Reverse Mortgages in Huntington Beach, California
Yes, a City of Huntington Beach homeowner can potentially use a reverse mortgage if age, occupancy, equity, and the specific property meet the program's rules. Eligibility is decided on the parcel, not on the city name.
A reverse mortgage lets a homeowner 62 or older (55 on some proprietary programs) convert part of home equity into a line of credit, lump sum, or monthly advances without a required monthly mortgage payment on that reverse loan. The home remains yours. You still pay property taxes, hazard insurance, flood insurance if required, and any HOA dues. The most common first-lien product is the FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM).
HECM qualification is specific. The youngest borrower must be 62. You must own the home and occupy it as your principal residence. HUD-approved counseling is required. California Civil Code 1923.2(k) then bars a lender from accepting a final and complete reverse mortgage application or charging fees until seven days after counseling. The lender runs a financial assessment of property-charge history and residual income. If that assessment is thin, a Life Expectancy Set-Aside can pay taxes and insurance from the loan. HUD does not publish a Huntington Beach FICO cutoff. Unused line of credit after year one follows the note; first-year draws are still capped by HUD's 60% initial disbursement rule (24 CFR 206.25).
For 2026, the HECM Maximum Claim Amount is the lesser of appraised value and $1,249,125 ( HUD HECM , Mortgagee Letter 2025-22). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Huntington Beach city, California reports a July 1, 2025 population estimate of 191,451, with 19.4% of residents age 65 or older. Owner occupancy is 55.4% (2020-2024 ACS). Median owner-occupied value is $1,100,000. Median selected monthly owner costs are $3,495 with a mortgage and $891 without a mortgage. Selected monthly owner costs include taxes, insurance, and utilities. They are not the mortgage principal-and-interest payment alone.
Orange County QuickFacts put the county at 3,149,507 residents (July 1, 2025), a 56.4% owner-occupancy rate, and a $962,600 median owner-occupied value (2020-2024). The city median sits above the county median and just below the 2026 HECM cap. Inland tracts can sit well below $1,100,000. Huntington Harbour, Sunset Beach, and some oceanfront parcels can sit well above $1,249,125. Neighborhood names are not appraisals. Fountain Valley, Westminster, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, and Seal Beach are separate cities. Huntington Park is in Los Angeles County.
I compare HECM, proprietary reverse mortgages, and Reverse Mortgage Seconds as an independent broker. I do not invent a Huntington Beach reverse-mortgage volume number. HUD Snapshot files are loan-level FHA endorsement records. HUD does not publish a verified city ranking that I can reproduce here.
How a Huntington Beach Property Gets Reviewed
A Huntington Beach reverse mortgage is not decided by the street name. I look at the actual property. One parcel can sit in the Coastal Zone, a flood overlay, and an oil overlay at the same time. Another parcel two miles inland may have none of them.
The useful order is: property, then zoning, then Coastal Zone, then flood overlay, then oil or well status, then historic listing if any, then legal unit count, then permits, then appraisal, then insurance, then title and liens, then HUD or lender requirements.
A hypothetical example, not a client story: a canal-front house in Huntington Harbour can be in the Coastal Zone, in Zone AE or VE on the 2019 FIRM, and in an HOA, without being a historic landmark. A Craftsman near Main Street can raise historic-inventory questions without raising harbour flood questions. A downtown condo can raise project-approval questions without raising oil-well questions. I will not assign a flood zone or Coastal Zone status to Huntington Harbour, Sunset Beach, or Seacliff as a whole. Check the parcel.
How Much Can a Huntington Beach Homeowner Get?
"How much can I actually get?" is the question on nearly every first call. On a HECM, proceeds start from the Maximum Claim Amount times a Principal Limit Factor for the youngest borrower or eligible non-borrowing spouse at the expected rate. MCA is the lesser of the appraised value and $1,249,125. The principal limit is a fraction of MCA. It is not the home's value and not cash in hand.
