Your Questions Answered about Homes in Need of Repairs and Reverse Mortgages
Posted on 04 September 2012.
You have probably seen a lot of advertisements lately about reverse mortgages but are you also aware of the reverse mortgage disadvantages?
While this program is indeed helpful to many people you need to make
sure that you understand all of the terms and conditions that go with
it. If you don’t study them carefully and comprehend them properly there
is a chance that you could lose thousands of dollars in the process.
One of the things that you need to know if you’re at all interested in getting a reverse mortgage is how it will work for a home that needs repairs. Do you qualify for this type of mortgage if your home needs some type of fixing up? The good news is that in many cases you will be able to get this type of mortgage even if repairs must be done.
With a traditional type of loan you would a responsible for getting any repairs done before being accepted for the loan. With a reverse mortgage loan, however, the requirements are more lenient than they are for regular types of loans. This means that you’ll be able to use the proceeds from the loan in order to get the repairs done. For some seniors this means that repairs can be scheduled for the home that otherwise couldn’t be afforded.
If you’re planning on doing any of the repairs yourself you’ll need to make sure that you collect some contractor quotes for the job in order to know how much escrow needs to be held back.
Once you have a contractor’s quote for the job it is wise to add an extra 50% to the amount. This will cover any miscalculations on the part of the contractor for the job and ensure that the work gets done as needed. It would be horrible to plan these repairs and then find out later that a small amount is missing due to an error in the original quote. Anyone that has worked with contractors before knows that these errors can be quite common and upsetting to say the least.
The amount of the quote plus the 50% is held back in escrow and is released once the repairs have been completed. First the contractor is paid his amount owing and then the rest of the money is paid to you if there is any left over.
It is important to note at this point that any problems that could be considered a health or safety concern in the home or on the exterior of it will need to be completed before the reverse mortgage can be put into place. Other common jobs like a leaking roof can be put off until the money from the reverse mortgage is received.
It seems like a good idea but…
One of the reverse mortgage disadvantages is that it all seems like it’s too good to be true. You will be receiving money either in a lump sum payment or as monthly payments and you’ll never have to worry about making another mortgage payment again for the rest of your life. You will be receiving money instead of paying it out and there are no taxes payable on this amount. You’d be able to get your home fixed up the way you want it to be and will be will to continue to enjoy a lifestyle that you are used to.
You may now be thinking, what’s the catch?
That’s the thing. For you as a senior, it may work out to be the one thing that can give you peace of mind financial regarding your retirement. It is your heirs that are going to suffer the consequences. While you may not have any debt to pay off after you have passed on, they will not get the money that you have perhaps spent a lifetime building up in your home.
You’ll have to decide for yourself whether you want to compromise on the estate in order to better your way of life now. You must remember that this is your decision to make and you need to feel good about it. If you really don’t have enough money for retirement to sustain a decent way of life, and you have no other options available to you, it may be the only rational decision you can make.
Despite the reverse mortgage disadvantages there are a lot of good reasons why a senior may want to turn to this type of mortgage. In fact, according to a survey performed by AARP, most seniors that ended up getting a reverse mortgage were happy that they made the decision to get one in the first place. It may be your best option for your retirement and you will have to make the final call on that yourself.
One of the things that you need to know if you’re at all interested in getting a reverse mortgage is how it will work for a home that needs repairs. Do you qualify for this type of mortgage if your home needs some type of fixing up? The good news is that in many cases you will be able to get this type of mortgage even if repairs must be done.
With a traditional type of loan you would a responsible for getting any repairs done before being accepted for the loan. With a reverse mortgage loan, however, the requirements are more lenient than they are for regular types of loans. This means that you’ll be able to use the proceeds from the loan in order to get the repairs done. For some seniors this means that repairs can be scheduled for the home that otherwise couldn’t be afforded.
If you’re planning on doing any of the repairs yourself you’ll need to make sure that you collect some contractor quotes for the job in order to know how much escrow needs to be held back.
Once you have a contractor’s quote for the job it is wise to add an extra 50% to the amount. This will cover any miscalculations on the part of the contractor for the job and ensure that the work gets done as needed. It would be horrible to plan these repairs and then find out later that a small amount is missing due to an error in the original quote. Anyone that has worked with contractors before knows that these errors can be quite common and upsetting to say the least.
The amount of the quote plus the 50% is held back in escrow and is released once the repairs have been completed. First the contractor is paid his amount owing and then the rest of the money is paid to you if there is any left over.
It is important to note at this point that any problems that could be considered a health or safety concern in the home or on the exterior of it will need to be completed before the reverse mortgage can be put into place. Other common jobs like a leaking roof can be put off until the money from the reverse mortgage is received.
It seems like a good idea but…
One of the reverse mortgage disadvantages is that it all seems like it’s too good to be true. You will be receiving money either in a lump sum payment or as monthly payments and you’ll never have to worry about making another mortgage payment again for the rest of your life. You will be receiving money instead of paying it out and there are no taxes payable on this amount. You’d be able to get your home fixed up the way you want it to be and will be will to continue to enjoy a lifestyle that you are used to.
You may now be thinking, what’s the catch?
That’s the thing. For you as a senior, it may work out to be the one thing that can give you peace of mind financial regarding your retirement. It is your heirs that are going to suffer the consequences. While you may not have any debt to pay off after you have passed on, they will not get the money that you have perhaps spent a lifetime building up in your home.
You’ll have to decide for yourself whether you want to compromise on the estate in order to better your way of life now. You must remember that this is your decision to make and you need to feel good about it. If you really don’t have enough money for retirement to sustain a decent way of life, and you have no other options available to you, it may be the only rational decision you can make.
Despite the reverse mortgage disadvantages there are a lot of good reasons why a senior may want to turn to this type of mortgage. In fact, according to a survey performed by AARP, most seniors that ended up getting a reverse mortgage were happy that they made the decision to get one in the first place. It may be your best option for your retirement and you will have to make the final call on that yourself.