Is a Reverse Mortgage Right for You? Four Questions to Help You Decide

If the homeowner has a mortgage on the home, the reverse mortgage replaces that mortgage. The reverse mortgage eliminates the monthly mortgage payment and improves cash flow substantially. Now, the homeowner has more money available to meet the unexpected expenses that retirement brings. With a conventional mortgage, homeowners pay down their initial loan balance over time with monthly payments.

With a reverse mortgage, the homeowner has the option of never making a payment on the principal or interest until the last homeowner leaves the home permanently.

A reverse mortgage may be appropriate for your situation, but it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of a reverse mortgage. Explore these questions to ask to help you decide.

How much can I get with a reverse mortgage?

For this article, we’re discussing reverse mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Reverse mortgages are also called home equity conversion mortgages — HECM for short — and are by far the most common type of reverse mortgages. To qualify for an HECM reverse mortgage:

• One homeowner must be at least 62 years old. If the spouse is younger, they can be listed as a nonborrowing spouse on the application, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)¹; this grants them some of the protection of the reverse mortgage should the borrowing spouse pass away.
• The home needs to be the primary residence. You must have a remaining mortgage balance that meets the reverse mortgage lender’s minimum, according to LendingTree.²

Several factors go into determining how much you can receive with a reverse mortgage.³ These include:

• The home’s current appraised value
• How much you owe on your mortgage
• Age of the youngest homeowner
• Costs of obtaining a reverse mortgage

The amount of your reverse mortgage can vary widely. In general, your available funds calculation goes up the older you are, the higher your home value and the lower your mortgage balance. You’ll need to have at least 50% equity in your home because the reverse mortgage will first pay off the remaining balance on your existing mortgage.

Mutual of Omaha’s reverse mortgage calculator can provide a starting point for understanding how much you might receive.

How long do I plan to stay in the home?

Reverse mortgages are available only for your primary residence. You continue to own the home, while the issuer has a lien against your property. If you decide to permanently change primary residences, you’ll need to pay back the loan’s balance.

All HECMs are nonrecourse loans⁴

This means the HECM borrower (or his or her estate) will never owe more than the loan balance or the value of the property, whichever is less; and no assets other than the home can be required to repay the debt.

But you’ll need to consider the various fees and closing costs required to obtain a reverse mortgage, which often are higher than for a conventional mortgage. These costs include lender fees, closing costs and upfront mortgage insurance.

So, if you’re only planning to stay in the house for a few years, you’ll need to determine whether the total cost of obtaining a reverse mortgage is worth the advantages it can offer. It might make more financial sense, in your case, to wait and simply sell your home when you’re ready to move.

Can I afford to pay taxes and other ongoing costs of homeownership?

Reverse mortgages allow you to tap into your home’s equity and eliminate a monthly mortgage payment, but you remain responsible for important ongoing costs. These include property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, any homeowner’s association fees and home repair or maintenance costs.

Funds from your reverse mortgage can be used to pay these costs. But if you’re unable to pay the taxes and insurance, you might be subject to reverse mortgage foreclosure.

During the application process, the lender conducts a financial assessment that includes an analysis of your credit history. Based on this assessment, the lender might need to set aside some of the money you’d receive to make certain the reverse mortgage is a good solution for your situation. This fund, which will go toward paying for ongoing taxes and insurance, is called a lifetime expectancy set-aside.

Do I plan to leave the home to anyone after I die?

The reverse mortgage issuer doesn’t have the right to take title to your home when you die. You can leave the home to your heirs. If you do, you’ll need to consider how the reverse mortgage will be paid off. Your reverse loan balance increases over time as the interest on your loan and fees accumulate.  Also, since you’re using home equity in a reverse mortgage, this decreases the overall assets you have available to leave to your heirs.

Borrowers or their heirs typically pay off reverse mortgages by selling the home. They keep whatever is left after repaying the loan. Among the options, your heirs can keep the home by paying off the reverse mortgage or by taking out a new mortgage on the home to cover the balance of the reverse mortgage.

You’ll also need to consider who else is living in the home. If you’re married and jointly own the home, and are both eligible for a reverse mortgage, you and your spouse can both be on the reverse mortgage.

