Senior Planning with

Reverse Mortgage

The Reverse Mortgage is a very special tool to use in special applications.  If all the homeowners are not 62 or older, you do not get the maximum amount.  I would suggest another program that would better suit the situation that funds are needed for.

You can never owe more than the value of the home at the time the loan is repaid. Reverse mortgages are generally "non recourse" loans, which means that in seeking repayment the lender does not have recourse to anything other than your home. Not your income, your other assets, or your heirs.

So even if you receive monthly loan advances until you are aged 115, your home declines in value between now and then, and the total of monthly advances becomes greater than your home's value - you can still never owe more than the value of your home. If you or your heirs sell your home in order to pay off the loan, the debt is generally limited by the net proceeds from the sale of your home.

If your home is larger than you need, trading down to a smaller place may be a good way to increase your retirement income. The difference between the price that you receive for your present home and the cost of a smaller new home can be added to your retirement funds to provide you with additional investment income. The amount of cash that you can get by trading down depends on the value of your present home, the cost of purchasing a new home, and the incidental costs involved in the trade (e.g., brokerage commissions, legal fees, closing costs, and moving expenses). You should estimate these amounts to get some idea of the net amount that you will receive. To check the present value of your home, you should get an estimate of its selling price from two or three real estate agents. You should also get an estimate of the cost of your replacement home by shopping around for the type of home that you think you'll want.

Note: If you think that the tax consequences of trading down are a drawback, think again. You may be able to exclude from federal taxation up to $250,000 ($500,000 if you're married and file a joint return) of any resulting capital gain, regardless of your age. To qualify for this exclusion, you generally must have owned and used the home as your principal residence for a total of two out of the five years before the sale. An individual, or either spouse in a married couple, can generally use this exemption only once every two years. However, even if you don't meet these tests, a partial exemption may be available.