A mortgage is a way to use one's real property, like land, a house, or a building, as a guarantee for a loan to get money. Many people do this to buy the home they use for mortgage: the loan provides them the money to buy the house and the loan is guaranteed by the house. A reverse mortgage is a loan where the lender pays the monthly installments to the borrower instead of the borrower paying the lender. The payment stream is reversed. A reverse mortgage allows people to get tax-free income from the value of their home. They are mainly to improve older people's personal and financial independence. In a mortgage, there is a debtor and a creditor. The debtor is the owner of the property, while the creditor is the owner of the loan. When the mortgage transaction is made, the debtor gets the money with the loan, and promises to pay the loan. The creditor will receive money back with interest over time (usually in payments made each month by the debtor). If the debtor does not pay the loan, the creditor may take the mortgaged property in place of the loan. This is called foreclosure.
