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Image via Wikipedia Reverse mortgages or lifetime mortgage in UK are the loans against your home that are increasingly useful source of revenue for the aging population.

During your financial crunch you may end up with no money available to meet up your emergency needs. At some point of time you may even think of selling your house and releasing funds. That means leaving your loved home you are forced to take a less desirable property in an inferior neighborhood.

With a reverse mortgage, you can convert the value of your home into cash without any repayment. This is a new kind of concept for loan. The cash you get from a reverse mortgage can be paid to you in several ways. No matter how you got this loan, you normally don’t have to pay anything back until you die, sell your home, or move out of your home.

Who are eligible?

To be eligible for reverse mortgage, you must be at least 62 years of age, own your home and must be living in that home, etc alongside with other conditions as stipulated.

And what types of homes are eligible?

The home you’re going to reverse must be a single family dwelling or a two-to-four unit property that you own and occupy. Townhouses, detached homes, units in condominiums (must be FHA approved) and some manufactured homes are also eligible.

Reverse mortgage differs from other types of home loans. Prior to approval of the home loan, lenders always verify your income (as a borrower) to see how much you can afford to pay back each month. But with a reverse mortgage, you don’t need a minimum amount of income to qualify for.

HUD’s Reverse Mortgage is a federally-insured private loan, that can give senior citizens greater financial security. Many seniors use it to supplement social security, meet unexpected medical expenses, make home improvements, etc.

When you purchased your home, you probably borrowed the money you needed to buy it. Then you paid back your mortgage loan every month till possessing the full ownership. As you made each repayment, the amount you owed became smaller, but your ownership value or equity grew larger. Eventually you then owed nothing, and your home equity equaled the value of your home.

How much money can I get from my home?

It depends on your age, current interest rate, and the appraised value of your home or FHA’s mortgage limits for your area, whichever is less. Generally, the more valuable your home is, the older you are, the lower the interest, the more you can borrow.

Despite some drawbacks reverse mortgages are a very useful source of money for many age-old people that own their own homes. It is certainly worth exploring and a way of enjoying the fruits of a lifetime of work while you are still able bodied. What is the use of tying up all your money in property until the day you die when you could be enjoying the use of some of that equity now.