The following example is illustrative. It uses the City of Huntington Beach Census median owner-occupied value of $1,100,000 as a stand-in appraisal, a youngest borrower age of 70, and a 7.000% expected rate as of 22 September 2026 from the site's HECM factor tables. HUD Principal Limit Factors are not linear. Ages 70 and 71 are both 37.0% at 7.000%. Do not interpolate.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Appraised value (illustrative median) | $1,100,000 |
| HECM Maximum Claim Amount | $1,100,000 (lesser of value and $1,249,125) |
| Principal limit (age 70 at 37.0%) | $407,000 |
| Initial MIP (2.00% of MCA) | $22,000 |
| Origination (HUD cap) | $6,000 |
| Third-party closing costs (estimate) | $4,000 |
| Net before existing liens | about $375,000 |
| If a $200,000 first mortgage is paid off | about $175,000 leftover |
Origination on this MCA would calculate as 2% of the first $200,000 plus 1% of the remainder, which is $13,000, then HUD's $6,000 cap applies (24 CFR 206.31). Third-party costs vary. A Life Expectancy Set-Aside, if required after the financial assessment, would reduce leftover cash further. At the same value and rate, age 62 is $343,200 of principal limit (31.2%), age 72 is $409,200 (37.2%), age 75 is $440,000 (40.0%), and age 80 is $490,600 (44.6%).
That is the city-median story. The Huntington Beach proceeds story often splits. A home appraised at $1,500,000 still uses MCA of $1,249,125. At age 70 and 7.000%, the principal limit is $462,176. Initial MIP is 2.00% of MCA, or $24,983. After origination at the $6,000 cap and about $4,000 of third-party costs, leftover before liens is about $427,193. The extra $250,875 of appraised value above the cap does not enter the HECM math. That is when a proprietary comparison belongs on the same worksheet.
The reverse mortgage calculator is a directional estimate with no personal information required. First-year HECM draws are still capped by HUD's 60% initial disbursement rule (24 CFR 206.25). That rule is a disbursement limit. It is not the MIP rate.
The Coastal Zone and Property-Specific Rules
Coastal Zone status is a separate property-level consideration from FEMA flood mapping. A parcel can be in the Coastal Zone and not in an SFHA, or in an SFHA and not in the Coastal Zone, or in both. Ordinary inland zoning is not the only review when the City's Coastal Zone map includes the lot.
The City of Huntington Beach has a certified Local Coastal Program . The Coastal Element was initially certified in 1985 and last comprehensively updated in 2001. The implementation program includes the Huntington Beach Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance, the zoning map, and specific plans in the Coastal Zone. City materials list eight specific-plan areas. Brightwater (SP15) and Sunset Beach (SP17) are not certified. Projects in those areas can still need California Coastal Commission review. Do not assume Pacific Coast Highway proximity is the test. Check the map for the parcel.
For reverse mortgages, Coastal Zone review usually appears when someone needs an addition, an ADU, a garage conversion, a repair that counts as development, or documentation that the current use is legal. That is a documentation path. It is not a HUD ineligibility rule.
Huntington Harbour, Flood Zones and Flood Insurance
Yes, a Huntington Beach home can potentially qualify for a reverse mortgage while located in a flood zone. The property must still satisfy the applicable FHA/HUD and flood-insurance requirements. Being near a canal or the beach is not the same as being in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area.
The City participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. City flood information notes that flooding can come from the Santa Ana River, the East Garden Grove-Wintersburg Channel, Talbert Channel, Huntington Beach Channel, or the Pacific Ocean. Chapter 222 maps Floodplain Overlay Districts: FP1 is the Santa Ana River floodway; FP2 covers FIRM Zones A, AE, AO, and AH; FP3 covers Zones V and VE (coastal high-hazard areas).
Map history matters on the harbour. A September 27, 2010 LOMR aligned Huntington Harbour channel boundaries and designated non-submerged waterfront lots as Zone X (shaded). FEMA then released new FIRMs on March 21, 2019 for the coastline. The City states that Huntington Harbour and Sunset Beach flood-zone boundaries were revised and that affected properties were placed in an SFHA as Zone AE or VE. Later LOMRs in 2019 and 2020 revised mapping along the East Garden Grove Wintersburg Channel. Confirm the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center . A 2010 printout is not today's determination.
