One of the most frequent questions that we receive when assisting with Reverse Mortgages is, “If I already have a mortgage, can I still do a Reverse Mortgage?” The consensus seems to be that most people believe the answer to this questions is no. In reality, however, the Reverse Mortgage is a system that allows the borrower to reverse their mortgage payment. Instead of paying from out of their pockets every month, the borrower uses a Reverse Mortgage to end their mortgage payments forever.
Now because the Reverse Mortgage is a Federally guaranteed and regulated program, there are some limits that should be talk about with the Reverse Mortgage. One is the fact the Reverse Mortgage is designed to utilize the equity in the home, there are limits to the amount of money that a Reverse Mortgage can produce, and of course, how much mortgage can be paid off. A good way to know if a Reverse Mortgage will perform efficiently for you is first judge whether or not your current mortgage is under 70% of your homes appraised value. This is the maximum lending ceiling for most cases. A Reverse Mortgage Lender will provide the exact figures.
Next, the money that you will receive from a Reverse Mortgage MUST go towards paying off your mortgage. Any money that is left over will be available to you with no restrictions, but only after your current mortgage is paid off in full. This should be a goal for Reverse Mortgage applicants who have a large first mortgage or home-equity loan. An obvious benefit of using the Reverse Mortgage to remove the current mortgage is the added income you will receive from removing your monthly mortgage payments. Reverse Mortgages never require you to make a monthly payment for the rest of your life, while you are a resident of the home.
The Reverse Mortgage is a product that is useful to remove monthly payments on credit card debts, medicine, and medical bills. The idea behind the Reverse Mortgage originated in Europe, and has been the most popular senior financial vehicle in England, Germany, France, and the Scandinavian nations for the last 35 years. Although the United States has only perfected the safety and administration of the Reverse Mortgage in the last 15 years, its popularity has exploded in the last decade. It is at a point now that we are experiencing a 200% growth from each year to the next in the number of seniors around the country joining the Reverse Mortgage program.
With social security and Medicare benefits not providing the amount of income that seniors expected to last them through their retirement, Reverse Mortgage are a tax-free, safe, and minimal out-of-pocket-cost strategy that does not affect any government benefits or income, protects the home from default and foreclosure, and relives the senior of the stress of monthly mortgage payments. Most people who do a Reverse Mortgage are ready to enjoy their retirement, travel, and “Do Stuff!” This is the reason the Reverse Mortgage is now becoming the one of the most popular senior financial vehicles, not in Europe, but in the United States.
Troy Shellhammer is a Reverse Mortgage specialist with Next Generation Financial Services, a division of 1st Mariner Bank. He advises seniors on the Reverse Mortgage process and produces Reverse Mortgage loans nationwide. Please visit his website at http://www.reversemortgagenation.com/ or call 1-888-9 REVERSE for any questions, information, or an estimate on what you or your friends and relatives may receive with a Reverse Mortgage.
