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"Right breathing makes for long living." ~H. Addington Bruce
Today's Community Review
December 9, 2022
Boca Pointe, Boca Raton, Florida
On Florida's southeastern coast, stylish Boca Raton is the setting for lovely Boca Pointe, a large, lush community with villages, a retail center, a golf course, tennis courts, swimming pools, a lifelong learning program and a wide variety of home styles and prices.
More Communities
Cinderberry, Georgetown, Delaware
Just 15 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Georgetown is the setting for Cinderberry, a small, well-kept 55+ community with single family homes, town homes, a clubhouse and more.
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Lakes of Carriage Hills, Tamarac, Florida
Tamarac is in southeastern Florida and the setting for Lakes of Carriage Hills, a mellow, established 55+ condominium community with lakes, a clubhouse, a swimming pool, neighborhood get-togethers and more.
Carriage Park, Hendersonville, North Carolina
Hendersonville is a touristy small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina and is the site of Carriage Park, a lush, secluded mountaintop community with town homes, single family homes, a lake and incredible views.
Windsor Lakes, The Woodlands, Texas
North of Houston in southern Texas, The Woodlands, a huge master-planned development, is the setting for Windsor Lakes, a gated 55+ neighborhood with single family homes, attached homes, an expansive clubhouse, an activities director and more.
Villas of Lake Arbor, Clearwater, Florida
On the central Gulf Coast of Florida, Clearwater is the setting for Villas of Lake Arbor, an established, quiet 55+ commnity with condos, attached villas, tropical grounds, walking paths, planned activities and a clubhouse overlooking a lake.
Trilogy at Lake Frederick, Lake Frederick, Virginia
Lake Frederick is tucked in northern Virgina's beautiful Shenandoah Valley and is the site of Trilogy at Lake Frederick, a lakeside 55+ community with handsome single family homes and attached homes. Residents enjoy a large lodge, swimming pools, walking paths and plenty of planned activities and events.
Sun City Texas, Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown is tucked in central Texas and is the setting for Sun City Texas, a large, gated 55+ community with three golf courses, a village center, a recreation center, workshops, classes, single family homes, town homes and more.
Sea Towers, St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is on the Florida Gulf Coast and is the setting for Sea Towers, a gated, 55+ waterfront condominium community with a lagoon, a social director, a clubhouse, two swimming pools, a putting green and sweeping water views.
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Retiring with a Mortgage?
Most financial advisors will tell you to pay down your mortgage before you retire. The reason for this is that since your income is most likely to decline during retirement, it makes sense that your monthly expenses also decline.
Yet more retirees are carrying mortgages than ever before. This is because people are buying houses later in life and then refinacing to tap into their equity, which usually extends the lenghth of a loan.
Nearly 50% of people age 65 to 79 have a mortgage, with a median balance of $77,000. Twenty-five percent of people age 80 or better also carry mortgage.
There are two potential downsides to carrying mortgage debt during retirement. One, if you find that you can't make your payments and your home is foreclosed, then you have less time to recover from the loss.
Two, if you have to pull from your retirement accounts to make your mortgage payment, that can leave you short on cash if an emergency arises. And it is not as easy at age 70 to pick up a job to help with mortgage payments as it is at age 35. Retirement account withdrawls can also trigger more taxes.
If you are going to have mortgage payments during retirement and are worried about them stretching you too thin, then you might consider refinancing the debt with a 30 year loan before you retire. Doing so can get your monthly payments down to a manageable level.
You might also consider a reverse mortgage if you have a good amount of equity in your home. This type of loan lets you stay in your home without a monthly payment and lets you tap into your equity, providing you with a lump sum payment or monthly cash payments.
If you are retiring with a mortgage, you are not alone. But not having one or refinancing the debt to lower your payments can make retirement a little easier.
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How to Qualify for a Reverse Mortgage
All borrowers must be at least 62 years old. The older you are, the more funds you can receive from a reverse mortgage.
You must live in your home as your primary residence for the length of the reverse mortgage. You must own your home outright or have at least 50% equity.
You must meet with a HUD-approved reverse mortgage counselor prior to applying for a reverse mortgage to learn exactly how a reverse mortgage works and how much it costs (fees, etc.). The counseling session is to ensure that the borrow completely understands how a reverse mortgage works.
Single family homes, manufactured homes built after 1976, condominiums that are FHA-approved and town homes are all eligible for a reverse mortgage.
You must show the financial ability to meet your loan obligations, including paying property taxes, insurance and HOA fees if applicable. You must also maintain the home.
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Best Mortgage Lenders
Homeowners approaching retirement often have enough equity to sell their current home and buy a less expensive one outright. Some people, though, want to keep the cash from their home sale and finance a new home, while others might need a small or short-term mortgage to cover the gap between their available cash and a home's purchase price. If you do need a mortgage, it is important to choose the right one. Here are three of the best lenders.
Better Mortgage - According to Nerd Wallet, this mortgage company charges no commission fees and has no application, underwriting or origination fees. They also close most loans within 21 days, two times faster than the national average.
Quicken Loans - This mortgage company has a five star rating in the 2019 J.D. Power U.S. Primary Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study and an A+ rating with the BBB. Quicken Loans has processed more than two million mortgages.
Vylla Loan - This mortgage lender has multiple loan programs for people with less than steller credit and considers alternative credit data, such as bank statements and rent payments.
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