What is an FHA reverse mortgage?

First and foremost of all, the readers should know what a reverse mortgage is. Well, it is a special type of remortgage without any obligation to make repayment till the homeowner lives in the house. Therefore, reverse mortgage is a loan that is secured against a property. The FHA reverse mortgage is a program having a strong backing of the federal government. It is often referred to as home equity conversion mortgage or HECM (abbreviated format). The prime reason why the majority of the elder persons prefer the FHA program to other available reverse mortgages is that it is fully guaranteed by the government of America.

Eligibility criteria for the FHA reverse mortgage

The homeowner who is at least 62 years of age can avail the FHA reverse mortgage facility. The home must be in a fine condition so the borrower can easily avail a myriad of facilities through such reverse mortgage program. There are certain houses that are eligible to avail this remortgage loan. From a single family dwelling to detached homes to townhouses to commercial properties — it is a prolix list of the suitable items that qualify to access the loans through the well conceptualized FHA reverse mortgage facility. There may be more than one family living in the same property. In that case, the borrowers may be more than one. But here lies an interesting kink. If the co-owner is yet to reach the age of 62, he or she must have to sign a proclamation passing the ownership to the aged co-owner. One more criterion is that the aged persons should not have more than 25% mortgage remaining on their properties.

How much can be borrowed through a FHA reverse mortgage plan?

Well, it depends on the amount of equities that are bottled up in the houses. The location of the property, the prevailing rate of interest and the age of the borrower play the vital roles in deciding the amount to be accessed. A cap is also placed indicating the maximum amount that can be borrowed through a FHA reverse mortgage plan and this amount is reviewed on yearly basis.

The advantages of the FHA reverse mortgage planning

The FHA reverse mortgage originated from the idea of improving the financial penury of many an elderly person. Improving the financial status may be the most vital reason for taking such remortgage plan but there are other convincing reasons such as meeting the health care costs or enjoying the vacation that prod a homeowner to take help of this policy. The major advantage is a borrower is allowed to live in the same property that he or she has utilized to arrange the required money. Moreover, there is no need to get worried over the repayment issue if the person is not planning to sell the house and shift your base to another place. In case of the commercial mortgage loans, a borrower has to sign the deal accepting the clause of paying the money back to the lender after a certain period of time. But the FHA reverse mortgage loan is completely a new concept. The lender can never claim the ownership title till the person lives in the property and does not pass away. Even after the death of the borrower, the immediate heirs can take the burden of repaying the loans in due course of time. It is not mandatory to sell the house to repay the loan that a person has borrowed through the FHA reverse mortgage loan. He or she can collect money from any source and pay it back to the lender.