HUD's HECM rule is 24 CFR 206.45(c): if the dwelling is in an SFHA, the community must participate in the NFIP and a qualifying flood policy must be maintained. Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood. See flood-zone eligibility and the flood-insurance process.
Oil Wells, Overlays and Title
A mapped oil overlay does not automatically reject a reverse mortgage. Huntington Beach has a documented oil-production history. Chapter 220 of the Huntington Beach Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance maps Oil Production Overlay Districts. The zoning map adds -O or -O1 to the base district. O overlay allows oil operations other than drilling, subject to Fire Chief approval. O1 overlay allows drilling and oil operations subject to a conditional use permit.
No land division or development is supposed to occur on O or O1 land unless it follows a reuse plan for the disposition or treatment of existing or proposed wells, approved by the oil operator or lessee and by City planning, and unless the Fire Chief finds the site in compliance, including well abandonment and contaminated-soil remediation where required (Chapter 220.08 and 220.12). On a reverse mortgage, that usually appears as a title exception, a permit question, or an insurance question. HUD still tests the dwelling under 24 CFR 206.45 and required repairs under 24 CFR 206.47. Read Schedule B on the prelim. Do not treat the city as a blanket deny because oil exists in the field.
Historic Resources and Older Homes
Historic listing does not automatically deny a reverse mortgage. Huntington Beach does not run the same citywide historic-district Certificate of Appropriateness system as Long Beach. The Historic Resources Board is an advisory body to City Council. The City's 2014 historic-resources survey identified the Main Street-Crest Avenue District as eligible, with 78 buildings on 55 parcels and 53 contributors. Eligibility in a survey is not the same as a currently designated overlay on every nearby Craftsman.
HUD still wants an eligible 1-to-4 family dwelling you occupy (24 CFR 206.45) that is sound and sanitary (24 CFR 206.47). Unpermitted additions, deferred maintenance, and a living area the City does not recognize stall files whether or not the house is on an inventory. See reverse mortgages in a historic district.
ADUs, Condos and Manufactured Homes
An ADU does not automatically qualify or disqualify a Huntington Beach reverse mortgage. City ADU guidance states that Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance section 230.10 no longer applies. The City provides ministerial review for JADUs and ADUs. Development in the Coastal Zone may require a Coastal Development Permit. The City offers a pre-approved 490-square-foot detached ADU plan. Unpermitted backyard units and garage conversions still show up in files. A permitted ADU can change occupancy, rental-income treatment, and unit count.
Some Huntington Beach condominiums can qualify. A HECM generally requires HUD project approval or FHA Single Unit Approval. Downtown, shoreline, and harbour buildings often spend extra time on association documents, master insurance, and owner-occupancy mix. See California condo reverse mortgages.
A manufactured home can sometimes support a reverse mortgage if you own the home and the land as qualifying real property, on a permanent foundation, with title that a mortgage can attach to. I do not publish a City park inventory I cannot independently verify. See manufactured-home reverse mortgages .
Existing Mortgages, PACE and Special Assessments
A first-lien HECM or proprietary reverse mortgage generally requires existing liens to be paid at closing. That includes a first mortgage, a HELOC, other recorded mortgages, and typically a PACE assessment. A homeowner can have substantial equity and still receive less cash than expected because those payoffs and required costs come out of the principal limit.
HUD Mortgagee Letter 2017-18 says a property that will remain encumbered with a PACE obligation is not eligible for an FHA-insured HECM. The payoff is a Mandatory Obligation and may use HECM proceeds. Remaining PACE encumbrance is an FHA eligibility fail. See PACE and reverse mortgage subordination.
Direct assessments and Community Facilities District special taxes are different. They generally stay on the Orange County tax bill after closing. HUD's financial assessment counts them as property charges (24 CFR 206.37). A Life Expectancy Set-Aside, if required, can reduce leftover cash further (24 CFR 206.205). Orange County Treasurer Mello-Roos indexes list City of Huntington Beach CFDs, including CFD 1990-1, 2000-1, 2002-1, and 2003-1. Those names do not mean every Huntington Beach home is in a CFD. Read the actual tax bill.
