Reverse Mortgages in Los Angeles

Reverse Your Thinking®

Worried a Reverse Mortgage Means Losing Your Los Angeles Home?

You bought this house back when it was possible to buy a house here. You watched the value climb into numbers that would have sounded like a joke at the closing table. You’ve paid your property taxes every year on that same low Prop 13 basis, sent your kids through LAUSD or private school, and weathered a couple of earthquakes and a lot of bad traffic. Now the house is worth more than you probably ever expected. On paper, you’re sitting on serious equity. In your bank account, you’re stretching a fixed income across a cost of living that keeps climbing.

So when someone mentions a reverse mortgage, you’ve probably heard two completely different stories. One says the bank ends up owning your house. The other says it could finally give you breathing room. You don’t know which to believe.

That worry deserves a straight answer, not a sales pitch. Mathius “Marc” Gertz is a Los Angeles reverse mortgage specialist who shops 15 programs across 12 lenders to find what actually fits your situation, and he’ll tell you plainly if a reverse mortgage isn’t the right move for you. With a modern loan, you keep the title to your home. Homeowners across Los Angeles who’ve worked with Marc are living in those homes right now, bills handled and title still theirs.

Contact Marc and tell him what is really on your mind, and he will walk through it with you, honestly, before you decide anything.

Reverse Mortgage Programs Available to Los Angeles Homeowners

A reverse mortgage in Los Angeles isn’t one-size-fits-all. A hillside property with decades of appreciation behind it and a condo bought five years ago call for different approaches. Marc represents the full range of programs so he can match the right one to your home and your goals, not the other way around. Some options may include:

• Standard HECM: The government-insured reverse mortgage, available at 62 and older, for homeowners across Los Angeles
• Jumbo and proprietary reverse mortgages: Built for higher-value Los Angeles homes above the standard federal limit beginning at age 55.
• HECM for Purchase: Use a reverse mortgage to buy your next home instead of paying cash or taking on a traditional mortgage payment
• Younger retiree programs: Some proprietary options open the door starting at age 55, well before the standard HECM age

Marc will walk you through which of these actually applies to your home and your age before recommending anything.

Why “The Bank Takes the House” Is Not True Today

The fear that a reverse mortgage means signing over your house is not irrational. It comes from something real. In the 1960s, some lenders offered loans where homeowners actually did sign over title, and by the mid-1970s, grown children were finding out there was no house left to inherit. That program drew lawsuits, congressional hearings, and bad press, and it was gone by the early 1980s.

The modern program, the HECM, is a completely different, federally designed piece of legislation. It was signed into law in 1988 and made permanent in 1998. With it, you keep the title to your home the entire time. The loan is non-recourse, meaning you, your estate, or your children will never owe more than the home is worth when it is time to repay. There is no required monthly mortgage payment, though you stay responsible for your property taxes, homeowners insurance, upkeep, and living in the home as your primary residence. Before closing, HUD requires an independent counseling session so you hear all of this from someone outside the loan.

Just the Facts About a Los Angeles Reverse Mortgage

Marc built his “Reverse Your Thinking®” approach around separating fact from fiction, because most of what people fear turns out to be based on the loans their parents’ generation remembers, not the ones available now:

Fiction: Your home has to be free and clear to qualify. 

Fact: Some Los Angeles homeowners use their reverse mortgage to pay off an existing loan balance first.

Fiction: Your kids inherit the debt if the loan grows larger than the home’s value. 

Fact: Every reverse mortgage is non-recourse, so the debt never exceeds the home’s value.

Fiction: This is only for homeowners with no other options. 

Fact: Some Los Angeles retirees use a reverse line of credit as a planning tool, a safety net, or a way to delay Social Security.

A Local Los Angeles County Broker Willing to Tell You No

Marc is based in Los Angeles County, and because he works as a broker across 12 lenders and 15 programs rather than for one bank, he is not trying to fit you into a single product. As an Accredited Financial Counselor, he also offers fee-based counseling separate from any loan, and if a reverse mortgage in Los Angeles is not the right fit for your situation, he will say so and point you toward what is.

“Marc came to my rescue. He structured the Jumbo-Reverse loan so I was able to set aside $1,000,000 towards monthly income.” David H., Beverly Hills, CA (self-reported homeowner testimonial)

You can hear directly from more Los Angeles-area homeowners, in their own words, on our client testimonials page, and see the full picture on our California reverse mortgage guide.

Los Angeles Reverse Mortgage Questions, Answered Plainly

Do I lose the title to my Los Angeles home with a reverse mortgage?

No. You keep the title the entire time you live in the home. The loan is repaid when the last borrower sells, moves out permanently, or passes away, and any remaining equity goes to you or your heirs.

Do I need to own my Los Angeles home free and clear to qualify?

No. Some homeowners still have a balance on their current mortgage, and reverse mortgage proceeds are commonly used to pay that off first.

What if I am not 62 yet?

Some proprietary reverse mortgage programs are available starting at age 55. Marc can review which programs your age and home qualify for.

How do I know if this is even the right move for me?

That is exactly what a no-pressure conversation with Marc is for. He will look at your full situation, including whether a reverse mortgage is not the right fit for you, before recommending anything. Reach out and he will walk through it with you honestly.

A Smarter Way to Use Your Home Equity

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Talk Through Your Los Angeles Reverse Mortgage Options

You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to decide anything today. Call Marc at (310) 447-5266 or request a free, no-pressure consultation, and get straight answers about what a reverse mortgage in Los Angeles would actually mean for your home. Marc helps homeowners in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, as well as throughout Los Angeles County, and the rest of California.

This page reflects HECM program rules as of July 2026. Equal Housing Opportunity. This is not a commitment to lend or extend credit. Not all customers will qualify. Loans arranged through E Mortgage Capital, Inc., NMLS #1416824. Mathius M. Gertz, NMLS #1125159, DRE #01999021. For licensing information, visit nmlsconsumeraccess.org.