Dear friends, can we talk about Reverse Mortgages and how awful they are?

[Paper Roses]

Some time in 2008, my husband and I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of a RM. This scheme was being promoted everywhere..what could go wrong? We both worked all our lives, paid our bills, did what we should. Then: college for the 2 kids. Since our house was paid for at the time, we thought this solution would be a help to defray the costs the the kids education. No real debt at the time(owed Credit Card about $200.00) Our plan was to do some updating and sell the house, move to something smaller that needs less care.

Next step..paperwork done, RM funds on hand, we took a trip to France. The trip cost us about $4000.00. Well worth it. Europe is amazing.

Here comes the other part. Three weeks after our great trip, my husband died of a stroke. He was healthy, no sign of any problems. It has been tough trying to face up to the abrupt change in my life.
Now, years later, I'm trying to keep it together. The house now has a good size mortgage, my health is not really good. I want to move but cannot find an apartment worth spending $3500.00 a month to rent. Dumps, dirty, no parking, no washer/dryer hook up, dated appliances...the list goes on. I am very senior, there is no job out there for me, especially since I have health issues. I lost my job in 2008 when my company moved to Alabama. Could not find a new job anywhere...yes, there is age discrimination, no matter what your skills.

Now I'm scared to death about the intent of the FEDS to increase interest rates up to 6 times this year. I cannot understand any of that, Inflation is killing al of us, these increases will wipe out the remaining equity in my house. After a million years of working myself to the bone, I could be out on the street.

The waiting list for a 2 room Senior housing is 7 years...7 years!. I'll be long gone before that.
I guess the point of baring my situation is to warn people about the long time issues in regard to a reverse Mortgage. You never know that will happen that destroys your plans and leaves you...stuck.

[OLDMDDEM]

1. Our neighbor

who happened to be a very dear friend had a RM. He died in April. The stepson notified the holder of the RM and they gave the "estate" 30 days to payup or they would foreclose on the property. I'm so glad we don't have one.

[exboyfil]

2. My mom and I were considering it for her in Florida

but she ultimately decided to sell a month ago and move up to a retirement apartment in Iowa to be closer to me. She made the move for health reasons.

I am so glad she made the decision. She was worried about the apartment cost, and I explained to her the money she made from the sale of her home makes that cost mute. She was looking at considerable repair costs to her home in the next few years. The couple who bought it was all cash and purchased it as is.

[in2herbs]

3. I am sorry. Your stress level must be through the roof. A suggestion I will share: talk to

a financial planner or tax expert about selling your house and most of your belongings and paying off the RM, and then investing what is left over into a low risk investment, then, along with SS or a pension (??) using a portion of the profit and interest each month to help offset the expense of a new residence. I would put your name on a waiting list for senior housing in the meantime.

Change is hard and scary, but perhaps moving to a cheaper state/area would be helpful. Do all states have a 7 year wait list for senior housing?

[wryter2000]

5. Good advice

Plus, don't be too proud to reply on your kids.

[wryter2000]

4. I'm so sorry

Apply for the senior housing, anyway. I had applied but gave up waiting. I sold my house and moved into an apartment. A few weeks later, the senior place called with an offer years before I expected them to. I suspect COVID killed a lot of people on the waiting list. I probably could have paid half of what I now pay in rent. I don't really mind. I love where I am, and someone who really needed my spot might have gotten it.

[Wednesdays]

6. Reverse mortgages are bad news all around.

When you get to the "empty nest" years, better to just sell your house outright and use the funds to buy a more modest dwelling. Then the extra cash can pad your retirement.

[kimbutgar]

7. My neighbor took out a reverse mortgage after his wife died

When he passed on his step daughters found out the house that were left to them from their mother that she acquired during her 1st marriage had this reverse mortgage. The reverse mortgage company wouldn’t let the daughters refinance the house. The step father had only taken $100,000 out and when the reverse mortgage company sold the home it went for 1.5 million. I always thought the daughters should have fought this more but they were overwhelmed.

These are evil predatory things and every time I see Tom Selleck pushing them I curse him.

[trof]

8. Selleck is an addhole.

Tom Selleck stole “thousands of gallons” of water from a fire hydrant in Thousand Oaks, the Calleguas Municipal Water District contends in a complaint filed against him, according to the Daily Mail.

The Magnum, P.I. star owns a 60-acre ranch and avocado farm in Hidden Valley with his wife, Jillie Mack, and on multiple occasions between 2013-2015, a white truck pulled up to a fire hydrant in Thousand Oaks—a community neighboring Selleck’s ranch—filled up, and drove the precious H2O back to the old Selleck spread, according to the complaint.

California was then, as it is now, suffering a drought.
https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/tom-selleck-accused-of-wetting-his-avocados-with-other-peoples-water/