pay back a reverse mortgage

How do you pay back a reverse mortgage?

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A reverse mortgage can make it possible for seniors to remain in their home and supplement their retirement income. While you receive a steady influx of cash with a reverse mortgage, it’s ultimately a loan that needs to be repaid. How do you pay back a reverse mortgage, and when is it necessary? Here’s what you need to know.

How does a reverse mortgage work? A reverse mortgage allows seniors to borrow against their home equity. Home equity conversion mortgages (HECMs), the most common type of reverse mortgage, are available to homeowners 62 and older. With a reverse mortgage, instead of the borrower making monthly payments as with a mortgage, home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC), the borrower receives monthly installments from their mortgage lender.

“You’ve already got a home, and the mortgage lender makes monthly payments to you, so they can get your house after you pass away,” explains Tabitha Mazzara, director of operations at MBANC, a mortgage lender.

That said, reverse mortgage borrowers or their heirs can choose to repay the debt.

To protect the borrower and potential heirs, lenders are required by law to structure reverse mortgages so that the loan amount doesn’t exceed the value of the property — and if the borrower dies, the estate will not be responsible for paying the difference if the loan ends up being higher than the home’s value. This can occur if home prices steeply decline, or if the borrower lives longer than expected.

When do you need to pay back a reverse mortgage? A reverse mortgage must be repaid in full if the last surviving borrower or eligible non-borrowing spouse:

Dies, Sells the home, No longer lives in the home as their primary residence.
The last scenario can occur if the borrower enters an assisted living facility, moves in with family or downsizes.

“Most people repay the loan when the owner dies, since the majority of people who use reverse mortgages are those who already have a significant amount of home equity,” says Cliff Auerswald, president of All Reverse Mortgage, a reverse mortgage lender.

There are other situations, though, when the loan could need to be repaid sooner. This can happen if the borrower stops paying homeowners insurance or property taxes on the home, or stops maintaining the home and it falls into disrepair.

How long do heirs have to pay off a reverse mortgage?
If the last surviving borrower or eligible non-borrowing spouse on a reverse mortgage loan dies, it falls to the estate and heirs to repay the debt.

According to federal regulations, heirs are required to repay the full loan balance or 95 percent of the appraised value of the home, whichever is less. The lender will typically provide the heirs with options for repayment, after which they’ll have 30 days to make a decision. Depending on where you live, you may have longer to actually pay off the loan.

“The exact time frame is usually decided by the state,” Auerswald says. “Most reverse mortgages are due within one to six months after the owner has died.”

Can a relative pay off a reverse mortgage?. Anybody can pay off a reverse mortgage, including the borrower, their spouse, their heirs or other relatives. This is most common in scenarios where the last surviving borrower or eligible non-borrowing spouse dies, and the heirs choose to pay off the loan.

How do you pay back a reverse mortgage? There are a few different ways you can repay a reverse mortgage. The following options include how to pay off a reverse mortgage early or when it comes due:

1. Sell the home. If you as the borrower or your heirs don’t want to keep the home, you (or they) can simply sell it to pay off the reverse mortgage. If there are additional proceeds on top of the loan amount and transaction costs, you (or they) get to keep it.

The borrower or heirs can also do this if the home ends up being worth less than the loan amount because its value has dropped. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the agency that backs HECMs, considers the loan terms satisfied if the borrower or heirs sell the home for 95 percent of its appraised value.

2. Refinance the mortgage. If you’re the borrower and you want to move out but still keep the home, you can refinance your reverse mortgage into a traditional mortgage loan. Just remember that you’ll need to start making payments on the new loan to keep the home.

“Refinancing it back into a traditional loan will mean having to make regular payments toward the mortgage again,” Mazzara says, “but it would also mean keeping the house as part of your estate.”

3. Take out a new mortgage. If the borrower’s heirs want to keep the home, they can simply take out a new mortgage loan on the house to pay off the balance of the reverse mortgage. They can then choose to live in the home or use it as an investment property.

4. Provide a deed in lieu of foreclosure If the borrower or heirs don’t meet the repayment requirements, the lender might choose to foreclose on the property and sell it to recoup its losses. One way to avoid this process is to provide the lender with the deed to the home so it doesn’t have to foreclose, an action known as a deed in lieu of foreclosure.

Bottom line. Whether you’re the borrower on the reverse mortgage or you’re an heir trying to resolve a reverse mortgage after a loved one has died, take your time to consider your options before you make a decision. It would be wise to consult with a financial advisor or real estate attorney to determine whether to hold onto the home or to simply sell it and pay off the debt.

Thanks for the informative article from Bankrate. Dont hesitate to call Scott Underwood. A trusted expert in the south with over 15 years Reverse Mortgage experience. I can be reached at (205) 908-2993 or (888) 220-0393 or scott@reversemortgagealabama.com. Offices in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile, Alabama. Also covering the southern states such as Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee.