Search:

Home | Finance


Is A Reverse Mortgage right For you?

By: Roberto Garabell

Lately, people everywhere have been touting the merits of a reverse mortgage. What they don't tell consumers is what a reverse mortgage actually is. So rather than make consumers run all over the internet looking for data on these newly common types of mortgage, we wanted to give consumers a basic overview of what exactly a reverse mortgage is, as well as help consumers to decide whether one may be right for consumers.

Comprehending Reverse loans -

The first thing consumers must comprehend about reverse loans is that they are exactly the opposite of traditional loans. Whereas a typical mortgage requires consumers to borrow a certain amount to purchase your Townhome, which must then be repaid monthly; a reverse mortgage actually gives consumers money against the future value of your Townhome, which consumers needn't pay back until consumers sell the Townhome.

The traditional mortgage layout is what is known as a "rising equity, falling debt" situation; because, as consumers pay off your monthly balance, the equity consumers've accrued in your Townhome rises and your actual debt decreases. With a reverse mortgage, the exact opposite is true. As consumers take money out of the equity in your Townhome (what the lender actually allows consumers to borrow against), your debt increases and your equity decreases.

Can consumers Qualify?

The biggest drawback to reverse loans is that not everyone qualifies. In fact, if consumers are not over the age of 62, and already own your own Townhome, there aren't any lenders who will offer consumers a reverse mortgage. However, if consumers are over 62, and consumers either own your Townhome outright, or owe very little on it, a reverse mortgage may be just the ticket.

The beautiful thing about reverse loans is that they allow consumers to spend the equity consumers've worked so hard to build up in your Townhome while consumers are still living in it. This is fantastic news for anyone living on a fixed income who may need the extra cash to live off of today. Another great thing about qualifying for a reverse mortgage is the fact that, as long as consumers meet the other criteria of being the right age and owning your Townhome, consumers don't even have to have an income source at all to be considered.

The biggest drawback to a reverse mortgage is the fact that, should something happen to consumers before consumers sell the Townhome consumers have borrowed against, your loved ones may be faced with a rather large lump-sum payment. The idea to get around this, is to sell your Townhome for quite a bit more than consumers borrowed against it; thereby paying off your reverse mortgage, and allowing consumers to use the remaining balance to live on or to use as an initial payment on another Townhome.

Article Source: http://www.deeparticles.com

Rick is the author of Flat Fee Listing. You can find more articles at Flat Fee MLS Listing.

Please Rate this Article

  and/or review it.

Not yet Rated

Finance articles RSS Feed

Powered by Article Dashboard