Thoughts on purchasing my parent's reverse mortgage home

Thoughts on purchasing my parent's reverse mortgage home

Member since 2019 · 4 posts · 1 vote

Hi guys,

Wanted to get your opinion on a situation that I am in. My parents (father) took out a reverse mortgage approximately 5 years ago and have accrued about $160k in total. The net worth of the house is worth $275-300k. My father has kept his finances very close to him and does not share it with the family, including my mother, solely out of pride and not wanting us to worry about (him) them. However, given that he is in his 70s, we have a big concern about his finances, especially since I have been the sole provider for my parents - including paying all their bills, property taxes, etc. Note that I do live with them (in my 30s) and long story short, moved back from California to financially help them. 

 I know my mother has been wanting to downsize the home but my father has been reluctant to want to sell or move out, and I'm assuming the reason why is because the bank now owns it. I haven't spoke to my brother about it, but wanted to get your opinion on what I should do in this situation. 

Option one: Letting the bank eventually take over the home. I'm assuming with interest accruing that the equity of the home will be eventually gone within the next 5-10 years. I really do not know if my mom will want to keep the home, just because upkeep is high and so are the property taxes. 

Option two: (I am leaning towards this) Having me and my brother pay off the $160k and put the house under our name. I'm assuming that my father had no plan on leaving any heirs to us which is why he did the reverse mortgage, which is fine, but I think from a financial standpoint, this would make the most sense - to purchase the house outright from my parents by buying the debt off of them. It would provide mental reassurance/health, get the home back, and we would profit from equity still since the home is still worth $275k instead of the bank earning that money. However, the caveat is that I would have to withdraw money from my stock account which I would get taxed on capital gain for selling those stocks.

What are your thoughts/opinions on the situation? I've been supporting my parents for the past 6 years, so I think in the end, they would be fine with whatever me and my brother decide. I just want to weigh out all my options and it's not about making profit on my parent's home but rather getting them out of this debt. I have no intentions of removing them from their home as I am financially stable but utterly hate the idea that everyday, the bank is taking away our home. I feel like option #1 is a win (bank) - lose (parents) situation and option #2 is a win (parents) - win (us) but not sure if this is the best financial for everyone in the end.

0Reply
26 views

6 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • John PowellPro Member
    Real Estate Agent · Kennesaw, GA · Member since 2015 · 307 posts · 153 votes
    6y

    Can you just get a traditional mortgage? They can gift you the equity that is still in it as a down payment. Then no capital gains from selling the stocks. capital gains are much more expensive than low interest rates.  

  • Member since 2019 · 4 posts · 1 vote
    6y

    How exactly would that work? Sorry, I'm a physician so not exactly numbers/mortgage knowledgeable. 

  • Will BarnardPro Member
    Moderator
    Developer · Santa Clarita, CA · Member since 2008 · 15k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    6y

    First off, from a tax standpoint, don’t buy the home from them assuming you will inherit it. Second, refi out of the reverse mortgage and get a standard 30 year fixed mortgage, rates are at or close to record lows and most reverse mortgages in my opinion are bad, bordering taking advantage of the elderly in some cases. (Not to say this is one of those)

    Option 2, sell the home on the open market, downsize them to a new home and so long as the net proceeds “profit” is less than $500k for a married couple, there is no capital gains tax as they have personal residence exemption.

  • Will BarnardPro Member
    Moderator
    Developer · Santa Clarita, CA · Member since 2008 · 15k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    6y

    @John Powell Based on the numbers provided, there is no capital gains tax exposure for this couple since they are married and it is their primary residence so they get a up to $500k capital gains exemption. Any personal residence that you have lived in for at least 2 of the previous 5 years qualifies.

  • John PowellPro Member
    Real Estate Agent · Kennesaw, GA · Member since 2015 · 307 posts · 153 votes
    6y

    @Will Barnard I was referring to the capital gains that @Raymond Lei would have if he sold stocks to pay off the mortgage. If you were to buy the house from them it would be like any other purchase. The only difference would be that your parents would have to sign a letter saying that they were giving you a gift of equity. You should definitely consultant a CPA for tax planning in this situation there is a right and a wrong way to do this especially if you or your parents have high income or high net worth. To buy the house from your parents you wouldn't necessarily need a realtor but you would want a good lender and title company or attorney if that is what your state uses. Buying the house may be much cleaner than waiting to inherit the home especially if you have other heirs involved.  

  • Will BarnardPro Member
    Moderator
    Developer · Santa Clarita, CA · Member since 2008 · 15k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    6y

    @John Powell my apologies, I somehow missed  the “stocks” verbiage in your post, I stand corrected on that portion. Thanks.

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.