A straight answer
Can I get a reverse mortgage on my San Clemente home?
The direct answer
Yes, when you meet the federal rules. I place reverse mortgages, and eligibility depends on your age, equity and home. I'm Zach von der Linden (NMLS 1652805), a mortgage broker with West Capital Lending, based in San Clemente. The federally insured version is the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, and you keep paying property taxes, homeowners insurance and any HOA dues.
The federally insured version is the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, or HECM, available through FHA-approved lenders. The regulation requires that “the youngest borrower shall be 62 years of age or older at the time of loan closing,” and that the property “must be the principal residence of each borrower.” There is no required monthly mortgage payment, but you still pay property taxes, homeowners insurance and any HOA dues, and you keep the home in repair. Everyone on title gets HUD-approved counseling first.
I grew up here and I still live here. This page is not from HUD or FHA and has not been approved by either; it quotes their published rules so you can check them yourself. Before anyone signs, I put a reverse mortgage next to a home equity line so you can see both. Based in San Clemente. Branch office in Irvine.
Zach von der Linden, mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending · NMLS 1652805
Wholesale pricing · California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona
5.0 across 66 reviews on Experience.com (read on 2026-09-24) · Text reaches Zach directly · Last updated 2026-09-27
This situation is worked out in a short conversation. No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Texts go to Zach's cell.
What has to be true
You meet the age rule. For a HECM, the youngest borrower must be sixty-two or older at closing, and federal fair-lending rules expressly permit a reverse mortgage program to require that age.
The home is your principal residence. The regulation says the property “must be the principal residence of each borrower, and if applicable, Eligible Non-Borrowing Spouse, at closing.” A second home or a rental does not qualify.
Everyone on title gets counseling first. The regulation requires that “the borrower, any Eligible or Ineligible Non-Borrowing Spouse, and any non-borrowing owner must receive counseling,” and the lender must hand over a list of HUD-approved counselors at the first contact. HUD keeps a counselor roster for this.
You can keep up the obligations that continue after closing. The regulation says “the borrower must keep the property in good repair” and “must provide for the payment of property charges,” which means taxes, insurance and, where there is an association, the dues. HUD puts it plainly: borrowers “may reside in their homes indefinitely as long as property taxes and homeowner’s insurance are kept current.”
Why the dues line matters in San Clemente
A large share of San Clemente homes sit under an association, and many condominiums near the pier and in the older tracts face repair projects and special assessments. On a reverse mortgage the dues, like taxes and insurance, remain your obligation for the life of the loan, and the regulation makes the balance due when property charges are not paid. If you are weighing a reverse mortgage because a special assessment landed, read the San Clemente condo special assessment page too, and tell me about the assessment in the first text.
In Talega and Marblehead a Mello-Roos special tax is collected with the property tax bill, and that bill is one of the property charges you keep paying. The Mello-Roos page explains it.
What the CFPB wants you to understand first
The CFPB says: “Unlike a traditional mortgage, with a reverse mortgage loan, borrowers don’t make monthly mortgage payments.” It adds: “With a reverse mortgage loan, the amount the homeowner owes to the lender goes up–not down–over time. This is because interest and fees are added to the loan balance each month. As your loan balance increases, your home equity decreases.” And: “The homeowners or their heirs will eventually have to pay back the loan, usually by selling the home.”
The CFPB also says that with a reverse mortgage “homeowners are required to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance, use the property as their principal residence, and keep their house in good condition,” and that “The loan is repaid when the borrower no longer lives in the home.”
Those sentences are the whole tradeoff. No required monthly mortgage payment now, a growing balance later, and the home is how it is repaid. A home equity line is the other way to reach the same equity, with a payment now and no growing balance, and that is why I show both before anyone signs.
When it comes due, and what heirs can do
The regulation makes the balance due and payable in full if a borrower dies and the property is not the principal residence of at least one surviving borrower, with a deferral for an eligible non-borrowing spouse; if “the property ceases to be the principal residence of a borrower for reasons other than death”; or if a borrower fails to occupy the property for longer than twelve consecutive months because of physical or mental illness and no other borrower lives there.
