Tag Archives: Equity Release Plan

Which is the Best Equity Release Plan?

When it comes to deciding which is the best equity release plan that is suitable, it can be difficult without the required knowledge. It is always best to seek independent financial advice to find out which plan is the best for you. When choosing a plan, consider if you are looking for a low interest rate, the ability to make partial repayments, a guaranteed inheritance for your children, or just the maximum lump sum.

One Company Offering Comparisons
Equity Release Supermarket is an online company that will show you which equity release plans to choose from. They provide a comparison table of plans and products that will help make your search easier. The plans include drawdown, home reversion, lump sum, and interest only mortgages. In addition, they can provide an advisory service and have the facility to provide an appointment with a local adviser, either in the comfort of your own home or over the telephone, dependent upon which ever suits your requirements best.

Exploring Details of Lifetime Mortgages and Home Reversion
A drawdown equity release is similar to a lump sum lifetime mortgage, except that you only need to take only the amount of money that you will need. That way you do not eliminate all of the equity in your home at one time. A lifetime mortgage allows you to receive the maximum amount that your home is worth at one time. A home reversion allows you to borrow any amount from the equity of your home by selling a proportion of the house value. For instance, by borrowing half you will allow your children to inherit a piece of the property when you pass away.

An Alternative Lifetime Mortgage
The only equity release plan that you will need to make monthly payments while living in the home is an interest only lifetime mortgage. This type of plan is good to get if you want your children to have as much equity as possible when you pass away. One of the few companies to offer such a product is Stonehaven, who restrict borrowers to a minimum age of 55. Most other interest only lifetime mortgage lenders such as Halifax, who operated their Halifax Retirement Home Plan, have now withdrawn from the market.

How Equity Release Works In Principle
With most of the equity release plans you do not need to make monthly payments. In fact, you can live in your home for free until you pass away or go into a nursing home. The interest that accumulates on the loan for the remainder of its term and will eventually be repaid once you pass away or go in a nursing home.

You decide which product is correct for you, whether you want to make a monthly interest payment or no payment at all. The benefit is that you get the money you require now to make your retirement easier. The disadvantage is the amount of inheritance you can leave behind. This is why you should be aware of how lifetime mortgages and home reversions work.

First of all the money is tax free and can be used at your discretion for home improvements, repairs, or even holidays. Under home reversion you have already sold a portion of your home so you have less worry of paying something back and a lifetime tenancy agreement. For many this is uncomfortable, but it affords that inheritance as mentioned. You also have to be 65 to start this process, whereas lifetime mortgages can start from as early as 55.

Speaking with Family
An independent financial adviser is great, but you also need to be wary about what your family will think. As it is their inheritance and they may be able to help you keep the home in the family, it is important to get their opinion. They may see something you missed or simply help you sign a better contract.

For example, with lifetime mortgages there is a clause called a ‘no negative equity guarantee’ agreement in which the company cannot try to obtain any more than the house is worth upon your death or decision to sell. It protects you if the house loses value.

A homeowner may have an idea on which equity release plan they want, but it is still best to contact an independent financial adviser, to make sure you are making the right choice. One plan may be better for you than the others. The independent adviser will ask you a series of questions to help you choose the best plan. So, if you have any questions, ringing Equity Release Supermarket on 0800 678 5159 maybe your best option.

The Purpose of Equity Release Calculators

If you are in your retirement period, own your own property and are in need of an additional source of income, an equity release plan might be the solution that you are looking for. Equity release allows you to release money that you have invested in your property. The advantage of equity release is that you do not need to make any monthly repayment.

The money that is received from an equity release plan is tax-free and can be used for any purpose. By now, you might be wondering how much money it is possible to borrow from an equity release provider. The fastest way for you to find this out is through the use of equity release calculators. Equity release calculators help you to calculate the total amount of money that you can borrow.

Although equity release calculators are free and can be very helpful in the equity release process, you are not obligated to use them. It is however recommended for you to use them because they will give you a general idea of how much money you can borrow based on a number of factors. These factors include: the total amount of the property, the age of the borrow, the health of the borrower, and any outstanding mortgage or loan. If you are applying for a London equity release scheme with your partner, equity release calculators will work with age of the youngest applicant.

