Reverse Mortgage Information Center

If you’re a Florida retiree and you’re having trouble making ends meet you may want to look into taking out a reverse mortgage. The equity that you have built up in your home over the years may be your answer to a more comfortable retirement. These flexible home equity loans allow you to choose how you want the funds distributed and don’t require repayment for as long as you continue to use your home as your primary residence. The advantages of these loans can make your retirement years much more enjoyable than you’ve ever imagined.

How Reverse Mortgages Work

The amount you can borrow with a reverse mortgage is based upon three factors: your age, current interest rates and the appraised value of your home. You can choose to receive your reverse mortgage funds in a lump sum, monthly payments or you can open a line of credit to draw upon at your choosing. When you apply for a reverse mortgage, your lender will take an appraisal of your home and the amount you can borrow will be determined based upon this valuation. There is very little out of pocket expenses with reverse mortgages as you can finance most of the closing costs into the loan. The loan will not come due and no repayment will be required as long as you continue to reside in the home as your primary residence.

Control Your Retirement Budget More Carefully

As a senior, you know that it can be difficult to create a steady budget during retirement. Using the built in home equity from the house that you already own can allow you to create a budget that provides you with the comfort that you need. Once you have taken out a reverse mortgage, you are not required to withdraw any of those funds at any specific time. You can choose to use the funds as a sort of savings account to use in emergencies, or you can choose to pull all of the money out at once and pay off outstanding debt. The money is yours to do with as you see fit.

Increase your Monthly Income

Many seniors enjoy the flexibility and convenience of receiving their loan funds in monthly installments. Reverse mortgages can supplement your retirement plans, pensions and social security payments. Your reverse mortgage broker can explain all of these options to you and show you which plan is best to meet your retirement needs. The extra income a reverse mortgage can provide can mean the difference between struggling financially and enjoying your retirement years in Florida.

Live out Your Years in Florida Comfortably

Reverse mortgages truly reward those who have been thrifty in their early years and paid down their mortgages. During your retirement years, your home can truly pay you back in every sense of the word. Since reverse mortgages do not require repayment as long as you continue to live in your home, they allow you to truly enjoy your home without worrying about your monthly mortgage payments . Your home equity pays for itself in many ways. So, to truly enjoy your retirement years, make sure you find out how much a reverse mortgage can benefit you.

If you’re thinking of financing your home with a reverse mortage, check out Reverse123’s site on Reverse Mortgage Information and Florida Reverse Mortgage Lender

Reverse mortgages allow you to access your home equity four different ways. We will examine those ways so you know how to access your reverse mortgage equity.

1. Lump Sum – You have the option of taking all the funds available to you at one time. You can use the money for anything you want, but the most common use is paying off the existing mortgage (if you have one) on your home.

2. Monthly Annuity – Not a true annuity, but a monthly amount of money that is guaranteed to continue as long as you or your spouse lives in the home. Wouldn’t retirement be more comfortable if you had a little more money each month? There is also a tenure option that gives you a larger payment for a specified period of time. More common though, is the lifetime payment.

3. Credit Line – If you don’t need the money today, and you want to have a reserve account for emergency, this is probably the option for you. There is no interest being accumulated unless you use the money. It will only be charged if you actually borrow it.

4. A Combination of the Above – You can customize your loan to combine any of the above options. If you need a small lump sum, a monthly boost to your income, and you want the rest to be in a line of credit, mixing and matching is the way to go. Additionally you can alter your plan anytime you want to get more monthly or get an additional lump sum for a small fee.

If you choose anything other than a lump sum, know that you will have to take the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM). There is only one option if you choose the fixed rate. It is a lump sum. You will have to draw it all when your loan closes.

Prior to committing to any reverse mortgage programs, make sure you have all the facts. Visit our website for more reverse mortgage information. There is also a free reverse mortgage calculator to see how much money is available to you.

Your mortgage is likely to be the largest loan you ever take out. At 30 years it will also be the longest loan you ever take out. When you consider those 2 points then it makes sense to take some time to learn at least the basics of the process that you will go through to get the loan that allows you to buy the house of your dreams.

A mortgage is the name given to the loans used to buy real estate, whether it is a single family home, a duplex or even a piece of land you would still be getting a mortgage. The mortgage uses the property as security, so if you stop paying the bank or mortgage lender they can take over ownership of your house or property against which you borrowed. This is one of the reasons why you should not buy a house that is more expensive than you can really afford.

