Before we discuss the various attributes of reverse mortgage, you must understand
that there hardly any loan without a downside. This is a type of loan that can
provide elders with much needed consistent source of income after retirement. All
loans including this one are taken to make the most out of any financial
situation. Here is the thing; you can cut the downside if you choose your reverse mortgage California
very carefully. This blog post will discuss some of the common
misconceptions people have about this loan.
Pay Attention During Counseling
Frist of all you should know that there are a whole lot of
rules and regulations laid down by
U. S. Federal Housing Association (FHA) to protect borrowers. Since reverse mortgage is offered to only
senior citizens (applicant must be minimum 62 years old), the federal
government has made it mandatory that the applicants must go through a counseling
before applying for loan. There are plenty of nonprofit counseling centers one
can approach. The lender itself will provide the list. Many senior citizens
take these counseling sessions lightly and later complain about the bad deal
they got. This is your first step towards avoiding any mistakes.
Your Souse Is A Co-borrower
The amended rules also state that any lender should and must
sign applicant’s spouse as a co-borrower even if she/ he is not 62 years old at
the time of the application. This rule will effectively allow your spouse to
live in the same house even after your death while the reverse mortgage still continues. Make sure that your lender
complies with this rule.
Calculate How Much You Can Borrow
Before moving forward with your application you must check
how much you can borrow. In fact your lender should provide you with detailed
quote describing how much money you can receive and in how many installments. Most
of the lenders have online reverse mortgage calculator that can be used to calculate
loan amount. However this method is not quite accurate, you should ask the
borrower for a fair estimate anyway. FHA has also placed restriction on how
much of your loan can be disbursed in first installment, limited to no more
than 60 percent of whatever the homeowner is allowed to borrow
Reverse Mortgage Interest Rates
California's
Reverse Mortgage Elder Protection Act of 2009 states that a reverse mortgage interest rates can be
either fixed or variable. Fixed interest rates will remain same throughout the
loan tenure. This means if inflation goes up you might pay less than average
market rate saving money while it goes down you will pay more than average
market rate. On the other hand variable reverse
mortgage interest rates will change as per the market conditions. You
should choose the type depending on your requirements and as discussed during
counseling sessions.
Closing Cost & Origination Fees
Both Closing
Cost & Origination Fees can be significantly higher than conventional
loans, plus you need to pay them up front. If you don’t have the cash these
will be added to the reverse mortgage
amount with interest. You can bargain with your lender about these but still
these costs are higher.
Property Tax, Insurance etc.
Your
property needs to be in perfect order both physically and financially. Even
though you can get reverse mortgageCalifornia, you still have to pay property tax, home insurance, flood
insurance etc. by yourself. You should check it with the counselors as to which
expenses should be borne by the borrower. The point is you cannot use you loan
money to pay any of these bills. However you can pay back your existing home
mortgage with this loan amount. And yes, keep your property out of any legal
warfare as long as possible. Reverse
mortgage lenders particularly don’t like disputed properties.
Work With Licensed Lender
Although
last, this is the most important point. You must work with only a licensed and
insured lender with good reputation. This is very important since all the FHA
rules, regulations and concessions are applicable to only licensed and insured reverse mortgage lenders. If you keep
these points in mind, you should do just fine. A little homework is the key to
a comfortable and happy retired life.