Equity release calculators can be found on almost all web-based equity release sites. One of the most popular web-based equity release sites is www.compareequityrelease.com. This website as well as many other website offers three different equity release calculators. One calculator is meant for healthy applicants who are interested in an equity release plan based on roll-up interest. One calculator is used for applicants who have poor health and have had a history of bad health. One calculator is used for applicants interested in an interest only lifetime mortgage plan.

Although the maximum amount that you can borrow is calculated by equity release calculators, it is not advisable to borrow the full amount. Equity release calculators are not meant to be used as the deciding factor. Instead, they are meant to be used as a part of the decision-making process.

Finally, do not take the figures from an calculation literally, Always seek independent advice from a specialist who is qualified and licensed to provide recommendations based on lifetime mortgage and home reversion plans home reversion plans from the whole of the market.

What is the Equity Release Compound Interest Formula?

Understanding the Equity Release Compound Interest Formula

Equity release can offer a flexible solution for many people to deal with their financial difficulties by accessing the equity built into their home; but it is important to remember that releasing equity from your home is a potentially life changing decision.

Depending on what type of equity release plan you opt for, you either lose ownership of a part, or all of your home, or have a lifelong mortgage secured on your property. Home equity schemes are not for the faint hearted and thorough research and professional advice is key to success.

In the case of roll-up equity release schemes, the interest on the lifetime mortgage keeps on compounding, and the final amount can often end up being so large as to erode all the equity in your home, leaving nothing for your beneficiaries.

Protection from ongoing compounding interest

However, the good news is that all equity release mortgages recommended by any authorised equity release adviser should come with ‘no negative equity guarantees‘. This ensures that the value of the equity release mortgage can never be more than the value of the property, period. This also provides protection for the plan-holders beneficiaries in that they themselves can never end up owing anything to the lender themselves.

In order to calculate whether this situation would ever arise you need access to an equity release compound interest calculator which can help you understand how much the interest on your mortgage could compound to over a certain term.

The viability of an equity release plan from the perspective of the lender, depends on what plan it is. For instance, in the case of an interest only lifetime mortgage, the shorter the term of the loan, the fewer the risks for the lender. But in the case of a roll up lifetime mortgage, the longer the term of the loan, the more interest compounds and the more profitable it becomes for the lender.

Equity release compound interestarises when the interest payable on the equity release loan amount is added to the loan amount itself, and interest is then payable on this combined figure, and so on and so forth. This way, the interest accrues interest on itself, and goes on compounding.

This compounding of equity release interest can quickly result in a large debt, and often this is the reason why many people with roll-up lifetime mortgages could have potentially been left with a negative equity on their loan. However, the no negative equity guarantee fortunately prevents this from ever arising.

Compound interest calculator tools

Without this it could have meant that far from being able to protect some of the equity in their home, they could have not only lost all the equity, but actually ended up owing money to the lender! An equity release compound interest calculator gives you a way to know exactly how much your loan balance will be every year. The calculator uses a simple formula to calculate the compounding interest on the loan amount and uses this to predict how much the amount will have grown to be after a certain period. This can help you plan ahead and get a better understanding of your finances and how much you’re likely to owe the lender after a certain number of years.

It is possible to set up a compound interest calculator on your own computer using software programmes such as MS Excel or Google Spread sheet. It is also possible to use an equity release compound interest calculator available on the internet.

Alternatively, if you would like more help with calculating the compound interest potentially payable on your mortgage, you can seek advice from an independent equity release adviser. They can always request a Key Facts Illustration from an equity release provider of your choice, where the year-on-year figures showing the compounding effect of the interest will be shown.

How Can the Proceeds from Equity Release Schemes Be Spent?

There are two main reasons why equity has caught on and become increasingly popular in the past few years. Firstly, it allows homeowners to access the cash value of their asset without having to sell it or move out, and secondly, there are no constraints placed by equity release providers on how the money can be spent.

