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Reverse Mortgage Calculator

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Reverse Mortgage Calculator
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In your current area 100 homeowners are currently utilizing reverse mortgages to better enhance their retirement years, with 500,000 nationwide!

The amount you receive is based on your home’s value, your age, and current interest rates. Let’s start with your address so I can estimate your home value…
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Great! It looks like your home value estimate is about

If you feel this estimate is not correct you can manually change it below. If you have an existing mortgage balance, I'll need to know the amount we are going to pay off to get rid of that mortgage payment!

Please provide your estimated home value

If you presently have an existing mortgage balance, I'll need to know the amount we are going to pay off to get rid of that mortgage payment!
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The minimum qualifying age for a reverse mortgage is 55

Don’t forget to include your spouse’s age, even if they are not yet 55, as loan proceeds are always based on the age of the youngest spouse.
Your Age
Spouse Age
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Great News! Your ARLO analysis is ready

Your personalized results include the best of 2023's reverse mortgages
  • Side-by-side loan comparisons
  • Real-time interest rates
  • ARLO™ advice to help you select the right program
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Your FREE Report Includes:
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From America's #1 Rated Reverse Mortgage Lender

User Tips for Optimizing Reverse Mortgage Calculations

  • Include Your Spouse’s Age: When using the reverse mortgage calculator, always enter your spouse’s age, even if they are younger than 62.  The loan amount you can receive is based on the younger spouse’s age, making this detail essential for precise calculation.
  • Consider Your Upcoming Birthday: If you’re close to celebrating your birthday and it falls within six months, the calculator will automatically adjust you to the next year’s principal limit factor.  This adjustment can affect the amount of loan you’re eligible for.  Therefore, if your birthday is soon, waiting a few weeks to apply could result in a higher loan amount.
  • Provide Comprehensive Information: For the most accurate and relevant outcomes, it’s crucial to input as much information as possible into the calculator.  This includes any outstanding balances on a home equity line of credit (HELOC).  Adding this information ensures the calculator considers all your financial obligations, offering a result that best fits your situation.

 

Calculator Results Explained

When you use our calculator, you’ll receive detailed results to help guide your decision on a reverse mortgage.

Here’s what you can expect:

  1. Comparative Loan Options: You’ll see a side-by-side comparison of today’s top loan options.
  2. Interest Rates and APRs: The calculator provides current interest rates and annual percentage rates (APR), so you know exactly what costs are involved.
  3. Closing Costs Estimate: You’ll get an accurate estimate of closing costs associated with reverse mortgages.
  4. Personalized Recommendations: Based on your input, the calculator will offer recommendations tailored to your specific situation, ensuring you get the best program advice.

Understanding the financial details of a reverse mortgage is important, and that’s why ARLO™ offers customized amortization schedules.  These schedules will show how interest accumulates over time and how much equity you’ll likely retain over the life of the loan.

We aim to provide you with all the necessary information to make a well-informed choice about your reverse mortgage, ensuring it meets your personal needs and retirement goals.

 

About Reverse Mortgages

A reverse mortgage is a special type of loan designed for homeowners who are 62 years or older, enabling them to convert part of the home equity into cash.  Unlike traditional mortgages, reverse mortgages do not require the homeowner to make any monthly payments.  Instead, the loan becomes due when the homeowner sells the house, moves out, or passes away.

The amount a homeowner can borrow through a reverse mortgage depends on their age, the home’s value, and the prevailing interest rates.  There are several ways borrowers can choose to receive their funds: a lump sum, a line of credit, monthly payments for a fixed term, monthly payments for as long as they live in the home (tenure payments), or a mix of these options.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sets guidelines for how much money borrowers can access, taking into account factors like any existing loans or liens that need to be paid off, whether the borrower is buying a new home with the reverse mortgage, or refinancing an existing one.

Lenders such as All Reverse Mortgage, Inc. provide tools like the ARLO™ calculator to assist borrowers in understanding their potential benefits.  This tool helps estimate the amount you might receive, compares different loan options, and offers current information on interest rates and closing costs, helping borrowers make informed decisions.

 

3 Calculator Tips

 

Step 1: Enter Your Property Zip Code, Estimated Value, and Any Mortgage Balances

To begin, you’ll need to input your property’s zip code, estimated value, and any outstanding mortgage balances.  If you’re unsure about your home’s appraised value, we can provide a list of recent sales that an appraiser would likely consider for comparison in estimating your property’s value.  Your zip code is crucial because it allows ARLO™ to pull in accurate third-party closing costs, such as title fees, recording fees, and local taxes (if applicable) for your specific area.

The closing costs associated with a reverse mortgage can vary widely depending on where your property is located.  These costs might include fees for the title search, appraisals, and state and county fees, among others.  Providing your zip code is essential for the reverse mortgage calculator to accurately calculate the closing costs you might face in your locality.

Some lenders might not disclose all potential closing costs in their initial quotes.  It’s important to understand all the fees involved in a reverse mortgage upfront to avoid any surprises with additional charges later on.  Always inquire with your lender about any fees not included in their initial estimate to ensure you have a complete picture of the costs associated with a reverse mortgage.

 

Step 2: Enter Your Age

Understandably, when looking into a reverse mortgage, you might be hesitant to share personal information, like your age.  However, the age of the youngest borrower plays a crucial role in determining your principal limit.  This information is essential to ensure that the calculations provided are as accurate as possible.

For the sake of precision in the calculator’s results, it’s advised to input each borrower’s month and year of birth.  This approach allows you to maintain a level of privacy while still providing the necessary details to calculate the loan amount accurately.

