You may have heard your friends and family talking about reverse mortgages. There’s also been a lot of television commercials offering information about reverse mortgages and reverse mortgage companies. Yet with all of this talk going on about FHA insured reverse mortgages and what they mean to you, what exactly is a reverse mortgage?
A reverse mortgage is designed specifically for homeowners who are age 62 and older. Through this product, you can receive a loan against your home in the form of a lump sum, regular monthly checks or a line of credit. The loan is typically repaid with interest when you sell your house, permanently move or pass away.
Reverse mortgages are getting to be more and more common these days. Reverse mortgage loan advances are not taxable, and generally don’t affect your Social Security or Medicare benefits. You retain the title to your home, and you don’t have to make monthly repayments. The loan must be repaid when the last surviving borrower dies, sells the home, or no longer lives in the home as a principal residence. Not like the regular mortgage the homeowner’s makes no payments and all interest is added to the lien on the property.