Charles & Susan Truett asked:


Reverse mortgages can be a great solution for seniors who wish to remain in their home but are having difficulty making their monthly payments and meeting other financial obligations. If you are over age 62 and own your own home, the bank will actually pay you money so you can stay in your home, rather than the other way around. It is important to collect as much reverse mortgage information as possible before deciding whether to take out the loan.

Anyone is eligible for a reverse mortgage loan, even if they have no income. Your home must be a single family residence in a one to four unit dwelling, a condominium or some type of manufactured home. Cooperatives and most mobile homes are not eligible. The home must be at least one year old and you have to first meet with an authorized counselor.

You can obtain the loan as a lump sum payment, a fixed monthly amount or as a line of credit that you use whenever you need it. The money can be used for just about any purpose. This can include paying property taxes or medical bills, home repairs and improvements, paying off credit cards or just daily living expenses. The amount of money you receive depends upon your age, the amount of equity in the home, its appraised value and current interest rates. The reverse mortgage loan does not have to be repaid until you sell the home, permanently move out, or pass away. Your loan could also become due if you allow the property to deteriorate, you fail to pay property taxes or hazard insurance, or if the last surviving borrower does not occupy the home for 12 months in a row due to illness.

There are some fees involved with a reverse mortgage loan, similar to those you would incur with a regular mortgage. These include origination fees which cover the lenders operating expenses and are currently capped at the greater of $2,000 or 2% of the maximum FHA loan limit. In addition you will be required to take out mortgage insurance and pay an appraisal fee which ranges between $300 – $400. Other closing costs include fees for a credit report (usually under $20), flood certification, closing and title search, document preparation, recording, courier, pest inspection and a land survey. In addition, a monthly service set-aside fee of $30-35 per month will be charged.

When you meet with your counselor, you should be able to obtain all the reverse mortgage information you require before you make your final decision. It will be nice to have the option of staying in your own home if that is what you desire.



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OZ2003 asked:


Hi there, I was wondering, I currently have two mortages, and 80/20 since I had no down payment. My 80 10 year interest is fixed at 6.125% and my 20 30 year fixed is at 8.25%. I don’t want to refinance and pay all closing costs, but could I call my mortgage company and work a better deal with the way the market is. I have a stable job and always pay on time.

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Balaji Vijayaraghavan asked:


You should always compare mortgage rates to find the best mortgage to meet your needs before refinancing. Comparison helps you identify the best lender. Compare Mortage rates by contacting at least two different mortgage lenders.

It will take some research and comparison in order to find both the best lender and the best in first time home buyer loans. Also, Calculate whether a fixed rate mortgage or an adjustable rate mortgage will benefit you in the short and long-term.

Record numbers of homeowners are jumping on the refinancing bandwagon in an effort to lower their mortgage interest rates. There are several tools that help you determine if it’s worth chasing a low mortgage and refinance your mortgage, it’s best to mortgage rate compare before signing on the dotted line. Further, if you have poor credit, you’ll be required to pay a higher rate of interest than those who have a good credit rating.

Another important question is, Should you buy or rent When you get that urge to buy a house, the first thing to do is step back and ask whether it makes more sense to keep renting for a while. If you still want to buy, you need to figure out how much house you can afford.

Industry experts claim that homeowners are refinancing in record numbers. While this is all well and good for some it may not be for others. It’s true with a good refinancing package you can potentially shave hundreds of dollars off your existing mortgage but it isn’t for everyone.

When you apply for a loan, you and the lender will need accurate estimates of how much you will pay every month for property taxes and homeowners insurance. In the next chapter, we will describe these and other key elements of the monthly mortgage payment.

Further, when you buy a home with a reverse mortgage it is not considered taxable income and does not affect Social Security or Medicare benefits.

There are many factors that come into play when you consider the ultimate amount you may be able to save by refinancing. Such factors include whether you will be selling your home in the near future and what if any effects there will be on your taxes.

All the more reason to mortgage rate compare and gather information from various lenders. Being a knowledgeable homeowner is vital. Just knowing your interest rate and your monthly payment costs is not enough to win at the refinancing game. A wise homeowner will always mortgage rate compare and gather information about the same loan amount, loan term and type of loan so comparisons are easily made.

Look out for your own best interests and don’t feel pressured to stay with the lender of your original mortgage if their terms aren’t in your best interest. Ask the right questions, compare mortgage rates between lenders and negotiate the best refinancing deal you can.



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Manu Geol asked:


A lot of people just plunge into mortgage without evaluating it completely. They are either too fascinated with real estate so as to be able to evaluate mortgages or they are just plain careless. However, mortgages need to be considered carefully. Since your Manayunk mortgage is one of your biggest financial transactions, you cannot just go for that Manayunk mortgage without actually considering all the costs/fees etc related to your mortgage.

Your Manayunk mortgage approval (rather mortgage approval in general) will involve a lot of different people/professionals. The first and the most important is the mortgage lender. Your Manayunk mortgage lender will agree on various terms and conditions with you as part of your Manayunk home mortgage loan approval process. Most people think that the monthly mortgage instalments are the only payments to be made to the mortgage lenders. However, mortgage lenders also charge an application fee (or the establishment fee) to the buyer. If you are going for insurance of your Manayunk mortgage, you will need to pay for mortgage insurance too (which can be part of your monthly mortgage payments). Stamp duties, registration and other government taxes should also be considered. Then you have the legal fees, as charged by the attorney. Inspection fee is another one that you need to consider. So there are a whole lot of expenses related to getting your Manayunk mortgage (or just any mortgage, for that matter) and you should consider all of these when evaluating your Manayunk mortgage. As far as the mortgage offers go, you can use certain websites online for quickly getting good mortgage offers.



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crazy_grrrl asked:


If I have a low credit score, but parents are fronting 20% of the downpayment for a new home – mortgage broker is suggesting applying for an FHA mortgage.

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