It’s important to note that the borrowers’ ages directly influence the loan amount you can qualify for with a reverse mortgage.  Additionally, if you’re approaching an age milestone—turning a year older within six months of closing the loan—you might qualify for a higher loan amount, so including accurate age information can be beneficial.

 

Step 3: View Your Analysis

Once you’ve inputted all the required information, ARLO™ will present a variety of reverse mortgage options for you to consider.  It’s crucial to take your time to carefully review each option to determine which one aligns best with your needs and circumstances.  Your loan officer is there to assist you by explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each option and addressing any questions or concerns you might have.

Remember, the role of your loan officer is to provide guidance and information, not to push you toward any specific program or option.  Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge you need to make an informed decision that’s right for you.  Therefore, make sure to thoroughly evaluate your choices, considering your unique financial situation and long-term goals, before making a decision.

 

Calculator FAQs

Q.

How does a reverse mortgage calculator work?

A reverse mortgage calculator considers several key pieces of information: the borrower’s age, the value of the property (or the HUD lending limit, whichever is lower), and current interest rates.  HUD maintains a table known as the Principal Limit Factors.  This table establishes the loan-to-value ratio for each borrower, which varies depending on the expected interest rate.  The calculated ratio is then applied to either the property’s value or the HUD lending limit, depending on which is lower.  This process determines the total loan amount available to the borrower, referred to as the Principal Limit.  Essentially, the calculator estimates how much a borrower can expect to receive from a reverse mortgage based on these inputs, helping homeowners understand their potential loan proceeds before making any decisions.

Q.

How do interest rates affect the reverse mortgage calculation?

Interest rates play a critical role in determining the amount of money a borrower can receive from a reverse mortgage.  HUD sets a minimum interest rate, known as the “Floor rate,” currently at 3%.  When the expected rate is at or below this floor rate, borrowers qualify for the maximum loan amount possible based on their age and property value under the program’s guidelines.  However, as the expected rate rises above the floor rate, the available loan amount to the borrower starts to decrease.  The principle behind this is straightforward: the higher the interest rate beyond the floor rate, the lower the amount of money available to the borrower.  This means that fluctuations in interest rates can significantly impact the loan proceeds a borrower is eligible to receive from a reverse mortgage.

Q.

How is the line of credit growth rate calculated?

The growth rate for a HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage) line of credit is designed to increase the available funds over time, applying specifically to the unused portion of your line of credit.  This growth rate combines your current interest rate plus the mortgage insurance premium rate of 0.50% as of February 23, 2024.  Here’s how it works: The growth rate is recalculated monthly based on the unused balance of your line of credit.  For instance, if you have an unused line of credit of $75,000 with a hypothetical interest rate of 4%, your total growth rate would be 4.5%—that’s the sum of the 4% interest rate plus the 0.50% mortgage insurance rate.  As a result, your line of credit would grow by $281.25 that month, calculated by taking the $75,000, applying the 4.5% annual growth rate, and dividing by 12 to find the monthly increase.  This growth mechanism ensures that your available line of credit expands over time, providing an increasing pool of funds you can tap into as needed.

Q.

How are monthly payments calculated on a reverse mortgage?

The calculation for a monthly payment plan option is quite the mathematical formula.  Essentially, the formula considers how much money is available from the loan, the age and life expectancy of the youngest borrower, the current expected interest rate, and the duration of the payment plan chosen.  For example, you can take a payment plan called a Tenure, which is a guaranteed payment for life, or you can opt for a payment plan over a specified Term.  If you elect for a tenure payment, the payments will continue to come no matter how long you have lived on the property if you are still living on the property and the loan is in good standing.  If you opt for a term payment of 15 years, once the 180th payment is disbursed, no more funds will be available.  The older you are, the higher the monthly payment amounts will be.  Subsequently, the longer the duration of the payment plan chosen, the lesser the amount will be.  To determine how much is available for your specific circumstances, you need to consult with a lender for them to run those scenarios for you through their calculator.

Q.

How is the lump sum calculated?

The HUD guidelines for initial lump sum disbursement allow for all mandatory obligations (closing costs + any outstanding debt owed that is secured against the property) + an additional 10% cash out to the borrower or 60% of the Principal limit (whichever is greater).  For example, suppose a borrower has a $100,000 Principal Limit, zero outstanding liens on the property, and closing costs of $7,000.  In that case, they can have a maximum starting loan balance of $60,000, which would be 60% of the Principal Limit, so their lump sum would be $53,000.  If that same $100,000 Principal Limit scenario had an outstanding mortgage of $75,000, the borrower could have a max starting loan balance of $92,000 (Mandatory Obligations of $82,000 + 10% of principal limit).  Whenever money is left over beyond the initial max lump sum, the availability of those funds depends on the chosen product type.  A Fixed Rate loan is what is known as a single lump sum disbursement instrument, meaning that you can only take a one-time draw at closing, so if the HUD guidelines do not permit all funds at closing due to the circumstances of a borrower, those funds would not be available later.  However, on an Adjustable-Rate loan, those funds not permitted for initial disbursement are kept in the Line of Credit and become available after 12 months.

 

Additional calculators courtesy of ARLO™

Author Michael Branson
About the Author, Michael G. Branson | Mike@allreverse.com
Michael G. Branson CEO, All Reverse Mortgage, Inc. and moderator of ARLO™ has 45 years of experience in the mortgage banking industry. He has devoted the past 19 years to reverse mortgages exclusively.