Different people have different reasons for wanting to release equity from their home. Most equity release schemes allow for release either options in the form of a single lump sum or as regular withdrawals from a drawdown facility which can then be utilised as an income. This makes it a flexible option for people with a variety of needs, whether it is someone who needs cash for funding a holiday or someone who needs a supplementary income during retirement.

Having said that, it is important to note that there are some things outlined in the equity release plan contract that one cannot do, for instance make major alterations to the property that could have a significant impact on its value etc. Also, should anyone else move into the property, then the lender needs informing. The lender with then require an equity release waiver form must be signed by the new occupant so as to waive their rights behind the lenders, in case the main party died in the meantime.

In such situations it is always advisable to check with the lender beforehand to gain acceptance of the plans, otherwise should the lender find out any other way you could be in breach of the equity release terms and conditions.

Check the alternatives

Equity release is a flexible tool that allows people to use the released money to meet their individual goals. The key factor in deciding whether one needs to release equity from their property to meet these goals is whether there are other options that could help you achieve the same aims. Therefore, it is the duty of the lifetime mortgage adviser to consider all the alternative solutions that may exist before proceeding with any recommendation for an equity release scheme.

Once these alternatives have been eliminated it is only then that your lifetime mortgage financial adviser can then help you understand if equity release is the best way for you to meet your needs and attain your goals. Discussing your goals with your adviser can also help you understand if there could be another better way to achieve the same thing without incurring the same risks.

For instance, has your adviser consider ALL of the following: –

Would you be better off downsizing to a smaller property instead of releasing equity?
Could you use any existing savings or investments before taking any release of equity?
Be eligible for any means tested benefits that could help you?
Ask your children or relatives for financial assistance?
If home improvements are planned, are there any grants available that could cover the costs?
Consider other types of finance such as personal loans, credit cards, hire purchase, interest only mortgage?
Take in a lodger which could provide a source of extra income?
Reduce one’s expenses to provide additional disposable income?

A financial adviser could help you explore all the possible options and find the optimum solution.

For those who find that equity release is the best option for them, there are many ways in which the released equity can be used and there are no constraints on how the money can be spent. As mentioned above, everyone has their individual reasons for releasing equity, but some popular uses for released equity include a cash gift to the kids or grandchildren, funding a holiday, home improvement works, a new car, repaying an existing mortgage or debt consolidation or even buying a second property such as a holiday home.

Equity release schemes provide the freedom to carry out your long-term desires, something that wouldn’t have otherwise have been possible. However, there is always a word of caution which is that equity release schemes are not suitable for everyone & do come with a health warning – it will reduce your inheritance!

How Much Equity Release Should I Borrow?

5 Q&A’s – How Much Equity Release Should I Borrow?

The crucial decision with any equity release application is deciding on how much tax-free cash you should take. In order to obtain the correct advice with regards to these lending decisions you should certainly consult with a qualified equity release adviser.

By discussing your capital requirements, both immediate & in the future, you can assess which type of lifetime mortgage would be favourable for you & how much cash you should apply for.

Five important questions you should therefore be asking yourself are:-

What are you spending plans for the first 12 months?
Do I really need all the money upfront, or can I postpone some until a later date?
Should I add the set up costs to the loan, if so, what impact with this have?
Should I leave the release of equity until I am older, so I can take more cash?
If I decide to do a drawdown plan, what impact will rising interest rates have?

These questions will provide a solid platform from which your decision can be made and for the right equity release reasons. So why are more & more people seeking this type of lifetime mortgage nowadays? First let’s look a bit deeper into equity release schemes themselves.

So what is the point of an equity release plan?

An equity release plan allows you to turn some of the equity built into your home into usable cash. While selling the home and downsizing is one way to do this, equity release schemes offer a way to access the cash without the need to sell the property and move out. Remember, equity release schemes should always be considered a mortgage of last resort, once all other alternatives such as downsizing have been discussed with your adviser.

People use equity release for various reasons. Some may need a cash lump sum for a one-off expense, while others may use equity release to supplement their income and support their lifestyle during retirement. Additionally, and more recently, we have seen an exodus from the lifestyle reasons for releasing equity. More people are now releasing equity for family reasons such as gifting to children, or repayment of mortgages that sold the interest only mortgage time bomb. The reason for borrowing and the amount, will ultimately determine what equity release plan will offer the best value for you.