HECM vs. Proprietary and Reverse Mortgage Seconds
A HECM is FHA-insured and uses HUD Principal Limit Factors. A proprietary reverse mortgage is a lender program, not FHA-insured, and can use different age floors and property rules. On the City of Huntington Beach Census median, the HECM cap is close but not the binding limit. Proprietary still matters when the home appraises above $1,249,125, when the borrower is 55 to 61, or when property type does not fit a HECM overlay. A Reverse Mortgage Second can leave an existing first in place if that first qualifies. See HECM vs proprietary.
HECM for Purchase in Huntington Beach
HECM for Purchase can be used to buy a principal residence in the City of Huntington Beach if you are 62 or older and will occupy the home. You still bring a large down payment. Illustration only, same 7.000% expected-rate assumption as of 22 September 2026: on a $1,100,000 purchase with a 70-year-old youngest borrower, leftover HECM proceeds toward the price after the standard cost stack are about $375,000, so cash to close is on the order of $725,000 before earnest money and before any seller credit. If the purchase price is $1,500,000, MCA is $1,249,125 and leftover HECM proceeds toward the price after the same cost stack are about $427,193, so cash to close is larger. That is not a quote. The condo or harbour house still has to meet project, flood, and occupancy rules. See HECM for Purchase.
Property Taxes, Proposition 13 and Proposition 19
A reverse mortgage does not erase Huntington Beach property taxes. California's 1% Proposition 13 rate applies to assessed value, not today's sale price. City of Huntington Beach bills are issued through Orange County. CFD special taxes and other direct assessments, if they apply to the parcel, appear as separate line items. A reverse mortgage is not a sale and does not reset that base. Proposition 19 questions arise later, if the home is sold or inherited, not at origination. The excluded amount for parent-to-child transfers is the factored base-year value plus an inflation-adjusted cap: $1,044,586 for transfers from February 16, 2025 through February 15, 2027 ( BOE NR 25-02 ). Huntington Beach is not the City of Los Angeles. Measure ULA does not apply here.
What Can Delay a Huntington Beach Reverse Mortgage?
Straightforward HECM files Jay originates often close in about 30 to 45 days. California Civil Code 1923.2(k) still requires seven days after the HUD counseling certificate before a final application and fees. These items more often push a City of Huntington Beach file toward 45 to 60 days:
- Coastal Development Permit documentation for an addition, ADU, or repair that counts as development.
- Flood determination, missing flood policy, or an elevation issue in Zone AE or VE, including Huntington Harbour and Sunset Beach.
- Homeowners insurance that will not bind, including coastal wind or flood underwriting.
- Oil-overlay or well-abandonment exceptions on title.
- Unpermitted ADUs, garage conversions, or unclear legal unit count.
- Condo HOA documents and HUD project approval or Single Unit Approval.
- A PACE remaining-encumbrance payoff under Mortgagee Letter 2017-18.
- Direct assessments or CFD special taxes that change residual-income or LESA sizing.
- Manufactured-home title, leased land, or missing permanent-foundation evidence.
- Counseling timing and California's seven-day wait after the HUD certificate.
Huntington Beach Reverse Mortgage Questions Homeowners Ask
Can I get a reverse mortgage in Huntington Beach?
Yes, a City of Huntington Beach homeowner can potentially qualify for a reverse mortgage if age, occupancy, equity, and property requirements are met. The City of Huntington Beach is in Orange County. It is not Huntington Park in Los Angeles County. Fountain Valley, Westminster, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, and Seal Beach are separate cities. The file is originated against a specific parcel, not against a 92648 ZIP or a harbour mailing label.
How much can I get from a reverse mortgage in Huntington Beach?
