costs. Some seniors choose other options to draw on their home equity particularly if they don't plan to remain at the property more than five years. No cost and low cost reverse mortgages are available for those homeowners who anticipate moving from the home in the near future. These 'no cost' mortgages do carry higher interest rates than the standard monthly FHA HECM (reverse mortgage).
Other options that can free up home equity but avoid the high upfront costs of a reverse mortgage include: 1) intra-family loan or sale-leaseback and. 2) selling and moving to a less expensive dwelling or location. However when selling the homeowner incurs high closing costs including typically a 6% commission moving costs and purchase costs on the new dwelling. Currently there is a coordinated government program called "Aging in Place" intended to assist homeowners wishing to remain in their home and/or neighborhood. Studies conducted by various agencies including AARP show that over 80% of elderly homeowners do not want to move.
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Related article:
http://reversemorg.blogspot.com/2007/10/reverse-mortgage-from-wikipedia.html
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