There are a number of different equity release schemes available on the market today. Finding the right equity release can be confusing but thankfully there are comparison and advice websites that offer impartial advice about different plans, as well as useful tools such as the equity release calculator. Equity release calculators can help you get an idea of how much you could borrow and how much it would cost you based on your age, property value and any inheritance protection you may want.

Analyse your spending plans carefully

While using such calculators, they can help you find out the maximum amount you could borrow, it is not necessarily how much you should in fact borrow! Borrowing the maximum is of no use if you do not need the money straight away. An equity release plan is essentially a loan, and you need to pay interest on the amount released. It makes no sense to borrow a large sum of money, simply to put it in the bank earning next to no interest, and pay upwards of 5% interest on the money to the equity release lender.

This is why maximum borrowing does not always make sense. The general rule of thumb is to borrow the amount that would be sufficient to carry you through for about one year. There are equity release schemes, known as drawdown schemes, which allow you to borrow money in portions, as and when you need the money. For those who do not need the maximum lump sum release, but would like to have the option of borrowing more in the future, drawdown lifetime mortgage schemes can offer the optimum solution.

An equity release plan can be a flexible and innovative way to use the equity tied into your home without selling the property. As equity release plans have become popular, they have also become more flexible in nature. Depending on how much you need to borrow, and your individual circumstances, you can find an equity release plan that can suit your needs. An equity release calculator can give you an idea of how much you could borrow, and get a picture of how different equity release schemes would work for you.

For an individual meeting to discuss how much equity release to borrow, contact the independent equity release specialists on 0800 471 4796 or email info@equityreleasecalculator.net

How Does Age Affect the Release of Equity Calculation?

Equity release is a way to withdraw some of the cash value tied up into your property. While traditionally the only path for a release of equity would be to sell the property, equity release offers a more flexible way to continue living in your home while accessing the cash tied up into the property. This can only be facilitated by receiving advice from a qualified equity release consultant, in conjunction with an equity release provider themselves such as Aviva, Just Retirement, Hodge Lifetime & many more of these niche mortgage lenders.

First an introduction to the types of equity release

There are two types of equity release products – lifetime mortgages and home reversion plans. While lifetime mortgages are loans taken against the value of the property, home reversion involves notionally selling a portion of the property with the lender recovering the proportional value when the house is sold. In all equity release schemes, the lender recovers the money from the sale of property, which happens only after you have died or moved into a care home.

Whether it is a lifetime mortgage or home reversion, the release of equity is basically money that you receive from the lender, and which the lender can recover after the plan ends. How much the lender can afford to lend, at what rate, and whether they can afford to lend at all, depends on the value of the property, the amount of equity that needs to be released, and the expected term of the loan; namely life expectancy.

The feasibility and exact terms of an equity release plan therefore depend on different relevant factors, some of which determine the expected term of the loan or plan. Since most equity release products have no fixed term, and go on until the end of life, or until you move out and into permanent care, it is the health and age of the client that determines the expected term of the equity release plan. The age of the applicant is therefore an important factor that significantly affects the release of equity.

Relationship between age & release size

Typically, the longer the term of the loan, the more the risks are for the lender in that the loan will compound over a longer duration. As there are many variables built into life expectancy, the lender does take the risk that: –

House prices may remain static, even fall over the term of the mortgage
The equity release loan interest will accrue for longer than the average life expectancy
The health of the individual will be good, thus leading to prolonged longevity
Condition of the house may deteriorate, leading to un-saleability

All these factors place a greater strain on the insurance policy that equity release lenders have on these loans – the no negative equity guarantee. They actuarially calculate the average life expectancy and then pitch their loan-to-values in accordance with this data. They will win on some cases, but lose on others & this is all factored into the no negative equity guarantee insurance policy. The danger for lenders in hoping they do not need to use this insurance policy, lie with the outside factors mentioned above that could seriously affect these chttp://www.equityreleasecalculator.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=46&action=editalculations.

