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I am in need of some input here. We need the roof fixed or repaired in order to keep our house insurance. Mom gets Aid and Attendance and other income and I get paid from her income to care for her. (Which over half or 3/4 of that goes for her bills and upkeep of the house and car). If I was not here, she would be in a nursing home and she prefers to live in her own home. I am trying to decide if I should go ahead and get the roof estimates. I don't know how we are going to pay for this. I am afraid I will be stuck with the payments after she passes on. Not a happy prospect. I know I can sell the home and then use the money to pay off all her bills, as it should be. But, what if the house does not sell right away. Will I have to make the payments if the loan is in her name and she passes and the house is not even sold yet? Also, I do not want to get her a reverse mortgage because I don't trust the government these days. ???? Suggestions are appreciated. Taking care of Mom is easy, the other decisions, not so much!

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Oh! My Brother came to visit and fixed the hole in the ceiling over the pool deck! PTL!!!! And, on Mother's Day the garage door springs spronged. They broke and he fixed them before he left! Another big Praise the Lord!!!! Sometimes you just have to wait a little for the help to come! God is GOOD All the Time!
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Thank you. I will look ahead and find what I need to do. My neighbor retired from an insurance company and has better understanding about insurance than I do. She tells me I do not have to get a new roof to get insurance, just for a discount. So, at this time I am not going to get one. I am going to find out how I can be prepared to get one in a year or two. If Mom passes before that, I won't have to worry about it anyway. It is not leaking and no tiles are missing. So, I am pretty relieved and grateful that I ran into my neighbor on our walk this morning. Thank you for your input, friends! :)
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Was your house damaged from some of the terrible storms? Or is the roof just old and needs replacing?
You can get the estimates for repair or replacement so go ahead and do that now.
If her house is paid for/no mortgage the Reverse Mortgage may very well be your very best bet. It really doesn't have anything to do with the US Government. These are good programs that could be of great help in your situation. Are you over 62? I was surprised at all I learned about these things at a confrence on Simpler Living.
If your roof needs fixing, then the house is probably at that Repair Daily age. The Reverse mortgage will help out so very much with the monthly income.
Make sure you contact real specialists in reverse mortgages. (If you'd like I can send you a contact name that spoke at the confrence)
You could also look at refinancing the house with the low interest rates and use some of that money to fix the roof.
Do you have other siblings to help with the $$$?
Maybe you should have the home inspected so you know what will need repairing when selling it?
And, if the money is still a huge issue, look to the senior services in your area. There are a great many programs that do volunteer work for seniors on their homes.
Check out the Elder Law Attorneys on this site and find some contacts!
You are doing a great service for your mother and it was nice to see you felt that taking care of her was easy for you. God Bless!
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It sounds like the roof has to be fixed no matter what, whether Mom continues to live there, you do, or you sell it. Does Mom have any assets at all that could be used for this purpose?

I think I would get estimates so you know how much you are looking for, then see if there are any funds available for the purpose. Are there any low-cost loans or grants available to low-income people to maintain home values in the neighborhood? Do some research.

You will not be responsible for any of her debts out of your own funds when she passes, but keeping the house from going into foreclosure might benefit you.

Good luck!
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