Buyers generally have a decision between an FHA or conventional loan unless they are a military veteran in which case they may qualify for a VA loan. VA loans are the only 100% loans available today. FHA loans usually involve a small down payment while conventional ones are the toughest to qualify for if you have any credit issues.

Cash is king, thsi may seem a strange comment to make when you are looking to borrow money to buy a house, presumeably because you don’t have enough cash to buy one outright. The fact is that the more cash you have to use as a deposit the better you will be, the only way to get a 100% loan currently is to get a veterans loan. If you have never been in the armed forces then this option is not open to you, so you need to have a deposit. FHA loans can require as little as 5% while traditional loans are now often requiring a 20% deposit.

Knowing your debt is very important. If you have lots of small monthly payments going out to various loans, credit cards and store cards this may damage your credit. Pay the ones you can off, especially if they have a high or variable percentage charge. Showing that you are in control of the debt you have will make it a little bit easier to get the mortgage loan you need.

If you ever think about if a reverse compounding mortgage is the best option for your retirement situation? The hone of the manyst answer is that I can’t tell you for sure but I can tell you that it is one of the many option you should investigate.http://floridahomeloanreport.com

I won’t lie to you buying a house is an expensive thing to do, there are fees to get a loan, there are closing costs, there is the time and money you spend when you are looking at houses. It sometimes seems that every single phone call is someone wanting some more money from you. It can be easy to discount the costs that are not required to get a loan, the home inspection usually falls into this section but forgoing it can be a mistake.

Your best protection against buying a home that is substandard in any way is to have it inspected by a qualified home inspector. It can be difficult as you have probably falled in love with the house and are imagining how your children will look playing in the garden. You don’t want to think that there could possibly be anything wrong with your future home, but isn’t it better to know sooner rather than later that the roof will need replacing in a year or two.

Buying a house is expensive, but the home inspection is not the thing to do without in the hope of saving a few hundred dollars. A new roof will cost you somewhere in the region of $15,000 so it is worth spending a few hundred to check that you won’t be needing a new one any time soon. No matter how nice the home owner appears it is not good enough to just trust that they will even know about any problems their house has never mind telling you about them.

Finding a home inspector that is certified is important, don’t be tempted to ask a friend who is a contractor to look over the place just so you can save a few dollars. Home inspectors are specially trained to be able to spot problems in your home that you (or your contractor buddy) would miss, most of us have no knowledge of electrical systems or plumbing beyond the turning on of lights and the flushing of the toilet.

In some states, it makes sense to also have inspections for radon, mold and termites. You also want to make sure that the roof is thoroughly inspected as is the basement. You can also ask the seller to purchase a one-year home warranty that will cover the major components in the house for one year and is renewable if the buyer chooses to do so. These are usually less than $450 and are worth their weight in gold.

Trying to work out what a reverse mortgage is exactly? There is no easy way to show you but if you are at or very near the age of retirement then it is worth looking into.

I often ask new clients what they think their home is worth. Not surprisingly, the answers I get back are usually overly-optimistic. Nonetheless, these clients often have a very strong sense of how much their home is worth to them. In fact, I find that people who come to me looking for reverse mortgages are particularly good at separating the intrinsic value of their home from its market value.

Despite the constant movements in real estate prices, the inherent value that a home has to a borrower is usually much higher than market value. Our homes are more than cinder blocks and wood. They often represent the very essence of our lifestyles and are the places that give us the most comfort. The value of these aspects of our home cannot be quantified in the open market. For many individuals, these inherent aspects of our homes represent the most important and meaningful parts of a home that can’t be value through an appraisal or sale of the home.

Nonetheless, the market price of a reverse mortgage borrower is largely secondary. These individuals usually are not planning to sell their home any time soon and the fair market value of their home is only relevant in as much as it determines how much they can borrow in a reverse mortgage. The real issue that these borrowers contend with is how to properly allocate their retirement assets. These borrowers understand that having a majority of their retirement assets tied up in one place may not be the most conservative and effective strategy for their retirement savings. These individuals usually are keenly aware that their home equity is most efficiently put to use when its considered a part of their overall retirement planning.

