Hello Marshall, You can find counselors that are approved by HUD and can offer the counseling in different languages by using the HUD website. Firstly, you click on this link: https://apps.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm?weblistaction=summary A state map will come up and you can click on the map or on the state of your choice in the upper left hand corner. After you click on the state of your choice, next you will have to go to the bottom of the page and narrow your search. There are many choices you can use to narrow your search including specific cities, zip codes and others (shown below) but since not all services and languages are offered in all states, we suggest you narrow down just to the state level and your specific need. In this case, I used Reverse Mortgage Counseling and Chinese Mandarin as my search parameters in the state of CA and the search narrowed down to just one agency in the entire state. If your request is not shown, you may have to check other states as well. Remember though, you can complete the counseling on the phone in almost all cases so it is not imperative that the counselor be located nearby. Remember that in some cases, a counselor in just over the state line another state may be closer than one located in the same state but at the other end of the state.

Hello Eric, Rather than looking up all state laws to post which states have more specific counseling requirements, I would rather answer you with the industry response. HUD has not changed their counseling requirements which would allow a borrower to waive counseling if they had previously taken counseling and were refinancing that loan within 5 years and met certain requirements. However, some states have as well as lenders, investors and industry agencies like the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) which all seek to improve the security for borrowers have changed the counseling requirements. HUD sets the minimum that is required in all cases but also encourages lenders to always seek to protect the program and the borrowers. So although some states still allow lenders to follow the HUD guidelines that have not changed, most lenders and investors (investors are those who buy the loans in the secondary market) follow the NRMLA industry standards set to protect senior homeowners from those who would engage in equity stripping through constant refinancing. To this end, counseling is generally required by most lenders on every transaction at this time, whether the state requires it or not to be sure all borrowers are fully aware of the program changes. Furthermore, on a refinance transaction, there are several "tests" that the borrower must meet in order to be eligible for the loan. You must be able to receive at least 5 times the cost of the loan in new benefits and at least 10% in additional principal limit to meet the eligibility restrictions that NRMLA imposes on lender members to maintain an ethical standard and not be engaging in refinance churning. In addition, the loan must have been closed at least 18 months prior to the application for refinance. The changes became effective as a result of some originators zeal to push borrowers to refinance for relatively small rewards and soon after their past loans closed. So the bottom line is that you really would be required to have counseling for a refinance again in all instances unless you were located in a state that did not require it and you were able to find a lender that did not adhere to the NRMLA code of conduct for ethical lenders. I am afraid I could not tell you who might do that in your state. All Reverse Mortgage is a NRMLA member and as such, we do adhere to their professional, ethical standards.

Hello Patrick, Each company sets their own fees and the fees generally run from $99 to $159. There are times when some companies receive government grants though and when they have grant money available, they can offer the counseling free to the borrowers. We are not allowed by HUD rules to direct a borrower to any specific counselor and never really know who has the grant money available as it is usually only available for a short while until the funds are depleted but I always advise borrowers to shop around for a counselor who is able to meet your scheduling requirements and for the best price if the cost is a concern. Any counselor can provide the counseling via the phone if it is allowed in your area (most states do allow it) and unless your preference is to be counseled in person, you can talk to a counselor on a toll-free number anywhere in the US and achieve the same results. Often, due to time changes, you might even find someone more willing to work in your preferred timeframe if you are an early riser or prefer a later appointment if you just go to a different time zone.

Hi Bonnie, You can get counseling and tell the counselor it is for a future purchase of a "TBD" (to be determined) address. They will update the counseling certificate later to reflect the address on which you decided once known. You must remember that the certificate is only good for 6 months so if you choose a new construction home and the entire process takes longer than that to complete the home and be ready to close, you may have to repeat the counseling later. You can't apply for the loan though because you don't have an address and therefore, the lender cannot obtain a HUD Case number. We work with borrowers quite often who are still looking for a home and have not settled on a property and you can get some things ready including having your information reviewed so that when the time comes, you are ready to move quickly. In that case, you might only have to update some of the information you supplied but all questions or possible issues with credit or income will have been determined and resolved well in advance.