Therefore the younger the applicant, the higher the risks, and the older the applicant, the fewer the risks involved for the equity release provider. This is why the older one is, the bigger the release of equity can be offered by these lenders. Hence, when considering a release of equity, do your sums first and always obtain a Key Facts Illustration from your equity release adviser. This will detail the exact amount, year-on-year, how much the balance will reach in the future. A useful piece of data for considering what the final balance may be, albeit guessing the length of the term can be an unnerving experience!

Loan-to-value summary

The minimum age for most lifetime mortgage products is 55 years, and generally speaking, the further away you are from this age, the more you can borrow. In fact, if you are aged 55, currently the maximum lifetime mortgage scheme will allow is 20.5%. This will steadily rise as one gets older and as a rule of thumb will be 1% each year you get older. Most equity release companies allow maximum release of equity only for older clients upto approx. age 90+ with an overall maximum release from any lender of 55%.

However, home reversion plans do not commence until age 65, some 10 years later. The calculation for the size of a home reversion release is based again on age, but also the sex of the individual(s). The reversion provider will receive a proportion of the house value in exchange for a tax-free cash lump sum to the homeowner.

The difference between the home reversion scheme and lifetime mortgage is that with a home reversion you can sell 100% of the value of the property, the converse relationship exists with a lifetime mortgage. However, even selling 100% of the property doesn’t mean you receive 100% of its value. This will usually be half of the equivalent percentage sold. Thus if you sold 100%, you are likely to receive around 50% of the value. Again, like a lifetime mortgage, the older you are, the greater the percentage over & above this 50% figure you will receive.

All these examples based on age, property value & health can be inputted into a good equity release calculator to provide the results you require in order to complete your equity release research.

If unsure call 0800 471 4796 to speak to a qualified independent equity release adviser who can provide guidance on the best schemes available.

Where Do I Find an Enhanced Equity Release Calculator UK?

Does an Enhanced Lifetime Mortgage Calculator UK Exist?

So what do equity release calculators do, and is there such a thing as an enhanced lifetime mortgage calculator UK?

Until a few years ago, a lifetime mortgage calculator was quite a novel application, only offered by a few select websites that allowed users to quickly calculate how much their equity release plan would endear them with as a tax-free cash lump sum. Today of course, there is no shortage of lifetime mortgage calculators on the internet, as most mortgage comparison and advice websites offer this useful application to users.

The next stage in the evolution of lifetime mortgage calculator was the introduction of the enhanced lifetime mortgage calculator on the internet. Of the four equity release companies that offer enhanced lifetime mortgages, (Aviva, Just Retirement, more2life & Partnership) an accurate enhanced calculator will pull the maximum release from each of these schemes & display these results.

An enhanced lifetime mortgage plan is basically a type of loan that allows you to access the equity tied up into your home, but takes your state of health into account. The mortgage is repaid when the property is sold, when the term of the plan ends, which is usually after you die or have moved into permanent care. At that stage, your beneficiaries will usually have 12 months to repay the lender, which invariably will come from the sale proceeds of the property.

There are different types of enhanced lifetime mortgage schemes UK, each with different lending and repayment criteria. Add to this the fact that each variable, including the applicant’s age, the value of the property, the amount needed to be released etc. determines how the loan is underwritten. The overriding factor with regards to the maximum enhanced release being possible is the severity of the health records. Basically, by completing a health & lifestyle questionnaire and answering the questions therein, will determine the effect it will have on the maximum equity release.

An enhanced lifetime mortgage calculator takes into account the type of equity release scheme, the lending terms of the particular provider, as well as the applicants’ variables such as age, property value, health and loan amount etc. to calculate how much the plan will cost.

An enhanced lifetime mortgage UK plan is different from a regular equity release scheme in that it has more generous terms of lending, based on certain special circumstances related to the life expectancy of the applicant. When it comes to a loan, the shorter the term of the loan, the lower is the risk for the lender. As such, in circumstances where the applicant has compromised health, a chronic illness, or a lifestyle that impinges on their life expectancy, lenders are able to lend at more generous terms.

In addition to offering the regular lifetime mortgage calculator, some equity release comparison websites also have the enhanced lifetime mortgage calculator. For instance, Equity Release Supermarket offers users the choice to get a quote for enhanced lifetime mortgage based on additional relevant information.