As the old saying goes, “You can’t take it with you”. However, that doesn’t mean you should squander it away either. Prudent borrowers incorporate their reverse mortgage proceeds into their overall retirement plan to maintain or increase their standard of living throughout the entirety of their retirement years. What you do with reverse mortgage proceeds is entirely up to you. However borrowers are best advised to plan carefully and think holistically.

Seniors who carefully consider their overall financial picture and include their home equity in their retirement planning are more likely to live comfortably during their later years. Seniors who ignore their home equity are missing one of the largest pieces of their retirement puzzle. Although these loans are not appropriate for everyone under every circumstance, if your home consists of a large part of your net worth, you should definitely think about reverse mortgages and how they may help your retirement planning.

If eliminating pesky monthly mortgage bills, freeing up additional cash and owning your home for the rest of your life fits into your retirement plans, then looking into a reverse mortgage may make sense for you. You would be wise to investigate this flexible financing vehicle closely. You may be shocked at what a reverse mortgage can do for you.

Looking for more information on a reverse mortgage calculator or calculators? Then make sure to check out Tim Begert’s online resources.

Let’s face it, there is good and bad in everything that we do. The real question is; does the good outweigh the bad? We are going to take a look at what the real story is. Are reverse mortgages good or bad? We will start with the “bad” points.

Reverse Mortgage Cons:

1. Mortgage Insurance – All FHA loans have mortgage insurance, regardless of how much equity you have available. In the case of a reverse mortgage, it is for the possibility the balance of your loan may exceed the amount your home is worth. This only applies when it is time to sell your home and is usually in the event that property values decline. Remember, even if you use up all your equity, you will never be kicked out of your home. Because of the Mortgage Insurance, you and your heirs will never owe more than your home is worth. That is what you are paying for.

2. Compound Interest – Everyone likes to earn it, no one likes to pay it. Simply defined, it is interest which is calculated not only on the initial principal but also the accumulated interest of prior periods. If you’ve ever had a savings account or investment that you rolled the earnings back into, you have likely earned it. Since you are not making payments on your loan, compound interest will add up.

3. Spending Your Kids’ Inheritance – I have heard some say that it is wrong to spend the children’s inheritance. But, I have to ask, “Whose money is it”? In my opinion, if you need the money, use it. You can leave what is left over, and that should be enough. You shouldn’t blow the money, but use enough to make life comfortable.

The Pros of a Reverse Mortgage:

1. Maintain Your Independence – What could be more embarrassing than asking your kids for financial help to cover monthly expenses? Would you like to need to move in with your kids? You can use your home’s equity to make ends meet and keep your dignity.

2. The Ability to Keep Your Home – Not having to move potentially decades of collected items and memories might be the best reason to do a reverse mortgage. Just the thought of moving makes most people cringe. By taking advantage of a reverse mortgage, you can afford to keep the home you love while affording the retirement you deserve.

3. Making Life Affordable – So many impoverished seniors have become so accustomed to being broke that they don’t even know that they are. Reverse mortgages allow you to access your equity and use it as a lifetime income stream. You might feel like you’ve won the lottery if you were able to get a few hundred dollars more every month.

4. No Mortgage Payments – There are no monthly payments, and you don’t have to pay back the loan as long as you maintain the home as your primary residence. This can really be helpful when times are tough.

Did you notice that the fees weren’t mentioned in the “cons” section? That is because fees are no longer a reason to not do a loan. There are new programs available that cut the fees of a reverse mortgage 50% or more. Usually the origination fee can be totally waived and you could get a large credit towards your mortgage insurance.

Before we summarize, let me admit something. Yes, I am a reverse mortgage loan officer, but I truly believe reverse mortgages are a great tool that can help a lot of people. I am not saying they are for everyone, but when I see anyone saying they are bad, I just cringe. Tools aren’t bad. It’s how you use them. If the equity in your home is the only money you have, what is wrong with using it to make life livable?

Now it is up to you to decide. Is this a tool that can help you or someone you know? Will your life be enhanced with a reverse mortgage? If you are still unsure and want more information, read more of our articles on our website.

David Prulhiere is the owner of Redwood Financial Services and he specializes in reverse mortgages. If you would like to read more about reverse mortgage pros and cons? You can also see other articles and blogs with additional reverse mortgage information.

The most common misunderstanding about a reverse mortgage has to be the Repayment Schedule. Too many times, family members intervene during the education process about the product and confuse the basic tenets of the product.

