The wealth of most retirees is centered in their homes. In fact, residential real estate has grown to become the largest single asset class held by households with heads aged 65 or older.
The good news is that cash strapped retirees can tap this home equity to help fund retirement expenses.
What are the most popular options for accessing your home equity?
According to a recent study, 20 percent of not-yet retirees say they plan to downsize after their last child leaves the nest. Downsizing can be an efficient way of releasing cash from your home. However, the housing crash has made selling a home and therefore downsizing more difficult.
A home equity loan can also be a good way to access money for retirement. However, this is a loan which can be difficult to qualify for on a fixed income and it must be repaid.
A Reverse Mortgage is an increasingly popular way for retirees to get money for retirement expenses. And new Reverse products and discounts are making it an increasingly appealing option.
Now there are multiple Reverse Mortgage products offering:
Traditional, Saver and Jumbo Products: More products are being introduced to try to meet the varying needs and circumstances of different senior households.
Jumbo Reverse Mortgages are products tailored to homeowners with high value homes. If your home is valued at more than $1 million, then a Jumbo Reverse Mortgage product could offer you access to significantly more of your equity than the HECM product.
The HECM Saver is a Reverse Mortgage with lower fees and usually smaller loan amounts than the traditional Reverse Mortgage.