So why does an enhanced lifetime mortgage calculator UK need additional information? Because this is the information that it uses to project the expected term of the loan, which in turn determines the figures. The additional information is usually a simple health & lifestyle questionnaire with questions about your age, any serious illnesses, and any chronic health conditions you may suffer from.

The lifestyle questionnaire is used to find out whether any impairment one has will be acceptable to the lifetime mortgage companies to form the basis of any enhanced terms. These impairments or lifestyle choices that help qualify for the enhancements are as follows: –

You height, weight & for some lenders your body mass index (BMI)
Whether you smoke any form of tobacco e.g. 10 cigarettes per day for the last 10 years
Diagnosed with high blood pressure which needs medication
Entered hospital due to a heart attack, stroke or suffer from related illnesses such as angina
Struggle with diabetes requiring medication or even insulin
Diagnosed with cancer needing therapy (excludes certain skin related cancers)
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis

Just retiring on the grounds of poor health can get you an enhancement or even the fact that you are taking prescription medication e.g. aspirin can help.

Therefore, similar to the underwriting of enhanced annuities, the equity release market has also embraced the more in-depth knowledge our insurance companies have in associating ill-health with financial products; equity release now being the latest.

But do not fear as there are websites that can help guide you to the relevant companies & tools you can employ that will provide you with the enhanced calculations to inform you of the difference any enhancement can make to the tax-free lump sum.

What Facts Exist About Interest Only Lifetime Mortgage Calculators?

The Facts – Interest Only Lifetime Mortgage Calculators

An lifetime interest only mortgage calculator can be used to establish the maximum release possible from an ever increasingly popular type of equity release mortgage plan.

To recap, a lifetime interest only mortgage is a type of equity release scheme where you can actually make monthly or ad-hoc interest repayments. The principle loan amount does not need to be repaid each month and is only recovered at the end of the mortgage term, which is at the end of life, or when you move into permanent long-term care. At this point the property is sold, and the lender recovers the balance which usually should be within a 12 month period.

Interest only lifetime mortgages are becoming an increasingly popular type of equity release scheme due to the increasingly savvy over 55-year-old age group. Having grown up with a lifetime of mortgage debt, baby boomers reaching retirement now have much experience in how to manage mortgage debt & the associated monthly payments. Therefore, why when one gets to retirement why should this potential form of finance be pulled from their resources?

How does the interest only lifetime mortgage work?

Since you only need to repay the interest, these interest only lifetime mortgages work out to be more affordable for many people than regular residential mortgages. Another important factor that contributes to their popularity is that providing you make regular and full interest payments each month, the final balance on an interest only lifetime mortgage can remain level throughout the term of the loan. Great news for the kids!

Interest only lifetime mortgages, like regular equity release schemes, have no fixed term and involve no capital repayment. As such, the interest only calculations that decide the feasibility of such mortgages are quite different from regular equity release mortgages. As with any equity release plan or mortgage, there are certain fixed eligibility criteria for interest only lifetime mortgages with respect to age, valuation of property and affordability. These are the factors which are used to underwrite a loan of this type. While there are a number of websites offering equity release calculators, interest only lifetime mortgage calculators are only featured by companies offering niche products and advice who can invest in a specialist application such as this.

Interest only lifetime mortgage rates

An interest only lifetime mortgage calculator allows you to work out how much your mortgage would cost you, based on relevant variables including your age, property value, loan requirement, single or joint application and affordability of the applicants. The older you become the more you can borrow on the schemes with a maximum release of 50% of the property value. There are currently four providers in the market which offer interest only lifetime mortgages. These are Stonehaven, Hodge Lifetime, Holmesdale Building Society, and more2life. Obviously, each company has its own lending criteria, including minimum age for single applicants, joint applicants, minimum property value, minimum monthly payment, and each lifetime mortgage has different rates of interest starting from just 4.75% (5.1% APR) which is the Hodge Retirement Mortgage Plan.

