To understand how reverse mortgages work, it’s important to understand traditional mortgages. Traditional mortgages create a legal right to possess real estate if the promise to pay for the real estate is not fulfilled. The written permission to acquire a home if the lender is not repaid is a traditional mortgage. 

A reverse mortgage is an agreement in which the lender agrees to pay a borrower a certain lump sum of money or a certain amount of money every month. In the meantime, the borrower can continue to live in his or her home.