Mortgage & Refinancing Information


Is the Inverse Mortgage a Scam? New Program Promises Mortgage Payoff inside of 5 Years


If a mortgage could be paid off in five years or less, without it costing homeowners an extra cent, why wouldn't every homeowner in America be doing it? Because they don't know, or because they're too wise? Although the former may be the case for many, I certainly hope the latter is the answer for most.

A real estate finance consultant company, who shall remain nameless here, claims it has the secret to paying off your mortgage in five years or less, without you paying any more on your monthly payment or adding to the principal mortgage of your real estate loan. They call it an inverse mortgage.

Now, this company, which is not a mortgage brokerage or a bank, claims that all you have to do is pay your mortgage payment every three weeks, instead of every four. In addition to this one tiny change, you'll need to go to work for the company, recruiting other people to do the same. Of course, they say this is not a pyramid structure, although the way you cut into your mortgage and build wealth is by banking some of each payment that comes in for everyone you recruit, after the initial three. Incidentally, this company will take one of your payments at the end of the year for hiring you to recruit more people into their program.

Hmm, not a pyramid scheme or multi-level marketing? I don't claim to be an expert in these areas, but I certainly know the basic structure, and you probably do too. Doesn't a program requiring you to get others to buy something with the idea of you receiving a residual benefit from each recruit sound a lot like multi-level marketing? It does to me.

I may be a skeptic, but there are a few basic problems with the inverse mortgage and with this real estate finance program.

1. This company has been around for less than one year, and after some exhaustive research, I can't find one person who has ever actually made money or cut into their mortgage as quickly as the company says one can.

2. In the last 20 years, there hasn't been a revolutionary idea for reducing your mortgage, without paying more or without doing something like a bi-weekly mortgage (a completely legitimate, if unnecessary, approach to mortgage reduction). Why is it that this new company - not even mortgage people - has suddenly come up with something that true experts with 50 or more years of experience in the industry have not?

3. This one is the most alarming reason to be skeptical. In addition to the strange notion of recruiting people to take part in this program, the sponsoring company wants you to turn over your bank account information, so it can debit your account monthly to supposedly pay your mortgage.

So, is the inverse mortgage a scam? I can't say unequivocally that it is, because I don't have any true evidence to say so. The many years of experience in mortgage and investment real estate that I do have, though, tell me to beware of any program that looks too good to be true. This one does.

Mark Barnes is an investment real estate and real estate finance expert. Get his free mortgage finance course at http://www.winningthemortgagegame.com. Mark is also the author of the new novel, The League, a shocking, sports-related conspiracy. Learn more about his suspense thriller at http://www.sportsnovels.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Los Angeles Times

Pros and Cons of a Mortgage Refinance
FreeRateUpdate.com
Many homeowners are jumping on the opportunity to save money with a mortgage refinance at the current low mortgage rates. With mortgage rates at historically low levels, some homeowners have refinanced more than once in the past several years which is ...
Who Qualifies for the $26 Billion Foreclosure Settlement?TIME

all 3,635 news articles »


Lenders say mortgage refinance deal will bolster Manatee market
Bradenton Herald
By JOSH SALMAN - jsalman@bradenton.com MANATEE -- A new refinance program to help underwater homeowners will uplift the local economy by putting extra cash into the pockets of those who will spend it, area lenders predict. The deal struck with five of ...

and more »


Mortgage-refinance bill a dangerous deal
Arizona Republic
by Robert Robb, columnist - Feb. 10, 2012 12:00 AM State Sen. Michele Reagan wants to help out underwater homeowners in the worst way. And she has succeeded with SB 1451 -- it's hard to imagine a worse bill. Reagan proposes to establish a state agency ...

and more »


Housing Wire

Obama pressures Congress on mortgage refinance program
Fox News
WASHINGTON – President Obama is rallying support for his plan to expand government assistance to homeowners, pressuring Congress to help lower lending rates for millions of strapped homeowners. Obama, in his radio and Internet address Saturday, ...
President Obama's Mortgage Refinance Plan Just a Bid for VotesYahoo! Contributors Network
Obama Unveils Mortgage Refinance EndeavorsMortgageorb
New Obama mortgage refinance plan to near $10 billionHousing Wire
Go Banking Rates -MNI News -CBS Moneywatch
all 1,239 news articles »


MonitorBankRates.com

Mortgage Refinance Rates: 15 Year Refinance Mortgage Rates at 3.29%
MonitorBankRates.com
Mortgage refinance rates on 30 year conforming home loans are averaging 3.98%, unchanged from yesterday's average 30 year mortgage refinance rate. Mortgage refinance rates today on 15 year home mortgage loans are averaging 3.29%, down from yesterday's ...

and more »


Fox News

Obama Proposes Mortgage-Refinance Plan
Wall Street Journal
By NICK TIMIRAOS President Barack Obama called on Congress during Tuesday's State of the Union address to approve new legislation that would give all homeowners who are current on their mortgages the opportunity to refinance at record low mortgage ...
Will Obama's Mortgage Refinance Plan Be D.O.A.?U.S. News & World Report
Obama proposes mortgage refinance programPolitico (blog)
Obama proposes new mortgage refinance programHousing Wire
Daily Caller
all 314 news articles »


Bloomberg

HARP Refi May Delay PMI Cancellation
NASDAQ
The federal HARP mortgage refinance program can be a huge boon for underwater homeowners. But if you have PMI, there's a little hitch you should know about. While refinancing a mortgage through HARP can cut your interest rate and save you money, ...
New HARP Could Help Up to 6.7 MillionMortgageLoan.com

all 54 news articles »


International Business Times

FOX 11 News Discussion: State of the Union
MyFox Los Angeles
And he aimed a pitch at homeowners, announcing a new mortgage refinance program with "historically low interest rates" that "gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3000 a year on their mortgage." He added, "A small fee on the ...
Winning Words, But Not a WinnerU.S. News & World Report
Obama State of the Union 2012: Mortgage Refinance Changes Face ObstaclesInternational Business Times

all 12,250 news articles »


CBS Local

Six Questions on Obama's Mortgage Refinance Proposal
Wall Street Journal (blog)
By Nick Timiraos President Barack Obama said Tuesday night in his State of the Union address that he would send a plan to Congress to allow all homeowners who are current on their mortgages to refinance. Here's a quick look at the proposal: How is this ...
Obama plan could help refinance Bay Area mortgagesSan Francisco Chronicle

all 19 news articles »


Kansas City Star

Obama Projects $901 Billion Deficit Next Year With Tax Increases
BusinessWeek
He also would raise $61 billion over 10 years from the largest financial institutions to offset the cost of the Troubled Asset Relief Program and his mortgage refinance plan. The deficit forecast is based on the assumption Congress accepts previous ...
Obama Budget: $901 Billion Deficit In 2013KOAT Albuquerque

all 791 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2007