Comparing Reverse and Forward Mortgages
When many individuals retire, they may acquire much of their income from pensions, social security, and other retirement accounts. However, that is not always enough. Many retirees find themselves falling short no matter how they budget their income.
When this occurs, they look into a reverse mortgage line of credit. What a reverse mortgage does is it allows the homeowner to take their homes equity and covert it into cash. In other words, that equity that was built up through mortgage payments is paid back to the homeowner as income.
This is very unlike the traditional mortgage, such as the home equity loan of the second mortgage, because the money that is borrowed is not repaid until the homeowner no longer uses it as their primary residence. The loan amount may also increase with the age of the borrower because the amount of equity they have accumulated throughout their life.
To acquire a reverse mortgage line of credit, an individual doesnt have to have great credit, nor is a steady income required. The main factor at play here is that the borrower be the owner of the home.
And then there is the opposite of the reverse mortgage, which is the forward mortgage. This mortgage is what people acquire when they are purchasing the home. This is when good credit and a steady income are required. If they payments are made late or not at all, the bank can foreclose upon the home because it is the home that actually secures the mortgage.
As payments are made on a forward mortgage, the equity within the home grows. This is because it is the difference between the amount of the mortgage and what has been paid into it. Once the last payment is made, the homeowner then owns the home.
However, the reverse mortgage, which is the opposite of the forward mortgage, results in an increase of debt as the equity decreases. There are no monthly payments being made, but the equity is being consumed because of the interest that is added to it as the money is borrowed.
Finally, there is a time in which the reverse mortgage must be repaid and the amount could be large, which is dependent upon the length of the loan. If the homes value has decreased at any time, there may be no equity to borrow. If the value increases, then the amount of equity can increase, therefore increasing the amount of debt.
When it is time to repay the loan, it is usually the result of the homeowner selling the home because they wish to move into an apartment or an assisted living facility for easier living. They have no more use for the home, so it is no longer their primary residence.
So for those wondering what separates a reverse mortgage from a forward mortgage, this should explain that. This should also help to make the decision of whether or not to add to monthly income by using a reverse mortgage line of credit.
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