There is an opportunity for people who have owned their home for many years to get money out of their equity, without taking out a loan and be saddled with monthly house payments. Like the name implies, a reverse mortgage gives homeowners the cash for their home up front and still being able to live in it until death or they sell the house.
Essentially, a reverse mortgage is a loan with the house as collateral that does not need to be paid back as long as the owner lives in the house. The cash from a reverse mortgage is handled in different ways such as a lump sum, monthly payments to the homeowner, a line of credit that allows the homeowner to determine how much to spend at any one time or a combination of them all.
Regardless of how the money is disbursed, the loan does not require repayment unless the borrow dies, sells the home or moves out. To be eligible for a reverse mortgage the borrowed must own the home, be at least 62-years-old and usually residing in the home. However, once the homeowner passes away, moves or opts to sell, the loan will be due and in the case of death, the institution supplying the reverse mortgage receives the house free and clear.
Benefiting From Equity Without Repaying Loan
With a traditional mortgage, the homeowner takes out a loan based on their credit history and ability to repay. They then make regular monthly payments, including interest and if they fall behind on the payments there is a good chance they can lose the home through foreclosure. With a reverse mortgage there is no requirement to be able to repay the loan, as there are no payments. Credit history is not a big problem as well.
Equity in a home is the difference between the home's value and the amount that is owed on the mortgage loan. For example, the home value is $150,000 and the balance on the mortgage is $20,000. The equity in the home is $130,000 which is generally what can be received through a reverse mortgage. Most lenders will offer up to 80 percent of the equity for a second mortgage, but the homeowner will have monthly payments to repay the loan.
With a reverse mortgage there are no payments to make until such time as the homeowner no longer lives in the home. At which time the lender will receive the full value of the note they agreed to, and then the house belong to them.
