How Does A Reverse Mortgage Work? What They Don't Tell You! - By: Helen Hecker

You may have been hearing a lot about reverse mortgages these days and may be wondering how does a reverse mortgage work, what they are and if you should get one. If you own a home and have sufficient equity you have three choices if you want to tap your equity: sell your home, take out a home equity loan or get a reverse mortgage.

Although there are three types of reverse mortgages there are only two that are usually referred to. The most common reverse mortgage is formally called a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM). This type is backed by the federal government's Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The other type is called a proprietary reverse mortgage and is backed by private companies and not federally insured.

A reverse mortgage is simply a high cost loan, but no one seems to tell us that. The upfront costs can be very high. This makes it even more expensive if you stay in your home for a short period of time. This type of reverse mortgage is easy to get if you qualify by age and have sufficient equity. To put it simply - the older you or you and your spouse or partner are, the more likely there will be more equity making it more valuable so you would be able to borrow more money. You're borrowing against your own equity.

As a former real estate broker I know a lot about reverse mortgages. They've been around for many years. But recent television commercials have made people much more aware of them.

There is so much television advertising for reverse mortgages right now and they make it all sound so good and the way to go but they don't tell you about the high fees that go along with these loans. The federal government's Consumer Law Center reports that a $250,000 loan could cost you $25,000 in fees. Because these fees are so high, a lot of money can be made so telemarketers are calling non-stop and pestering some homeowners and senior homeowners right and left.

There are many scams out there and scrupulous mortgage brokers. So even if you decided you want to pay the high fees and get a reverse mortgage it would be difficult to know who to go with.

Another problem that has been reported is that people, who have taken out reverse mortgages, were not able to get the monthly amounts they could draw on.

For a HECM you can choose a fixed monthly cash advance for a specific time for as long as you live in your home. The other option is getting a line of credit, so you can draw on the loan amount at any time or you can get a combination of the two.

So if you decide you want a reverse mortgage these are some of the things you want to know. Make sure the mortgage broker is reputable - check with your local better business bureau. Make sure you know exactly how much the loan is going to cost you in fees and find out ALL the limitations, there are many.

This is basically how a reverse mortgage works. Just remember that you're taking out a high cost loan, that's what it boils down to. Think other options. Explore home equity loans first especially when the interest rates are down and see if you can do better. You may want to consider selling your home and downsizing and tap your equity that way.

It may not be an easy decision depending on your needs. But there are lots of creative ways to tap the equity in your home. Seek them out before you risk getting a reverse mortgage.

About the Author

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