A Chicago Tribune Q&A, “New Reverse Mortgage Opens Option for Seniors,” addresses reverse mortgages as a retirement option, and cites the Saver as a new choice for seniors considering a reverse mortgage.
The question poses the financial problem of many seniors who are “brick rich and cash poor,” and cites a case of an elderly widow with a $400,000 home she owned free and clear, but whose income was so low, she could not afford $2 Meals on Wheels payments.
“If reverse mortgages had been in existence then, it would certainly not have been a last resort. ‘Godsend’ would be more like it,” the question states. “She could have lived like a queen (albeit a modest one) for the rest of her life tax-free.”
While the author of the answer still says reverse mortgages are a “last resort,” he further says that new laws and the new FHA product are slowly changing his mind.
“Last year Congress increased the loan limits on reverse mortgages to $625,000,” he writes. “Additionally, the FHA announced a new version of the old reverse mortgage, the HECM (home equity conversion mortgage) Saver program. Although this new product does not allow homeowners to take as much money under the program as with the older version, the upfront closing costs are considerably lower. If you are 62 or older and have a house that is free and clear, or only has a small mortgage, you may be a candidate for this program.”
Read the Chicago Tribune article.
Written by Elizabeth Ecker