A Reverse Mortgage is designed to NOT require repayment of the loan during the life of the client. Due to the client’s financial condition, they may begin making payments. For some individuals it makes perfect sense, but it is not mandatory to do so. I would like to describe to you one of these cases.

Towards the start of the year, I sat down with a past client who needed to refinance his condo loan. With him still in the work force and making a reasonable source of income. Both him and his spouse were 63 years old. There was some equity left in their condo, but the market had dramatically affected the appraisal value.

The main reason this gentleman wanted to refinance his loan or get money out of his property was to aid in his son’s education to graduate school. Due to the market situation, his age, his overall income and the value of his property, a forward mortgage refinance would not allow him to save any money monthly over what he was currently paying.

I shared with him the structure of the reverse mortgageand went over the finer points. In a reverse mortgage, you have the ability to tell your lender how much your monthly payment will be and what is convenient for you.

My client has the option of making a monthly payment or not because he chose a reverse mortgage. The first month, my client made a $125 payment. The next month, he was able to skip a payment entirely. A few months later, he picked up a new client and was able to make a $500 payment. The pressure of making a mortgage payment was not there. Are you feeling kind of stress? A reverse mortgage could be the answer for you.

If you would like to learn more or you’re just curious to see if a reverse mortgageis a viable product for you then contact me.

If you need more information then click this forMore information on reverse mortgages

1. Getting a Reverse Loan for the Purpose of a Short Term Fix.

In instances where foreclosure is imminent, or repairs are needed to maintain habitability, for example, would be reasons to use a reverse mortgage short term. But as a general rule, you should consider a reverse mortgage as a long term solution. When you consider the fees that are associated with a reverse mortgage against the need for the money, you should be able to determine if it makes sense for you with the help of a trusted loan officer.

2. A Reverse Mortgage Can Affect Your Government Benefits.

Not really because of getting a Reverse Loan, but because of the impact it can have on your finances. The program we are specifically speaking of is Medicaid. If you have too much money in reserve, you can be disqualified. The way this can happen is by taking a lump sum of money that is needed for something like home repairs, but you put in your bank account first. If you don’t spend it when the new month rolls around, you could cost your Medicaid eligibility. Another way is if you take a monthly allotment and don’t spend it all each month. This will be a savings that long term could equal enough money in your bank account to disqualify you.

3. Doing Your Reverse Mortgage Through a New or Inexperienced Loan Officer.

It may be hard to believe, but bank loan officers don’t have to be licensed or trained to the States standards. On the other hand, mortgage brokers have very strict criteria set by the State to be allowed to do loans for the public. Virtually anyone can be a loan officer at a bank and experience is not necessarily a requirement. You could walk into a bank, apply for the job, and be taking applications in a very short period of time. It may be a bit biased, but I would prefer to deal with someone that is a trained professional, one that is licensed and can be held accountable to the State. Since the commission that a loan officer earns can be pretty high, it can tempt the younger, less experienced ones to overcharge in the hopes of making a big payday.

4. Avoiding a Reverse Mortgage Loan Because of Fear of the Unknown.

There are so many people afraid of a reverse mortgage for no other reason than they just don’t know who to trust. The facts seem too good to be true, so they shy away. What I would like to show is how to know what is true and how to make a smart decision. First off, there are too many “experts” in a field that they know nothing about. The amount of disinformation is almost overwhelming, even for someone who knows the truth. I have seen financial planners who will state that you lose your home when you do a reverse mortgage. I have heard several people say that you will leave excessive debt to your heirs. So here is a little advice that may soothe your concerns: First, try to find a loan officer that you feel you can trust. If you have an uncomfortable feeling about the loan officer, you should probably find someone else. You are not tied to the first person you talk to. Second, don’t listen to the advice of everyone out there. There is a great article (if I say so myself) called “Bad Advice From Good People about Reverse Mortgages”. Check it out if you want to see an article about how to qualify the person giving you the advice. The gist of it is; see if the person you’re seeking advice from actually knows anything. In the example above, the financial planner may be a genius about retirement money, but probably has never originated a loan. If you ask your kids for advice, which is strongly recommended, make sure they know what they are talking about. If they are not qualified to advise, have them attend your meeting with the loan officer. This also applies to you. I have seen people disqualify themselves because they don’t think they qualify. The best advice here is to ask a true professional in the field.

