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"I am not a has-been. I am a will be." ~Lauren Bacall
Today's Community Review
February 2, 2023
Vitalia at Tradition, Port St. Lucie, Florida
Port St. Lucie is on the southeastern Florida coast and is the location of Vitalia at Tradition, a 55+ single family home enclave within a larger development. Amenities include lakes, a putting green, tennis courts, walking trails, a swimming pool with cabanas and more.
More Communities
Virginia Heritage at Lee's Parke, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is outside of Washington, D.C. in northern Virginia and is the location of Virginia Heritage, a 55+ enclave within the larger development of Lee's Parke. Single level, single family homes are for sale and amenities include a large clubhouse, two swimming pools, walking trails, a woodworking shop, lighted tennis courts and more.
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Mountainbrook Village, Gold Canyon, Arizona
Gold Canyon is east of Phoenix in southern Arizona and is the site of Mountainbrook Village, an established 55+ community with single family homes, "casitas," an activities director, swimming pools, tennis courts, a ceramics center, an 18 hole golf course and more.
Halifax Plantation, Ormond Beach, Florida
On the northeastern Florida coast, Ormond Beach is the setting for Halifax Plantation, a large, lush community with town homes, single family homes, a spacious clubhouse, a golf course, planned events and oceanfront beaches 10 minutes away.
Rossmoor Village, Monroe Township, New Jersey
In central New Jersey, Monroe Township is the setting for Rossmoor Village, a large 55+ community with a New England village look. It has condos, co-ops and a few single homes in 18 neighborhoods. Amenities include a golf course, a 30,000 square foot clubhouse, more than 50 activity groups and more.
Falls of Ocala, Ocala, Florida
Ocala is in north central Florida's horse country and is the setting for Falls of Ocala, a mellow, modest 55+ manufactured home community with a recreation center, a swimming pool, planned activities, reasonable HOA fees and more.
Lake Providence, Mount Juliet, Tennessee
Outside of Nashville in north central Tennessee, Lake Providence is a gated, 55+ community with single family homes, town homes, a 15-acre lake and a wide range of amenities, clubs and activities.
Pinelake Village, Jensen Beach, Florida
Jensen Beach is a nice town on the southeastern Florida coast and is the site of Pinelake Village, a family-owned 55+ manufactured/mobile home community. Tropical and well-kept, it has a nice clubhouse, stocked lakes, a swimming pool and plenty of activities to keep residents active and engaged.
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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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