So, what is a reverse mortgage? Well, it is exactly like it sounds. It’s a way for your house to pay you, rather than for you to pay for your home. A reverse mortgage is intended for seniors who want to use the equity in their home to give them a lump sum of cash. How it works is by borrowing money against the equity in the home and giving it up to the lender when the home owner either dies or moves away. This way, you get a lump sum of cash that is equal to the equity that you have in your home to retire on, take a vacation or whatever you choose.

You don’t necessarily have to do it all in one lump sum either. In fact, quite often the reverse mortgage payments will be monthly for a certain period of time. This will enable the recipients to travel or simply live in a tropical climate while receiving a check each month. The loan isn’t offered to everyone, in fact you have to be age 62 or older to qualify for the loan and you must have enough equity in your home built up to obtain the loan. The main problem with this type of mortgage is that you basically undo all the work you did by paying for the house for so many years.

You can continue to live in the home after you have take out the reverse mortgage. If you decide that you want to continue living in your home until you pass away then you will not only have a home but also money to live on, which makes life very nice for retirees. However, you will not be able to pass on the home to relatives when you die, because it will go to the company that you got the reverse mortgage through. If this isn’t a concern then a reverse loan for a mortgage may be exactly what you are looking for.

Many consider the reverse mortgage industry in poor taste because it purportedly preys on seniors who need money and basically takes the home that they have worked their whole life to pay for after they die. However, it is a blessing to many senior citizens who are wondering how they will continue to pay their bills with a small social security or retirement check. If you are offended by the idea of a reverse loan then you don’t have to get one, but for many people it is the life preserver that they were looking for upon retirement.