Reverse Mortgage Information Center

What if you want to do a loan on your home, but you know the home needs repairs to qualify?

Fixing the deficiencies on your property is normally required on traditional loans. Reverse mortgages are unique in the way they allow you to do the loan first and then use that money for the repairs. So you can cash in some equity on your home to do the repairs.

Let’s look at some very common scenarios: 1. You have a deck that has had indoor outdoor carpet on it (you know, the green carpet that looks like grass), and the boards under it have dry rot. 2. Or maybe the southern exposed side of the home has very little, if any paint on it. 3. Sometimes, a tub or toilet area has a squishy floor indicating dry rot.

The required repairs for these problems can be completed after the loan is closed. In fact, any repairs that do not involve safety or health concerns can be done after you loan closes. Your property not having adequate water is an example of a repair that can’t wait, but roofing and dry rot repairs are common and should not be a problem.

How does the lender handle these repairs to make sure they get done? I am glad you asked. You will have to get a contractor’s bid for the repairs and then add 50% to that bid. The extra 50% is to cover any miscalculations to make sure that there is enough money to cover the costs and that you don’t run short. That amount of money is held in escrow, commonly called an “escrow hold back”. Once the repairs are completed, the lender will pay the contractor and refund the remaining money to you.

What if you want to do the repairs yourself? You can. You will still need to have the contractor bids though, and the escrow hold back is still required. The lender is looking for a professional estimate of what the repairs will cost.

Let’s summarize what you just learned: The proceeds of your loan can be used to do the repairs, making a reverse mortgage a unique loan. The escrow holdback will be required even if you choose to do the repairs yourself.

One of the first steps in knowing what you can do, is knowing how much you qualify for. Use our free reverse mortgage calculator to quickly estimate how much money is available to you. There is also plenty of reverse mortgage information that is helpful in becoming, educated before you make your decision.