The borrower has no personal liability: the regulation says “the mortgagee shall enforce the debt only through sale of the property” and may not obtain a deficiency judgment. When the loan is due, the lender must notify the borrower, spouse, estate and heirs, and give them time to pay the balance in full, sell the property, or provide a deed in lieu of foreclosure. The CFPB says heirs have thirty days from a due and payable notice to buy, sell or turn the home over, and that the timeline “might be possible” to extend up to six months. I place a loan in an heir’s name to pay off a parent’s reverse mortgage so the heir can keep the house; the inherited home page covers that.
What to bring to the first text
Who is on title and their ages. Whether the home is your principal residence. Your current mortgage statement if there is one, and any second loan. The association’s dues statement and any assessment notice. What the money is for and whether a monthly payment would fit your budget, because that decides whether a home equity line is the right first look.
Adult children are welcome in the conversation. I work with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona, and eligibility depends on the property, your credit and your income.
Questions people ask next
How old do I have to be for a reverse mortgage?
For the federally insured HECM, the regulation says “the youngest borrower shall be 62 years of age or older at the time of loan closing.” Federal fair-lending rules expressly permit a reverse mortgage program to require that age.
Do I still pay HOA dues and property taxes with a reverse mortgage?
Yes. The regulation says the borrower “must provide for the payment of property charges,” which means taxes, insurance and, where there is an association, the dues, and HUD says borrowers may stay in the home indefinitely “as long as property taxes and homeowner’s insurance are kept current.” Falling behind on those can make the balance due.
Is counseling required?
Yes. The regulation requires that “the borrower, any Eligible or Ineligible Non-Borrowing Spouse, and any non-borrowing owner must receive counseling,” and the lender must give you a list of HUD-approved counselors at the first contact.
Can I get a reverse mortgage on a San Clemente condo?
The program rules are the same, and the building matters: the association’s condition and any special assessment are read closely, and the dues stay your obligation. Bring the association’s budget and any assessment notice, and I will tell you plainly whether the unit is likely to fit.
Should I look at a home equity line instead of a reverse mortgage?
It depends on whether a payment now fits your budget and how long you plan to stay. A line has a payment and no growing balance; a reverse mortgage has no required monthly mortgage payment and a balance that grows. I show both. The no-monthly-payment page covers the other routes in words.
What happens to my kids when I pass away?
The balance comes due when the home is no longer a borrower’s principal residence, the lender collects through sale of the home alone, with no deficiency judgment, and your heirs get notice and time to pay the balance, sell, or hand over the deed. The CFPB says thirty days from the notice, with extensions of up to six months possible. Heirs who want to keep the house can take a loan in their own name to pay it off, and I place those.
What clients say
Zach was so easy to work with. He made a stressful situation into a very positive experience for us and did push us one way or another. He listened to what we hoped we could accomplish and made it happen.
Word for word from Experience.com. Read all reviews.
Sources and checked dates
Sources: Confirmed by Zach, Sept 2026 (checked 2026-09-26) · HUD, FHA Reverse Mortgages (HECM) for Seniors (checked 2026-09-26) · 24 CFR 206.33, Age of borrower (checked 2026-09-26) · 24 CFR 206.39, Principal residence (checked 2026-09-26) · 24 CFR 206.41, Counseling (checked 2026-09-26) · 24 CFR 206.27(b), Mortgage provisions (checked 2026-09-26) · 24 CFR 206.27(b)(8) (checked 2026-09-26) · 24 CFR 206.27(c), Date the mortgage becomes due and payable (checked 2026-09-26) · 24 CFR 206.125(a)(2), Acquisition and sale of the property (checked 2026-09-26) · CFPB, What is a reverse mortgage? (checked 2026-09-26) · CFPB, With a reverse mortgage loan, can my heirs keep or sell my home after I die? (checked 2026-09-26) · Regulation B, Supplement I, comment 6(b)(2)-4 (checked 2026-09-26).
