The situation
John and his wife were facing the loss of their home after falling years behind on property taxes. When they connected with Reverse Solutions, they described themselves as being on the edge — in “dire straits.”
Their house was more than collateral. It was their sanctuary. The emotional weight was real. At one point they worried about having enough for everyday necessities while they waited for a breakthrough.
Because the process had stalled for so long for reasons outside their control, they felt awkward telling friends they were “close” to a resolution. To stay afloat during the wait, they had taken personal loans from friends and family — another layer of stress on top of the tax problem.
Why it felt stuck
In lending, files that don’t fit a standard checklist often get a quiet “no.” John’s situation was complicated. Life often is.
What they needed was not a faster form. They needed someone willing to stay in the fight when the easy answer would have been to walk away.
That someone was Andy Draper, a Reverse Mortgage Specialist with Reverse Solutions by Community First National Bank. He treats the work as long-term advice, not a one-time transaction.
The appraisal fight
The first major hurdle was an appraisal that undervalued the home by a huge margin — a very large gap between the first appraisal and a later professional valuation.
The early report missed important facts about the property, including acreage and comparison data that did not match the home.
Andy did not accept a “no” built on bad data. The team pushed for a replacement appraisal that reflected what the home was actually worth. That corrected value mattered: without enough equity on paper, the loan that could help them stay could not move forward.
This was their file. Every home and appraisal is different. Figures here describe what happened for John — not a promise of results for anyone else.
The “ghost lien”
Another obstacle was an old lien from more than a decade earlier — held by a private trust that no longer operated in any meaningful way. The amount was small next to the home’s value, but on title it still clouded the file.
Through research, Andy’s team showed the trust was effectively a shell — no active registration, only a private mailbox for an address. He submitted a formal waiver request to the federal housing agency, framing the tax urgency as a consumer-protection matter.
That work was slow and technical. It was also the difference between a stalled file and a path forward.
“We won”
On the day approval came through, Andy made the call he had been working toward for months.
“We won,” he told them. “We got the approval.”
What followed was disbelief, then relief and gratitude. They later said that without this approach — staying with a hard file instead of giving up — they felt they would have been “dead in the water.”
What closing made possible
Their loan was a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) — an FHA-insured reverse mortgage path. In their case, funding brought several layers of relief:
- Taxes and insurance set-aside (LESA): A Life Expectancy Set-Aside was put in place so property taxes and homeowners insurance could be paid from the loan for the foreseeable future, reducing the risk of falling behind on taxes again.
- Debt from the wait: Initial funds helped repay the personal loans they had taken from friends and family while the file was stuck.
- A line of credit: Beyond immediate needs, they received a line of credit as a safety net for later.
- Clearing title: An escrow hold was set up to fund the legal work of removing the defunct trust from the public record.
Program details like LESA apply on some loans when they fit the borrower’s situation — not on every reverse mortgage, and not automatically. A specialist can explain what may apply to you.
What this means for you
This story is not a sales pitch about numbers. It is a reminder that behind every file is a person hoping for a way to stay home.
If your situation feels messy — taxes, title issues, an appraisal that doesn’t look right — you do not have to sort it alone. Specialists at Reverse Solutions are used to complicated files. Sometimes the most important skill is simply not walking away.
When you are ready, talk with a specialist. Ask plain questions. Hear an honest answer if it is not a fit. There is no pressure to apply from a webpage.
Bottom line
John and his wife needed someone who would look past the “box.” Andy stayed with them through an appraisal fight, a ghost lien, and a long wait — and helped them secure a path to stay in their home with taxes and insurance planned for. Your file will not look identical. The care standard can.
Keep learning
This material is educational and not from HUD or FHA. It has not been approved by HUD or any government agency. Program rules vary. One borrower’s experience is not a guarantee of results. Community First National Bank, NMLS #449196. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.