Reverse Mortgage Realities

Reverse mortgages make sense for older homeowners who plan to stay in their homes for the rest of their lives and can afford to pay property taxes and insurance for that long. Sometimes the loans are the only option for those who are cash-poor and facing high health care costs. However, elder law and reverse mortgage experts say they frequently encounter resistance from adult children less concerned about the terms of the loan. “If heirs are all concerned about their inheritance, but don’t want to go into their own pockets to help out Mom and Dad, it’s really a Catch 22,” says Matthew Murphy, the president of Reverses Are Us in Hauppauge, N.Y. The use of reverse mortgages is expected to rise as baby boomers age. In 2013, half of all Medicare beneficiaries had less than $61,400 in savings, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation report. | Read More