The three basic types of reverse mortgage are: single-purpose reverse mortgages, which are offered by some state and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations; federally-insured reverse mortgages, which are known as Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs), and are backed by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or Federal housing Administration (FHA); and proprietary reverse mortgages, which are private loans that are backed by the companies that develop them.

Single-purpose reverse mortgages generally have very low costs. But they are not available everywhere, and they only can be used for one purpose specified by the government or nonprofit lender. An excellent example is the city of Madison, WI which allows seniors over 65 with less than 30,000 in income to pay their property taxes with a modified reverse mortgage. In most cases, you can qualify for these loans only if your income is low or moderate.

HECM’s and proprietary reverse mortgages tend to be more costly than other home loans. The up-front costs can be 2% FHA and 2% origination fee plus all the normal fees associated with a mortgage (closing costs). Like a refinance if you plan on being in your house a short amount of time, it may not be worthwile to take out a reverse mortgage. These mortgages are available just about anywhere and have no credit or income requirements. The money you receive either upfront or monthly can be used for whatever you want. There is also the option of getting a line of credit, which provides even more flexibility.

Before applying for a HECM, you must meet with a counselor from an independent government-approved housing counseling agency. The counselor must explain the loan’s costs, financial implications, and alternatives. For example, counselors should tell you about government or nonprofit programs for which you may qualify, and any single-purpose or proprietary reverse mortgages available in your area. They can’t steer you to a particular lender but can tell you what to expect. In the State of Wisconsin you can do this over the phone if you can’t get to a counseling place.

The amount of money you can borrow with a HECM or proprietary reverse mortgage depends on several factors, including your age, the type of reverse mortgage you select, the appraised value of your home, current interest rates, and where you live. In general, the older you are, the more valuable your home, and the less you owe on it, the more money you can get.

The HECM gives you choices in how the loan is paid to you. You can select fixed monthly cash advances for a specific period or for as long as you live in your home. Or you can opt for a line of credit, which allows you to draw on the loan proceeds at any time in amounts that you choose.You also can get a combination of monthly payments plus a line of credit.

The last type is the proprietary reverse mortgage, which is a reverse mortgage that is backed and owned by the mortgage company that markets it. Proprietary reverse mortgages are generally the most expensive type. If your home is worth more than the HUD’s 203b limit for your county you may be able to get out more money than with the HECM. if you have a higher appraised value without a large mortgage, then you may likely qualify for greater funds. Location (for example, your neighborhood) is only one part of the determination of appraised value.It is also possible it may be less expansive than an HECM in the early years of the mortgage because the insurance is not required.

As you can see some investigation needs to go into obtaining a reverse mortgage. You must make sure you are financially making the right decision when going with this type of loan program. As always make sure you seek out and expert in Wisconsin Reverse Mortgages who can help answer your questions.

With the recent wave of Wisconsin Reverse Mortgages happening there is a lot of misinformation out there. I have heard of some really bad reasons not to take out a reverse mortgage and decided it was time to write about some of them. Please remember reverse mortgages aren’t for everyone but make sure the reason you aren’t investigating them is not on this list. If you haven’t even looked at a Wisconsin reverse mortgage for any of these reasons please take another look, it might work for you.

1. When taking out a reverse mortgage I no longer own the house my bank does. This is untrue because you are kept on the title as owner of the property. As a matter of fact the bank can’t foreclose on you like a forward mortgage. You live in the house as long as you can and will always own the property till you decide to sell. like a regular mortgage the bank will place a lien on the house to insure it get paid off but you maintain complete control of the house.

2. My children won’t get anything when I pass. Your estate only owes as much a the mortgage balance is at the time of payoff. The payoff is however much you have spent plus interest. Any equity that is left over is passed on to your heirs. the bank does not get too keep any of this extra equity. As an easy example if you owe 25,000 on the reverse mortgage and the house os worth 125,000 and it was sold. You would get the extra 100,000 not the bank or anyone else. The lender would get paid there 25,000 they have given you.

3. I could get forced out of my home by my bank. FHA/HUD reverse mortgages specifically state that you can not be forced out of your home.

4. Social Security and Medicare will be affected by the money I receive from the reverse mortgage. This money is actually considered a loan and not income. For this reason a reverse mortgage does not lower Social Security or Medicare benefits like some want you to think.

5. I must have really good credit and income to qualify for a reverse mortgage. Actually it is a lot easier to qualify for a reverse mortgage than a forward mortgage that you have had in the past. Since there are no payments you don’t need income to qualify. As for credit the only thing that is looked at is if you are currently going through a bankruptcy you may not qualify. If you have bad credit you will still qualify for a reverse mortgage.

6. My home must be free and clear with no mortgages to be able to get a reverse mortgage. No, you can have a mortgage and still qualify for a reverse mortgage. You will pay off the current mortgage with your new reverse mortgage and will be getting rid of the previous mortgage payment. You must have enough equity to pay the mortgage off completely and you will have to use some of your available cash to do so.

7. There are large out-of-pocket expenses which make it hard for seniors to get the loan. All of the costs, whether closing costs or interest, are financed. That means there are few out-of-pocket expenses at any point in the reverse mortgage.

8. Reverse mortgage interest rates are higher than a regular mortgage. This is just not the case. In most cases the reverse mortgage has a lower rate than the current conforming fixed rate. The HECM product’s interest rate is set by the Federal government.

9. I might “outlive” the loan (don’t we all wish for that?). FHA/HUD reverse mortgages are designed specifically so that you can’t outlive the loan. When you get the reverse mortgage, the lender will charge you 2% to purchase mandatory FHA mortgage insurance. That insurance guarantees that even if you live to be 100, you can never owe more than the value of your home and you can never be forced to leave.

10. A reverse mortgage is like a home equity loan. First, home equity loans may have many requirements such as high income, low debt, and good credit that a reverse mortgage does not. Second, you can “outlive” a home equity loan and end up being foreclosed on by the bank. This can never happen with a reverse mortgage. Third, a reverse mortgage usually has significantly lower interest rates.

Those were ten of the biggest misconceptions out there about reverse mortgages. I am sure I missed some but the key is get with a good reverse mortgage expert and they will be able to answer your questions. There are many resources that will help educate, I suggest you do some reading!

Just wanted to say hello to everyone visiting. I am in the process of updating information within this blog. You will find that I scour the web for all the best, so that my clients can make informed decisions about reverse mortgages. Reverse mortgages are becoming very popular but are not meant for everyone. Make sure you have all the information you need by visiting here often. If you have any questions please call me at 262-641-4450 and I will be glad to discuss your options.