Is now really the best time to get a reverse mortgage loan? The answer depends on your own personal situation. If you need to increase your monthly income or reduce your housing expenses or require a lump sum of cash, then a reverse mortgage can be a great way to achieve your objective.
With changes in home values over the past few years, there are a few reasons that make now a particularly good time to consider a reverse mortgage.
Designed to help seniors access more of their home equity to fund retirement expenses during this economic crisis, Congress passed legislation that increases reverse mortgage loan limits.
Reverse mortgage loan limits were much lower in recent years so this is a huge increase which could significantly improve your financial situation..
2009 is likely to be a year long remembered for the global financial crisis. The extent of the problem is deep, and it appears that we may experience very low growth for a long period of time.
For retirees, the economic problems are most apparent in retirement savings accounts. Anyone who had exposure to the financial markets has seen a significant decrease in their total assets. This is devastating for retirees who require these savings to fund retirement.
A reverse mortgage could potentially help you bridge an income gap and enable you to either postpone any withdrawals from your savings or allow you to supplement any withdrawals.
A viable alternative to a reverse mortgage has always been a home equity loan. However, fallout from the economic crisis are making these types of loans much more difficult to get for many seniors.
To begin, housing values have fallen so much that many homeowners lack sufficient equity to borrow. Additionally, tougher income and credit requirements make these types of loans very difficult to secure right now.
“Now” may be a good time for many people to consider a reverse mortgage.
However, your own personal situation now and in the future should be carefully analyzed.
The MetLife Mature Market Institute and the National Council on Aging recently published “The MetLife Study on the Changing Role of Home Equity and Reverse Mortgages.” The study identified four key principles that they think should guide how you use your home equity to fund retirement. Their principles suggest that your plan for using home equity should:
Seniors who were once unsure about the viability of a reverse mortgage are flocking to the product. Loan applications have increased 14 percent over last year and the Wall Street Journal reports that demand for reverse mortgages is increasing as retirement savings have lost value during the current economic crisis.
In fact, reverse mortgages are now held on at least 2 percent of all homes owned by seniors in the United States.
Home equity represents the bulk of most seniors’ assets. A reverse mortgage enables you to tap that money to use on retirement expenses. A reverse mortgage also enables you to eliminate your mortgage payment – representing significant savings each month.
If you would like more information on our reverse mortgage products, call us now at (800) 876-LOAN to speak to one of our reverse mortgage specialist or click here to have one of our reverse mortgage specialists give you a call today.
If you are interested in applying for a reverse mortgage, you can apply online now.