On a HECM, proceeds equal the Maximum Claim Amount times a Principal Limit Factor for the youngest borrower or eligible non-borrowing spouse, at the expected rate locked for the case. For 2026, MCA is the lesser of the appraised value and $1,249,125. Huntington Beach city's Census median owner-occupied value of $1,100,000 is below that cap, so MCA on a typical median is the appraised value. Many shoreline and Huntington Harbour homes sit above $1,249,125. Those files use the federal cap as MCA, not the full appraisal. MCA is not cash to the homeowner. On the city median at age 70 and a 7.000% expected rate as of 22 September 2026, leftover before liens is about $375,000. After a $200,000 first, leftover is about $175,000.
What is the 2026 HECM limit?
The 2026 nationwide HECM Maximum Claim Amount is $1,249,125 (HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-22). That figure is the FHA insurance cap, not the cash a Huntington Beach homeowner receives. Principal limit, costs, and existing liens still apply. A home appraised above the cap does not produce a larger HECM principal limit.
Is Huntington Beach the same as Huntington Park?
No. This page is written for the City of Huntington Beach in Orange County. Huntington Park is a separate city in Los Angeles County. Permits, Coastal Zone maps, and flood overlays on this page do not apply there. Confirm the grant deed and tax bill.
Can I get a reverse mortgage if my Huntington Beach home is in a flood zone?
Yes, a Huntington Beach home can potentially qualify while located in a flood zone if FHA/HUD and flood-insurance rules are met. HUD's HECM rule is 24 CFR 206.45(c): if the dwelling is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, the community must participate in the NFIP and a qualifying flood policy must be maintained. The City participates in the NFIP and administers floodplain overlays under Chapter 222, including FP3 for Zones V and VE. FEMA's March 21, 2019 FIRMs placed affected Huntington Harbour and Sunset Beach properties in AE or VE. Living near a canal is not the same as being mapped in an SFHA. Check the current FEMA map for the dwelling.
Does the Coastal Zone prevent a reverse mortgage in Huntington Beach?
No. Coastal Zone location does not by itself approve or deny a reverse mortgage. It can change documentation for legal use, additions, ADUs, and repairs. The City has a certified Local Coastal Program. Coastal Zone projects may need a Coastal Development Permit. Sunset Beach Specific Plan 17 is not certified. Check the City's Coastal Zone map for the parcel.
Do oil wells or an oil overlay stop a reverse mortgage?
Not automatically. Huntington Beach Municipal Code Chapter 220 maps Oil Production Overlay Districts (O and O1). Development on overlay land generally needs an approved reuse plan and Fire Chief compliance, including well abandonment and soil remediation where required. A mapped overlay is a title, permit, and insurance review item. It is not a published HUD denial. An active well next to the house is a different 24 CFR 206.47 soundness question.
Can I get a reverse mortgage if I have an ADU?
An ADU does not automatically qualify or disqualify a Huntington Beach reverse mortgage. The City currently administers ADU and JADU applications under state law. Huntington Beach Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance section 230.10 no longer applies. Development in the Coastal Zone may require a Coastal Development Permit. Unpermitted units are a title and appraisal problem. HUD occupancy under 24 CFR 206.39 still has to match how the property is actually used.
Can I get a reverse mortgage on a Huntington Beach condo?
Some Huntington Beach condominiums can qualify, but a HECM generally needs HUD project approval or FHA Single Unit Approval. Downtown, shoreline, and harbour buildings often spend extra time on association documents, master insurance, and owner-occupancy mix. Proprietary programs may use different project rules. Do not assume a particular building is approved.
Can a manufactured home in Huntington Beach qualify?
Sometimes, depending on the home, the land, the title, the foundation, HUD requirements, and lender overlays. Owning a manufactured home is not the same as owning the land under it. The City's flood page notes that a 1998 storm flooded a mobile-home park. That is history, not a citywide eligibility rule. Bring the title, any space lease, and foundation evidence.
Can I keep my existing first mortgage?
A first-lien HECM or proprietary reverse mortgage generally pays off existing mortgages at closing. A Reverse Mortgage Second can, if the first loan and the property qualify, sit behind a fixed-rate fully amortized first so that first stays in place. On many City of Huntington Beach values, leftover HECM cash after costs is larger than inland Orange County medians, but a large first mortgage can still consume it.