The current minimum applicant age for Stonehaven, Hodge Lifetime and more2life interest only lifetime mortgages is 55 years, with a minimum property valuation starting from £70,000. The minimum age is 70 years for the Holmesdale Building Society lifetime mortgage. Since these are the set criteria for the mortgages, these also apply to their interest only lifetime mortgage calculators.

So, if you are looking into the possibility of equity release don’t always assume that your only option is a roll-up lifetime mortgage scheme. Has your adviser even asked whether you would like to make some form of monthly repayments? In fact Stonehaven & more2life even allow you to set your on monthly payment from as little as £25pm which helps fit in with monthly budgets. Remember to sit back & take stock before deciding.

Seek ALL available options as many people are these days are considering interest only lifetime mortgages or a retirement mortgage more commonly. If unsure & would like advice on your interest only lifetime mortgage options call 0800 471 4796.

How Much of a Payout Can You Expect With Equity Release?

How Much of a Payout Can You Expect With an Equity Release Plan?

The most important question that will come to mind, whenever you’re considering equity release, is exactly how much of a payout you can expect to receive if you commit to such a scheme? The simple answer to this question is by no means cut and dried and this article is intended to help you recognise some of the factors that will eventually dictate the amount of money that you can expect to receive. Ultimately, it will be an equity release calculator that provides the answer to this question. However, in order to obtain a calculation several factors need to be ascertained.

Qualification criteria for equity release

Of course, the first fundamental factor that will be taken into consideration for equity release will be your age. With equity release schemes, the minimum age is 55 years; however, there are some types of plans such as home reversion plans, where the age may actually be set at 65. The older you are when you choose to take out an equity release plan, the more money you can expect to release through your property. This makes sense as it means that the lenders will be able to take control of your property more quickly in the event of your death or move into permanent health care.

The next important criteria that will be taken into account is the actual value of your property. Obviously, the higher the value, the more money could potentially be released to you in terms of a home equity release scheme. There are various websites that provide upto date sales in the locality which offers an insight into current market valuations. However, bear in mind that the valuation is conducted by an independent firm of surveyors. They will assess the market value based on a relatively quick sale and use similar properties that have sold recently to gauge the price point.

If you are looking to make a joint application for equity release, the lender will tend to focus primarily on the youngest applicant and this is likely to mean a lower payout if there is a large age differential. This is because this youngest applicant would be expected to remain within the property for longer, due to their extended life expectancy.

Also, it is imperative that both parties are over the age of 55, otherwise lenders will not accept any application if the property is in joint names. However, if this is your situation there is still a way of taking equity release in one parties name, if they are willing to come off the deeds. This is a specialist area of advice and one that an experienced equity release adviser can discuss & outline the pros and cons of taking this course of action. Please call someone such as Equity Release Supermarket whom have appropriate later life advisers on this legality on 0800 678 5159.

How much does an equity release calculation cost?

There are numerous sites on the internet which offer equity release calculators and these are an ideal way of ascertaining the maximum payout that would be available to you through an equity release plan. These are freely available without any initial commitment on your part and are a great way of starting to learn about exactly what equity release schemes may be able to offer you. Never pay to use one, as free equity release calculators are widely available on the internet.

Calculation examples

The most important question posed by people who are looking at equity release plans is the maximum release possible. With schemes that start at age 55, Aviva usually provide the maximum lump sum which is 20.5% of the property value for a single borrower. Thus on a property value of £250,000 a single 55-year-old could release upto £51,250. This amount rises steadily, usually at the rate of 1% for each year one gets older, so at age 85 the maximum release on standard rates by then is 52% of the property value equating to £130,000 in this example.

Enhanced lifetime mortgage benefits

However, a recent innovation in this area of maximum releases has been the introduction of the enhanced lifetime mortgage plan. Based on health & lifestyle questionnaires, the more serious your health situation means the greater the size of the lump sum offered. Again, this is down to life expectancy which for ailments such as heart trouble, high blood pressure & diabetes can affect matters.

The effect of ill-health can make a significant difference if one is looking for the absolute maximum release of equity, possibly for mortgage repayment or debt consolidation purposes. An impaired life 55-year-old with a property value of £250,000 could now release upto £85,250 – an extra £34,000!