5. Moving Too Quickly During the Reverse Loan Loan Process.

It only takes about 10 minutes to teach you everything you need to know on a reverse Loan. But you will probably have questions that will make you more comfortable when you get the answers. Sometimes these questions take a little time to formulate, so don’t let your loan officer rush you into making a decision. Don’t mistake doing your loan quickly with pushing you to make up your mind in a hurry. Once you have determined you want a reverse mortgage, the process should be fairly quick. It will take about a month to a month and a half to get your loan closed.

6. Thinking That Being Older Will Get You More Money.

Bonus mistake: I know I said five, but this one came up while typing this. Waiting until you’re older is not always the best option. With rates being so low and terms being so good, it probably makes more sense to do the loan now rather than later. This is because adding another year or two to your age will get you a little more money. But, if the interest rates go up just a half of a percent, it could make thousands of dollars difference. The point is; Lower rates trump age, assuming all potential borrowers are at least 62 years old.

See more articles and blogs at Redwood Reverse Mortgage. David Prulhiere owns Redwood Financial Services and specializes in reverse mortgage education and loans.

I’m a reverse mortgage professional who closed a for an non ordinary family. Their home was paid off completely. The property was worth well over the Maximum Claim Amount. The husband was still working as a consultant and brought in enough for living expenses and property taxes. With both husband and wife receiving Social Security it seemed that pulling money out of their home was an unnecessary move.

While asking more questions,, I found out that their son had recently completed Veterinary School and was about to begin his own practice. The parents decided to help their son in starting his new business.

This was an intelligent to proceed this way for several reasons:

Tax-free funds

2 – The Funds from the Reverse Mortgage came in a Line of Credit. The funds were doled out in identifiable increments for the purpose of the business only. Many seniors that are in the process of creating a Trust are asked themselves, “What is going to happen if our Son/Daughter gets all of their inheritance in one lump sum?” In too many cases that money gets spent frivolously by a generation that is not used to having large sums at their disposal.

Trying to refinance their home, would have lead for it to be denied. The lending institution usually looks at your situation much differently when your income drops due to reaching a particular age. Regardless of whether social security and equity is present. Applying many times at multiple banks will more than likely be a waste of time.

4. The loan process for this type of mortgage is quick with no aggravation. I came to their home and discussed the product in detail. One required step is going to a session of HUD Counseling. The great thing is the family already attended a session. All I needed to obtain was a few signatures on a couple of documents. For their situation, there was no payoff schedule so the loan closed in under 30 days.

If you would like to learn more or you’re just curious to see if a Reverse Mortgage is a viable product for you, I welcome you to join me for lunch. My name is Addison Jaggers. I host a weekly Lunch & Learn in Santa Ana at Polly’s Bakery Caf(c) and Benji’s New York Deli. Call me for times @ (949) 981-2905 and/or RSVP by email addison.jaggers@wellsfargo.com Follow me on Meetup for updated events.

To get educated and to see if you qualify for a reverse mortgage

On the surface, this sounds like an easy question. Everyone wants a reverse mortgage with a fixed rate, right? So how do you actually know if the correct choice is the fixed rate or the adjustable rate? Which program makes the most sense for you? Here are a few facts needed to help make your decision.

Did you know that with the fixed rate reverse mortgage loan you only get one option? It is to take all of your equity that is available in a lump sum. Knowing this will help you decide if this is the right choice for you. Some prior clients have used the lump sum disbursement in the following ways:

1. To pay off your current loan and the balance is high enough to leave you only a small amount of cash to be drawn.

2. You are considering doing a remodel or major repair to your home and this remodel uses up a majority of your available funds.

3. You are purchasing an expensive item like a car, a motorhome, or even a second home. Again this should consume most of your available equity draw.

4. By combining the above items you may be able to total most of your available draw.

The idea is, if you have a place to put (or spend) the money, it won’t be a burden to have it “sitting around”. You have to keep in mind that you are accruing interest on any money that is drawn or borrowed.

What should you do if you don’t want or need all the available equity right now? This is where the reverse mortgage with an adjustable rate comes into play.

You can get more information on a reverse mortgage loan or read other articles written by David Prulhiere by visiting redwood reverse mortgage. For a limited time, get the free report titled: “Five Essential Things to Know Before Getting a Reverse Mortgage” just for visiting.