Can PACE or Mello-Roos affect a reverse mortgage?
Yes. HUD Mortgagee Letter 2017-18 says a property that will remain encumbered with a PACE obligation is not eligible for an FHA-insured HECM. The payoff is a Mandatory Obligation and may use HECM proceeds. Remaining PACE encumbrance is an FHA eligibility fail. Orange County Treasurer Mello-Roos indexes list City of Huntington Beach CFDs, including 1990-1, 2000-1, 2002-1, and 2003-1. Those charges are parcel-specific. Current CFD special taxes generally stay on the tax bill. HUD's financial assessment counts them as property charges (24 CFR 206.37). Read the actual Orange County tax bill.
Can I use a reverse mortgage to buy a home in Huntington Beach?
Yes, through HECM for Purchase, if you are 62 or older and will occupy the home as a principal residence. You still bring a large down payment. HUD proceeds are the principal limit, not the purchase price. If the purchase price exceeds $1,249,125, HECM proceeds are capped at the MCA times the Principal Limit Factor. California Civil Code 1923.2(k) requires seven days after HUD counseling before a final application and fees.
How long does a Huntington Beach reverse mortgage take?
Straightforward HECM files Jay originates often close in about 30 to 45 days. California Civil Code 1923.2(k) requires seven days after HUD counseling before a final application and fees. Coastal Development Permits, Huntington Harbour flood-insurance placement in Zone AE or VE, condo project approval, oil-well title exceptions, unpermitted units, PACE payoffs, and repair set-asides more often push Huntington Beach files toward 45 to 60 days.
Does Jay Zayer serve Huntington Beach?
Yes. Jay Zayer, CRMP, is an independent reverse mortgage professional who serves City of Huntington Beach homeowners through ReverseMortgage.coach. He is licensed in California and Arizona (CA DRE #01456165, CA DRE #01450361, AZ #1022722, NMLS #307713) and originates as a broker comparing HECM, proprietary reverse mortgages, and Reverse Mortgage Seconds. He lives in San Marcos and does not maintain a public office in Huntington Beach.
Costs, Obligations, and When It May Not Fit
A reverse mortgage does not erase property taxes, homeowners insurance, flood insurance if required, HOA dues, or the duty to keep the home in reasonable repair and occupy it as a principal residence. Those occupancy obligations remain after closing. If they are not kept current, the loan can become due and payable. A longer cost walkthrough is on how much a reverse mortgage costs.
A reverse mortgage may not fit if you plan to move soon, if leftover proceeds after paying liens and costs are too small to matter, if the property cannot meet program or insurance requirements, or if selling is the clearer family plan. I will say so. My test is simple: I will not recommend a loan I would not put my own parents in. Alternatives can include keeping the current mortgage, a conventional cash-out or HELOC if you qualify, a Reverse Mortgage Second behind a loan you want to keep, or selling. None of those is automatically better.
Other California and Arizona Cities
Nearby city hubs that change the overlays or leftover-cash story. Grouped as Southern California. The full California and Arizona list is on service areas.
A shorter Orange County article remains at Reverse Mortgage Orange County. It is not a substitute for this city hub. A narrower company-selection answer remains at best reverse mortgage company in Huntington Beach . That Ask Jay URL stays live. This page is the city hub.
Sources for Huntington Beach facts
These are the local and program facts this page relies on. Last substantively reviewed 11 October 2026. I do not invent city-level FHA HECM endorsement counts. HUD Snapshot files are loan-level records and do not publish a ready-made City of Huntington Beach total.
