Who ever thought that it would make sense to get a mortgage that would decrease your home equity? Well in certain instances it does. Lending philosophies have changed over history and they will continue to change in the future.
Before the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) existed only 50% financing was available for an American to buy a home. FHA created the pathway to home ownership for low and middle income Americans.
FHA was created in 1934 when the housing industry was defunct. Americans didn’t own in those days they rented. The American dream to own a home was for many, just that a dream. FHA changed all that. The US government created FHA to help military families buy homes. They insured the financing which would have been other wise unattainable to those families. Starting in the 1950’s FHA made it possible for Middle America to become homeowners. This government program created the pathway for our housing market to grow and make it common place for home ownership. Currently, most every homeowner is financed through a private institution because FHA paved the way.
In the 1980’s Congress started to study reverse mortgages and their potential of helping the elderly in financing care and retirement. FHA began to insure reverse mortgages. In 1988 Fannie Mae announced its intention of purchasing reverse mortgages insured by FHA. Reverse mortgages like most programs started as a pilot program. FHA’s insurance assured these loan programs become successful. Now, as our society grows older, and we are living longer, a reverse mortgage can make the difference between getting older in poverty, just getting by or supplementing retirement income to make a more comfortable retirement lifestyle.
So why consider turning your equity into cash? Americans are not good savers. AARP says that a majority of Americans are counting on Social Security for most of their retirement income. The challenge is that Social Security’s intake will fall short of its expenses in 2017 by some estimates. This is the year when the first of the Boomers turn 70 and will be counting on Social Security to fund a majority of their retirement. Boomers haven’t saved enough money for retirement. What might make sense to supplement retirement income?
The largest asset that most Americans own is their home. The home they worked to pay off or near pay with years and years of payments. Why would a Reverse Mortgage make sense for a senior or a senior boomer in the future? Because it will make the difference between working part time to make ends meet or not, paying for medicine or medical care or not, paying for long term care or depending on the government for care or not. A Reverse Mortgage can make a difference in people’s lives. A Reverse Mortgage can create a life with the security of never losing their home, never making another house payment and creating retirement income they can count on.
When the “Silver Tsunami” hits I predict a paradigm shift in how we view our largest asset.
FHA has created paths for us in the past and I believe they have again now. I think you’ll see hybrid reverse mortgage products that will be designed to help fund our retirement. In Australia for example, you can attain a reverse mortgage on a commercial property. I think that a paradigm shift on how we can best use the largest asset that many Americans will own during their lifetimes is occuring. It is my belief that Reverse Mortgages will be as common and as important to the American retirement plan as the IRA or 401k.
Angella Conrard is a Reverse Mortgage Advisor and the President/Founder of the National Aging in Place Council – OC. For more information on current products visit her website www.angellaconrard.com. Or contact Angella Conrard directly at (949) 267-3409.