Show each claim on this page, what it depends on, and the date it was checked (15)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Zach places reverse mortgages. | Confirmed by Zach, Sept 2026 | 2026-09-26 |
| Zach places a loan in an heir’s name, as a purchase or a refinance, to pay off a parent’s reverse mortgage so the heir can keep the house. | Confirmed by Zach, Sept 2026 | 2026-09-26 |
| HUD’s HECM page says the federally insured reverse mortgage is the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, available through FHA-approved lenders, that “HECM borrowers may reside in their homes indefinitely as long as property taxes and homeowner’s insurance are kept current,” and that a counselor can be found through the HECM Counselor Roster. | HUD, FHA Reverse Mortgages (HECM) for Seniors | 2026-09-26 |
| 24 CFR 206.33: “The youngest borrower shall be 62 years of age or older at the time of loan closing.” | 24 CFR 206.33, Age of borrower | 2026-09-26 |
| 24 CFR 206.39(a): “The property must be the principal residence of each borrower, and if applicable, Eligible Non-Borrowing Spouse, at closing.” | 24 CFR 206.39, Principal residence | 2026-09-26 |
| 24 CFR 206.41(a): “The borrower, any Eligible or Ineligible Non-Borrowing Spouse, and any non-borrowing owner must receive counseling,” and the lender must give the borrower a list of HUD-approved HECM counselors at the initial contact. | 24 CFR 206.41, Counseling | 2026-09-26 |
| 24 CFR 206.27(b)(5) and (6): “The borrower must keep the property in good repair.” and “The borrower must provide for the payment of property charges in accordance with § 206.205.” | 24 CFR 206.27(b), Mortgage provisions | 2026-09-26 |
| 24 CFR 206.27(b)(8): “The borrower shall have no personal liability for payment of the outstanding loan balance. The mortgagee shall enforce the debt only through sale of the property. The mortgagee shall not be permitted to obtain a deficiency judgment against the borrower if the mortgage is foreclosed.” | 24 CFR 206.27(b)(8) | 2026-09-26 |
| 24 CFR 206.27(c): the loan balance becomes due and payable in full if a borrower dies and the property is not the principal residence of at least one surviving borrower (with a deferral for an eligible non-borrowing spouse), or if “the property ceases to be the principal residence of a borrower for reasons other than death and the property is not the principal residence of at least one other borrower,” or if “for a period of longer than 12 consecutive months, a borrower fails to occupy the property because of physical or mental illness and the property is not the principal residence of at least one other borrower.” | 24 CFR 206.27(c), Date the mortgage becomes due and payable | 2026-09-26 |
| 24 CFR 206.125(a)(2): when the loan is due and payable the lender must notify the borrower, eligible non-borrowing spouse, estate and heirs, and give them time to pay the outstanding loan balance in full, sell the property for an amount set by HUD through notice, or provide a deed in lieu of foreclosure. | 24 CFR 206.125(a)(2), Acquisition and sale of the property | 2026-09-26 |
| The CFPB says: “A Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), the most common type of reverse mortgage, is a special type of home loan only for homeowners who are 62 and older.” It adds: “The loan is repaid when the borrower no longer lives in the home,” and “With a reverse mortgage loan, homeowners are required to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance, use the property as their principal residence, and keep their house in good condition.” | CFPB, What is a reverse mortgage? | 2026-09-26 |
| The CFPB says: “Unlike a traditional mortgage, with a reverse mortgage loan, borrowers don’t make monthly mortgage payments.” It adds: “With a reverse mortgage loan, the amount the homeowner owes to the lender goes up–not down–over time. This is because interest and fees are added to the loan balance each month. As your loan balance increases, your home equity decreases.” And: “The homeowners or their heirs will eventually have to pay back the loan, usually by selling the home.” | CFPB, What is a reverse mortgage? | 2026-09-26 |
| The CFPB says: “Once your heirs receive a due and payable notice from the lender, they have 30 days to buy, sell, or turn the home over to the lender to satisfy the debt.” It adds: “It might be possible for the timeline to be extended up to six months so your heirs can sell the home or obtain their own loan to purchase the home.” | CFPB, With a reverse mortgage loan, can my heirs keep or sell my home after I die? | 2026-09-26 |
| Official interpretation of Regulation B, comment 6(b)(2)-4: “A reverse mortgage program that requires borrowers to be age 62 or older is permissible under § 1002.6(b)(2)(iv).” | Regulation B, Supplement I, comment 6(b)(2)-4 | 2026-09-26 |
| Zach von der Linden says he moved to San Clemente at age 5 and grew up there, that he still lives there, and that a large share of the loans he does are for San Clemente homeowners. | Confirmed by Zach, Sept 2026 | 2026-09-26 |
Written for and accountable to: Zach von der Linden, Mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending.
Last updated 2026-09-27.
Verify him: NMLS Consumer Access, ID 1652805 · 66 reviews on Experience.com.
Sources for product claims are listed on this page, with the date each was checked.
Two ways to take the next step
No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Text Zach first so he can review your situation. The online check covers one HELOC program, not every option he may be able to arrange. Texts go to Zach's cell.