| Claim | Source | Geography / date | Borrower implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| City median owner-occupied value $1,100,000; owner occupancy 55.4%; 19.4% age 65+; population 191,451 | Census QuickFacts, Huntington Beach city U.S. Census Bureau | City of Huntington Beach 2020-2024 ACS; pop. July 1, 2025 | Typical files sit just below the HECM cap. Shoreline and harbour parcels can sit above it. |
| Orange County median owner-occupied value $962,600; owner occupancy 56.4% | Census QuickFacts, Orange County U.S. Census Bureau | Orange County 2020-2024 ACS | The city median is above the county median. County figures do not replace a Huntington Beach appraisal. |
| Age-70 PLF 37.0% at 7.000% expected rate; leftover about $375,000 on $1,100,000 before liens | HUD General PLF table 7.000% column; site hecm-factors.md HUD / FHA | National HECM factors on City of Huntington Beach median PLFs as of 22 Sep 2026 | A $200,000 first leaves about $175,000 on this median after the standard cost stack. |
| 2026 HECM Maximum Claim Amount $1,249,125; initial MIP 2.00% of MCA | HUD HECM / ML 2025-22 and ML 2017-12 HUD / FHA | National As of 22 Sep 2026 | Value above the cap does not raise the HECM principal limit. |
| March 21, 2019 FIRMs placed affected Huntington Harbour and Sunset Beach properties in SFHA Zones AE or VE | City of Huntington Beach flood information City of Huntington Beach / FEMA | City of Huntington Beach coastline and harbour FIRM 21 Mar 2019; 2010 harbour LOMR superseded for affected lots | An SFHA requires NFIP flood insurance on a HECM (24 CFR 206.45(c)). A 2010 Zone X printout is not today's map. |
| City has a certified Local Coastal Program; Sunset Beach SP 17 is not certified | City of Huntington Beach Local Coastal Program City of Huntington Beach / California Coastal Commission | City of Huntington Beach Coastal Zone Coastal Element certified 1985, last comprehensive update 2001; retrieved 11 Oct 2026 | Coastal Zone location can change ADU and repair documentation. It is not a HUD denial. |
| Chapter 220 maps Oil Production Overlay Districts O and O1; development needs well-disposition and Fire Chief compliance | Huntington Beach Zoning Chapter 220 City of Huntington Beach | City of Huntington Beach oil overlays, parcel-specific Current zoning chapter, retrieved 11 Oct 2026 | A mapped overlay is a title and permit review. It is not a published HECM denial. |
| A property that will remain encumbered with a PACE obligation is not eligible for an FHA-insured HECM | HUD Mortgagee Letter 2017-18 HUD / FHA | National HECM rule ML 2017-18, still the HECM remaining-encumbrance rule | PACE is not the same as a CFD special tax that generally remains. |
| Seven-day counseling wait | California Civil Code 1923.2(k) California Legislature | California only Current statute | Required before a final application and fees. |
Who Jay Zayer Is
I am Jay Zayer, a Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional. I have spent 18 years focused exclusively on reverse mortgages. I live in San Marcos, in North County San Diego. I do not keep a Huntington Beach storefront. When a City of Huntington Beach homeowner asks me to look at a property, I work it the same way I work the rest of California: address-level title, insurance, flood determination, coastal and permit status, and product math, not a city slogan. Licenses: CA DRE #01456165, CA DRE #01450361, AZ #1022722, NMLS #307713. I originate as an independent broker under ZING Reverse Mortgage Advisors.
Before I quote numbers I ask what you want your finances and housing to look like five or ten years from now. The most common mistake I see is focusing almost entirely on the interest rate. Adult children often start out against the loan. The conversation changes once they understand their parents keep ownership and that a HECM is non-recourse. Adult children are my number one referral source. I was published in HousingWire on a $42,000 origination-fee case. More: about Jay Zayer.
If you are a Huntington Beach homeowner, or an adult child helping one, call 760-271-8646 or Talk to Jay . The conversation is free. If a reverse mortgage is the wrong answer, I will say so.
What to Look at Next
If you are a City of Huntington Beach homeowner trying to decide whether a reverse mortgage could work on your specific house, start with the numbers and the property. Run a directional estimate on the calculator , compare structures on the reverse mortgage guide , proprietary programs , Reverse Mortgage Second , and HECM for Purchase , or ask a narrower question in Ask Jay . The readiness assessment is a useful first pass before we model liens, flood insurance, coastal status, and overlays on your address.
If you want to talk through a specific Huntington Beach property, call 760-271-8646 or Talk to Jay . The conversation is free. If a reverse mortgage is the wrong answer, I will say so.