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Is A Reverse Mortgage Right For You?
from:A reverse mortgage is the exact opposite of a traditional mortgage. Instead of you paying the bank to live in the house, the bank pays you to live in it. This may seem a bad deal for the bank, but there are a lot of reasons why a bank will allow a reverse mortgage. Typically a reverse mortgage is only approved for someone 62 or more years of age that has paid off his or her original mortgage. With all that equity in the home, the senior sitting in it might want to stay in the home but face additional expenses in medical or living costs that they can’t cover. Instead of selling the home and downsizing, they may choose to do a reverse mortgage with a bank instead thus allowing them to remain in the home.
How It Works
The reverse mortgage is a little more complex to close than a traditional mortgage. There are a number of different rules surrounding this type of mortgage loan. The age limit is one barrier and also the condition of the home may be another. The home has to be in good condition, free of major faults, before the bank considers doing this type of mortgage. Closing costs are significantly higher than the traditional loans and fees can also eat into equity. However, the upside is that you can get a disbursement of cash to help you pay immediate expenses while not having to vacate your home. This cash can come as a lump sum, a monthly payment, or even a credit line. The terms of the loan may differ with the bank involved and you should check to see what happens if you eventually sell the home instead of staying in it until you die.
The Potential Negatives
Seniors are targeted by unscrupulous lenders with predatory lending practices that can include a high fee reverse mortgage. Most lenders will be asked to undergo counseling before they take out a reverse mortgage, but that might not be enough to assess whether the mortgage is what you need at this point in your life. As always, if you aren’t certain of what you are signing, don’t sign. Instead, try to review the documents with someone who is knowledgeable and can answer any questions you might have about this type of mortgage. There are some downsides to a reverse mortgage. They can impact your ability to receive Medicaid benefits and government financial assistance. So, be sure to not only look at the terms of the mortgage but also check with your local government offices to see if the mortgage product might actually reduce your income instead of increasing it, due to the offset of benefits.
Mortgage Foreclosure Specific links
Mortgage Foreclosure News
Fed Publishes New Set Of Foreclosure-Review Documents
The Federal Reserve Thursday released a set of detailed plans banks have put together to correct problems in their mortgage-servicing and foreclosure-processing operations.
Read more...A South Jersey foreclosure counseling agency reluctantly closes shop
The residential mortgage-foreclosure crisis was good for business at Ahome Affordable Homes in Millville. Make that too good: After several years of growth, the respected nonprofit agency, which had assisted at least 2,100 people facing foreclosure since 2009, laid off four counselors and several other staff members last month because its funding couldn’t keep up with the demand for services.
Read more...Homeowners beware: another foreclosure aid scam in metro Phoenix
The Arizona attorney general has filed a complaint against a Surprise woman in another scheme to take advantage of struggling homeowners. The state prosecutor has filed a lawsuit against Rosa Galope alleging she defrauded homeowners looking for help in obtaining mortgage modifications to avoid foreclosure. “The economic crisis has created a number of vulnerable consumers who are often ...
Read more...Fed Releases Video on Foreclosure Reviews
The Fed posted a video on its website explaining how homeowners who were financially harmed by a mortgage foreclosure can apply for a free, independent foreclosure file review.
Read more...Mortgage foreclosures dropping nationwide; good news for Maine
Posted May 18, 2012, at 6:04 a.m. National mortgage-foreclosure activity in April decreased 5 percent from March and was down 14 percent from April 2011, according to a report by RealtyTrac released Thursday. One in every 698 U.S. housing units had a foreclosure filing during the month.
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