To establish whether you qualify for an enhanced lifetime mortgage contact equity release mortgage specialists such as EquityReleaseCalculator by calling Freephone 0800 471 4796.

How Best to Use an Equity Release Calculator

How Best to Use an Equity Release Calculator?

With people over age 55 looking to financial products to help them to achieve their goals, it is becoming increasingly obvious that equity release calculators are achieving a fair amount of interest. For some, equity release calculators enable people over 55 to ascertain whether they can raise enough finance for a specific project or major purchase. By calculating the maximum equity release possible will help retirees ascertain whether their objectives can be fully met, or contingencies made.

Others see the benefits of an equity release calculator as a way of assessing how to supplement their pension, which has lost so much value in the past few years. With annuity rates having fallen significantly over the past years, the current return on a capital lump sum for income purposes has become a major threat as to the future of whether an annuity now provides good value for money.

Finding out how much you can borrow

Whatever the reason for wanting to find out more about equity release schemes, the best place to start is to find out how much can be borrowed. The only way to ascertain these figures is via an equity release calculator. For all these people looking towards equity release as an option then a discussion with their financial adviser is an important step toward understanding more about what an equity release plan can offer. However, by using an equity release calculator, such people can go into the conversation with a bit of additional information which might help to make the proceedings that much easier.

Enhanced lifetime mortgage calculator

Remember, if you suffer from ill-health either now or in the past then seek an equity release calculator website that offers answers on an enhanced lifetime mortgage basis aswell. If you do qualify for an enhanced equity release scheme then you will be offered a greater maximum lump sum than the norm.

Such companies offering enhanced equity release schemes are the likes of Aviva, Partnership, more2life and more recently Just Retirement with their Lump Sum Plus Plan. Check with an Equity Release Council (ERC) & Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulated equity release adviser for further information & whether you can qualify for the maximum lump sum, if that’s the amount you require. There are many equity release calculators on the internet. They are not like a normal mortgage calculator, but rather a form in which different parameters are set.

What factors are used in the calculation?

In order to obtain an accurate lifetime mortgage calculation the equity release lender needs the following information as a minimum: –

the value of the property
the property type (e.g. house or flat)
the age of the youngest applicant (min 55)

This data will provide the maximum cash release figure for a healthy person.

To further assist & possibly achieve a greater lump sum than standard rates, an impaired life equity release plan maybe available. If you have suffered from any of the following illnesses, then you may qualify for what’s termed an ‘enhanced’ or ‘impaired’ equity release plan:-

suffered from angina, heart attack, coronary bypass surgery or angioplasty
diagnosed with cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma, tumour
diagnosed with diabetes which is controlled by medication or insulin
whether you smoke more than 10 cigarettes or rolled tobacco per day
have high blood pressure (hypertension) which requires medication
previously had a stroke (CVA)
diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) or Parkinson’s disease requiring use of a walking stick or aid
taken early retirement due to ill-health?

This information is usually free & simply one click away once the information is entered.

What answers will equity release calculators provide?

The amount shown on an equity release calculator is the maximum tax-free cash lump sum possible, and this makes it a good place to start discussions about the implications of this figure and what the next steps are. Thankfully, when the results are provided there is usually also the ability to make contact with an independent financial adviser, who can then assist in making further recommendations about an appropriate equity release plan.

Note that some people might prefer to take out a smaller mortgage than what is shown to be available on the calculator, and this is possible. In fact, it is most likely going to be the case, as your equity release adviser will explain. Don’t assume you should always take the maximum release. This will erode the equity in your property quicker than by taking a lower initial amount & further top-ups in the future.

Any responsible equity release adviser will only advise you take an initial amount to cover your first 12 months of financial support. This will mean a lower amount of interest to pay in the shorter term. With the advent of drawdown equity release schemes, you can take the remaining tax-free lump sums as and when you require them. The minimum’s future drawdowns can vary between lenders, however even Aviva’s Flexi Plan now has a minimum of just £2,000 a time. This will save your estate £1000’s in the long run and also leave more in the kitty for yourselves at a later date not having paid as much interest.

Therefore, when initially making considerations about what home equity release plans can do, equity release calculators are a great place to start.