Posts Tagged ‘FHA’

Free Reverse Mortgage Counseling

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that $79 million (seventy-nine million dollars) will be made available for a broad range of housing counseling including how to qualify for a reverse mortgage in fiscal 2010. In times like these when reverse mortgage counseling can cost as high as $125, the additional money is a welcoming sign that more free reverse mortgage counseling should be forthcoming.

This funding represents a 27% increase over last year. HUD says the primary benefits of the program are to expand homeownership opportunities, improve access to affordable housing and preserve homeownership. Here is a list of some of the types of counseling the funds will pay for:

FHA Insured Reverse Mortgage Monthly Premiums to Rise

I thought it would be necessary to post this article just after my last “Lowest Reverse Mortgage Fees” because there are definitely some issues of concern about the ongoing costs of reverse mortgages, or any FHA loan for that matter. The last article defined the reasons for the dramatic decrease in up-front closing costs and fees associated with obtaining the reverse mortgage while this article aims to discuss the ongoing fees and charges that appear on a borrower’s reverse mortgage statement and thus, are added to the loan balance.

Lowest Reverse Mortgage Fees

Reverse Mortgages have come a long way in just the last year or two. The low, fixed interest rate, FHA insured reverse mortgage came on to the scene last year and has taken the industry by storm. This is good news for everyone, including homeowners age 62 and older.

With a very healthy secondary market for these loans, lender premiums have increased to the point where it just made good sense to use these credits to pay borrower fees and closing costs. Fees and costs have long since been one of the major deterrents to the program for some and others just would not qualify for the loan without lenders picking up the tab for some of these fees.

Top 10 Disadvantages of Reverse Mortgages

I get the question a lot from prospective borrowers, “What are the disadvantages of a Reverse Mortgage?” It is a very easy question to answer because there actually are a few.

  • Reverse Mortgages are Home Equity Loans and they will reduce the amount of equity you have in your home.

If you are in the market for a Reverse Mortgage, you probably are not trying to preserve long term equity, so this may not be a specific concern.

  • Reverse Mortgages are currently insured by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) so the collateral for the loan, your home, must meet the HUD minimum property guidelines.

This is particularly difficult in some instances such as with mobile homes and condominiums.

  • Reverse Mortgages are difficult to obtain if your loan closes with your property in a trust.

Reverse Mortgages and Annuities

While I agree that a reverse mortgage is not right for everyone, I also see evidence that only a small number of homeowners trust them or the potential opportunities they create. Not everyone uses them to pay off bills or help out a friend. I have recently had reverse mortgage clients use the proceeds of their loans to diversify into gold, annuities and bargain-priced real estate. Whatever the outcome of those investments may be, the one principle that I understand and respect that is being followed here is diversification.

While some may say that to borrower and invest is not right, others will use leverage from margin accounts or short selling which is also borrowing and investing and usually for the purposes of hedging or timing another investment opportunity.

Reverse Mortgage Appropriation Woes

By now you have probably heard of the $250 million appropriation the Obama administration requested from congress in order to justify the expected losses from the FHA reverse mortgage program in fiscal 2011. A congressional sub-committee assigned a new number recently of $100 million less based on revised annual projections and the severe downturn in 2009 reverse mortgage volume. Even though the program is again, sure to get some kind of a principle loan amount reduction, at this time it’s not quite certain what exactly will happen to the program except that it won’t be as good to seniors as it was, just like last year’s principle loan amount reduction. I remember last year’s cut and how it was projected to reduce volume by 5%  but low and behold, here we are down 30%! Now I am sure housing values had something to do with that and how much, I really don’t know. Let’s say the majority of the decrease in volume was from the decline in housing values nationwide and peg the number at, oh I don’t know, 25%. What that means is that the market worked all by itself without any turning of the screws by the fed. It means the principle loan amount reduction was not necessary and the housing crisis corrected the steep growth curve of reverse mortgage volume all by itself, rendering a much lower amount in losses for the program.

Arizona Reverse Mortgage 4.99% Fixed

Reverse Mortgage Concepts is offering Arizona Reverse Mortgage borrowers a rare opportunity to lock in a 4.99% fixed for life, reverse mortgage in Arizona with no lender fees and no servicing fees. A free home inspection will be performed to qualify. Please contact me directly for more information.

Michael Manfredi is an Arizona Reverse Mortgage Lender

(800) 507-2080

Reverse Mortgage Concepts

7310 N 16th Street #315

Phoenix, AZ 85020

Arizona Reverse Mortgage Lending Limit History

A decade long look at Arizona reverse mortgage lending limits in Maricopa County Arizona.

Reverse Mortgage Interest Rates

It seems like just yesterday when there was not a low, fixed rate reverse mortgage to be had. Suddenly, there are more than we could dream of and each lender is striving to make more sense of the loan from the borrowers perspective by assisting with fees and other terms.

FHA insured reverse mortgages continue to have the lowest rates because the lender has less risk but not all lenders are created equal in this highly competitive market where all the deals are drying up or get stuck in appraisal purgatory. The slippery slope has produced fixed rates down from 5.6, 5.5, 5.4 and now the ever pleasing 4.99.

Reverse Mortgage Arizona

Considering a reverse mortgage in Arizona? Your home’s value may be the key. Many home owners are faced with the reality of the current real estate market while planning for a reverse mortgage in Arizona. Most Arizona markets are still declining and Arizona home values have dropped 15.7% in the last year alone, according to Zillow Real Estate Market Reports. While there are some bright spots, those seem to be less affected by the downturn but none of them are seeing any gains yet, like we see in other parts of the country. This is a volatile market and all of the reasons you bought a home in Arizona or Florida for that matter are the reasons for the volatility. When times are good, they are really good in these desirable, vacation/retirement areas. When the pendulum swings back the other way, however, we can see sharp, protracted declines in value, a mirror image of the good times. This is a great time to buy and a good case can be made for borrowing against your home’s value at current market prices as well. When you borrow in lean times, like today,  it’s hard to over leverage your home and when prices stabilize, you will have more equity for future use. Dont’ forget, future equity is a good thing and it can be tapped into at a later date when you refinance your reverse mortgage. If you are out bargain hunting, try calculating a reverse mortgage purchase scenario, or give me a call and I’ll explain to you how to take advantage of this downturn in market prices.

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