Reverse Mortgage Pitfalls: Are You Prepared For The Worst?

submitted: Aug 10th 2008 | by: BarryCrewse | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 603 | PDF View | Print Article

Reverse mortgage pitfalls occur nearly everyday. Are you considering such a loan and if you are have you thought about the negative aspects of such a loan?

Unless you came into this world with out your eyes or ears you have most likely seen all the ads on TV, the radio and in newsprint as well.

This type of loan probably fits well for many people as I'm certain that is does but there are many caveats that you need to pay very close attention to and be aware of when considering a reverse mortgage loan.

There are well over a dozen types of reverse type loan concepts floating around out there at the time of this writing.

Your first plan of action should be to seek out only those lenders who are offering a large selection of these types of loans for you to consider.

If the lender you talk to only offers you a couple of different types of loan packages you need to be very wary as these types of loans are probably designed by the lender themselves and may not offer you the best rates and terms you can find shopping around.

Once you arm yourself with the facts before you go shopping, reverse mortgage pitfalls need not even occur.

Reverse mortgage loans are usually structured around a couple basic requirements. The first and foremost is your age. HUD for instance requires you to be 62 while the more conventional market will make loans to younger groups.

The major pitfall here is that the younger your age when the loan is made, the less interest you will be offered on that loan. This can have major consequences for you down the road.

You must remember that inflation and cost of living continue to increase. Will your loan payments increase with these factors as well?

Your loan contract must stipulate a cost of living increase dictated by the local economy. If not, you must consider where you will be 10 years from now.

Another reverse mortgage pitfall is that you must be aware that you are required to pay all the yearly taxes on your property. Make sure you figure that into your yearly income as from these loans well.

Property upkeep. Yet another expense factor you must not ignore! Expenses such as your plumbing costs, HVAC, roofing, flooring and a tons of other things that pop up from time to time. You must include those costs as well.

You must pay for all your housing insurance. Your lender will require up to the minute insurance coverage as they need to protect their investment. Again, make sure these costs are included.

Lastly but far from least in your current utility costs. How much to you think you will be paying 10 years from now. They will continue to increase as previously mention in the inflation factor I discussed earlier.

The bottom line? These are just a few of the things you need to consider and talk over with your lender. There are more and you will find these online if you know where to look.

Take all your cost you expect to pay over the next 10 to 15 years and make sure the contract you agree to will adjust upwards as these costs increase. The power of your dollar today should have the same power 10 years from now.

Reverse mortgage pitfalls? Yes but certainly not always. Depending on how you structure you loan it could work out beautifully for you in the end. It all depends on how much knowledge you are bringing to the table and remember that knowledge equals power and only you decide how much power you will bring to that table!

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