Florida Real Estate Blog

There’s a handful of things to know about reverse mortgages before choosing to get one. In the remaining of the article, we’ll explain the main disadvantages of a reverse mortgage.

For example, most of reverse mortgages have changing rates. The rates will fluctuate as the financial indicators change. This may be a disadvantage because of the uncertainty associated with it. Still, it can also work as an advantage if the interest rates decline once you get your reverse home mortgage. In this case, you’ll get more money.

Furthermore, rates going down are not as important as with a traditional mortgage because you’re not making recurring payments. Interest rates going up just mean that you may not be able to receive as much of a monthly payment or that the remainding value in the house may go down faster than you thought.

Since reverse mortgages function by decreasing the equity in the house, you may spend most of the value of the home; leaving very little money left for you and your heirs. Nevertheless, you need to remember that a “non-recourse” clause existing in most reverse mortgages prevents either you or your heirs from owing more money than your home is worth.

Furthermore, beacuse you are retaining ownership of your house, you are accountable for the major expenses associated with keeping a house: taxes, utilities, insurance and maintenance.

One of the main disadvantages of a reverse mortgage is that most lenders charge inception fees and other closing costs for a reverse mortgage. Banks may also charge servicing fees during the duration of the reverse mortgage. In addition, the fees charged may vary greatly depending on the lender you choose. However, these costs are previously included in the mortgage and don’t mean an out-of-pocket cost to you.

In addition, the interest rate on a reverse home mortgage is not deductible in your income tax return until the mortgage is paid off (in part or whole.) Still, if you don’t need that money right now, it can be a large amount of cash available to you at the time when you sell your house.

Lastly, there is normally a cheaper solution to your financial problems (refinancing, credit line, etc.) than applying for a reverse mortgage. Naturally, for a large number of homeowners, the benefits surely exceed the disadvantages of a reverse mortgage.

Some of the advantages are the chance of staying in your own home for as long as you want, maintaining ownership of it and not having to make any recurring mortgage payments while you stay in it.

To make sure you get the best available deal, apply for a reverse mortgage employing a licensed FHA reverse mortgage broker. A professional reverse mortgage broker will advise you while saving you thousands of dollars at the same time and minimizing the disadvantages of a reverse mortgage.

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