Give your residents the facts on a government-insured option. No sales pitch.
The Home Equity Conversion Mortgage is an FHA-insured program built to help homeowners 62 and older stay in their homes with more financial flexibility while keeping ownership. Most seniors have only heard the myths. I'll come to your community and explain how it actually works, including what it costs and who it isn't for.
Why communities host this
Residents ask the front office and each other about reverse mortgages, and the answers they get are usually a mix of old news and a neighbor's bad experience from 2009. Meanwhile the program itself has changed: since 2013 to 2015 HUD added a financial assessment, limits on first-year draws, and protections for younger spouses, and it has always required independent counseling before anyone can apply. The result is a regulated, FHA-insured loan that lets an eligible homeowner convert part of their equity into a line of credit, monthly payments, or a lump sum, with no required monthly principal and interest payment, while the title stays in their name.
For a community, that can mean residents who can afford to stay put, fund in-home help or repairs, and stop drawing down savings faster than they'd like. For a senior center, it means members hearing a plain explanation from someone who will answer the hard questions in front of the room.
What a session looks like
- 45 minutes plus questions. Three parts: what a HECM is and what it isn't; where the old reputation came from and what HUD changed; and why it works, shown with a real, anonymized case. Lunch or coffee can be arranged for the group.
- Family welcome. Adult children are encouraged to attend. The decision belongs to the homeowner, and families decide better together.
- Optional co-presenters. A financial advisor on how the line of credit fits a retirement income plan, or a real estate agent on buying a home with a reverse mortgage for residents thinking about a move.
- Takeaways. A one-page summary of eligibility, costs, obligations, and HUD's counselor lookup, plus the link to this site's estimator and videos so nobody has to take notes.
What I will and won't do in your building
- I will name every cost, including the FHA insurance premium and the counseling and appraisal fees that are paid before closing.
- I will say plainly who a reverse mortgage is wrong for: anyone planning to move within a few years, anyone who can't comfortably keep up with taxes and insurance, and anyone for whom leaving the home free and clear matters more than using it.
- I will tell residents that HUD-approved counseling is required and independent, and give them the lookup, not a referral to a friend.
- I won't collect names at the door, run a raffle, or follow up with anyone who didn't ask me to.
- I won't sell anything else. No annuities, no insurance, no investments. I originate the loan when a resident chooses to proceed, and that's all.
- I won't accept, or pay, a fee for the session. Federal law (RESPA) prohibits referral payments in both directions, and your community shouldn't be in that position.
Where I've done this
The first session was at the Payson Senior Center in October 2026, with about thirty attendees and a Q&A that ran past the hour. I'm based in the Valley with family in Rim Country and licensed in 20 states; in Arizona I'll come to you, and for communities elsewhere a video session works well.