In this case, if one spouse dies, the surviving spouse (or eligible non-borrowing spouse) may continue to live in the house and enjoy the benefits of the reverse mortgage. But a spouse who isn’t an eligible nonborrowing spouse on the reverse mortgage, as well as anyone else living in the house, may face relocation if the reverse mortgage owner dies.

Reverse mortgages were designed with retirees in mind, but they aren’t the right solution for every homeowner. After asking yourself the four questions we’ve posed here, you should meet with an approved provider to see whether a reverse mortgage is right for you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

At what age is a reverse mortgage a good idea?

The answer to this question varies greatly. First, you must be at least 62 years old to qualify for a reverse mortgage. Next, you’ll need to consider your current age and the amount of equity you have in your home. The older you are, the more money you’ll be able to obtain because lenders figure younger borrowers will have more time for their balance to grow. Only you can determine if the amount you’ll be able to borrow fits your needs.⁵

How many years do you have to pay back a reverse mortgage?

Most reverse mortgages must be paid back when the last borrower or eligible nonborrowing spouse dies or moves out of your home. The loan may need to come due sooner if the home is not your principal residence, if you don’t keep your property taxes and homeowners insurance up to date or if the home falls into disrepair.⁶

What happens if I inherit a house with a reverse mortgage?

It’s important to stay in touch with the reverse mortgage servicer that sends the monthly loan statements. Within 30 days, the servicer will ask for your plan to either sell the house or refinance and keep it, or in a case where the value is less than the loan amount, turn over the property to HUD. Heirs generally have six months to make those arrangements but can request up to two 90-day extensions. If the heir chooses to keep the home, they will pay the lesser of the full loan balance or 95% of the home’s appraised value.⁷

Disclosures:

Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, NMLS ID 1025894. 3131 Camino Del Rio N Suite 1100, San Diego, CA 92108.

Charges such as an origination fee, mortgage insurance premiums, closing costs and/or servicing fees may be assessed and will be added to the loan balance. As long as you comply with the terms of the loan, you retain title until you sell or transfer the property, and, therefore, you are responsible for paying property taxes, insurance and maintenance. Failing to pay these amounts may cause the loan to become immediately due and/or subject the property to a tax lien, other encumbrance or foreclosure. The loan balance grows over time, and interest is added to that balance. Interest on a reverse mortgage is not deductible from your income tax until you repay all or part of the interest on the loan. Although the loan is non-recourse, at the maturity of the loan, the lender will have a claim against your property and you or your heirs may need to sell the property in order to repay the loan, or use other assets to repay the loan in order to retain the property.

These materials are not from HUD or FHA and the document was not approved by HUD, FHA or any Government Agency.  Consult your tax advisor. A reverse mortgage is a debt. Borrower must occupy home as primary residence.

Subject to Credit Approval. nmlsconsumeraccess.org

Sources:

¹ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, What are the ongoing requirements for HECM Borrower and Non-Borrowing Spouse certifications?, Dec. 11, 2024, accessed Oct. 2025, answers.hud.gov/FHA/s/article/What-are-the-ongoing-requirements-for-HECM-Borrower-and-NonBorrowing-Spouse-certifications

² LendingTree, How Much Equity Do You Need for a Reverse Mortgage?, May 6, 2025, accessed Oct. 2025.

³ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Looking for FHA information. We can help. hud.gov/answers.

⁴ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, When a lender meets with a potential Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) borrower, what information must be discussed or provided?, Nov. 29, 2023, accessed Oct. 2025, hud.gov/FHA/s/article/When-a-lender-meets-with-a-potential-HECM-borrower-what-information-must-be-discussed-or-provided

⁵ CBS News, What’s the best age to take out a reverse mortgage? Experts weigh in, Aug. 18, 2025, accessed Oct. 2025, cbsnews.com/news/best-age-to-take-out-a-reverse-mortgage-experts-weigh-in.

⁶Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, When do I have to pay back a reverse mortgage loan?, Sept. 11, 2024, accessed Oct. 2025, consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/when-do-i-have-to-pay-back-a-reverse-mortgage-loan-en-236.

⁷Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, With a reverse mortgage loan, can my heirs keep or sell my home after I die?, May 28, 2024, accessed Oct. 2025, consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/with-a-reverse-mortgage-loan-can-my-heirs-keep-or-sell-my-home-after-i-die-en-242.

465432_0925