Retirement is a moment many individuals wait for impatiently. And why wouldn’t it be? After spending a lifetime getting out of bed and going to work, while also taking care of your family, you finally have the time to enjoy your hobbies, travelling and spending time with your loved ones.
But what if once you retire you want to locate in another city or buy a new home? Or what if you would like to release cash from your property to top up your pension income? Or organize your daughter’s wedding? Can you still get a mortgage once you retire?
Yes you can! But although borrowing with residential mortgage lenders can be difficult, lenders are not allowed to discriminate borrowers based on their age. And although the reluctance of traditional lenders to provide mortgages to those in their later years has scared many of those looking to borrow after retirement, solutions do exist.
What Are The Main Requirements Needed For Getting A Retirement Mortgage
A retirement mortgage is basically a financial tool secured against your home, that can start either before or after the retirement moment. And although getting hold of a mortgage once you hit 60 can be extremely tough, there’s an increasing number of lenders who have launched deals and packages designated for older borrowers.
While older borrowers cannot qualify under the specific general requirements of traditional mortgages, and regardless of whether the income has a defined expiration date, there are common requirements with traditional mortgages lenders will look at before borrowing money to the elderly. They might require retirees to document the regular and continued receipt of their qualifying income either in the form of letters from the organizations providing the income, copies of retirement award letters, or copies of signed federal income tax returns.
Other than these, lenders might also carry out a variety of different checks among which: your earned income sometimes up to the age of 70, a state pension statement
and a social security income.
How Much Can I Borrow With A Retirement Mortgage?
Each lender in BC, Canada has different limits on how much you can borrow against your property. The amount of the loan will be usually based upon an affordability assessment which looks at your income and outgoings. This assessment helps borrowers make sure you can keep up with repayments when your only source of income comes from pensions, savings or investments, and not from employment.
And while many of the traditional lenders like banks or credit unions might turn a retirement mortgage into a total hassle, if you don’t want to deal with all the complications, you can always choose to work with private lenders. Alternative mortgage lenders in BC will tend to look less at your income or age, and more to your home’s value. Also, the process of approving your loan will be faster and will require less documentation.
But if navigating the waters of the financial world might seem too complicated for you, a mortgage broker in BC might prove to be of valuable help. These financial specialists can help you make the decision as to which are the best retirement mortgage options for you based on how much capital you initially require, your age, income, and the value of your property.