Real Estate Innovation

The Most Common Types of Reverse Mortgages

Reverse home mortgages aid seniors over 62 take advantage of the equity in their homes that has been created over the time they have been in the home. It can help seniors because it can be used as a type of second mortgage. In a reverse mortgage, the owner doesn’t ever need to pay back the loan for as long as the owner stays living in the house. It basically works as a loan on the present equity.

The homeowner doesn’t need to pay any money back and can not be kicked out of the home for lack of payments because there aren’t any payments to make. The homeowner can elect to receive the money from the reverse mortgage in one of three ways: a one time payment, a credit line or as regular monthly payments.

There are basically three different types of reverse mortgages that owners can apply for: a single purpose reverse home mortgage, a federally backed reverse mortgage or a privately issued reverse mortgage.

Single Purpose Reverse Mortgage

A single purpose reverse mortgage is offered by Government agencies and non-profit organizations. It’s the most inexpensive of the three types of reverse mortgages. The problem with this type is that they are harder to qualify for and the owner must have a small income. It also requires that the funds from the loan are used for a specific purpose (improvements, repairs or property taxes.)

Federally Insured Reverse Home Mortgage

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) backs this reverse home mortgage. This type of reverse mortgage is also known as a HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage.) It’s a little more expensive than the single purpose reverse mortgage.

The biggest plus of this loan is that you can use the proceeds from it for any purpose you want. It is also easier to get and it’s available to homeowners all over the country. This kind of reverse home loan is by far the most common.

Proprietary Reverse Mortgage

This kind of reverse home loan is available through private companies that haven’t been HUD certified. They usually have the same requirements than a federally insured one.

Proprietary reverse mortgages can be very expensive. Since they don’t go through the same kind of control from the Federal Government, some private companies offering this type of loan have been know to take advantage of senior citizens by charging exorbitant fees.