The Reverse Guide: straight answers from Tom Jarboe
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Reverse mortgages in Covina: counseling, the Senior & Community Center and home repair

By Tom Jarboe, NMLS #210600Facts checked November 5, 2026

Quick answer

Covina homeowners can get independent reverse mortgage counseling from four HUD-listed agencies in Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Orange and Riverside, and all of them counsel by phone in English or Spanish. Covina is in Los Angeles County. One thing to check first: the city says that, in general, Covina addresses with street numbers of 3,000 or more are in unincorporated LA County, not the city, so some city programs below won't apply to you. I'll show you the costs and risks along with the help, so you can make an honest, educated decision.

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A HECM, the federally insured reverse mortgage, is FHA-insured. New American Funding is not acting for HUD, FHA or any government agency.

Key points

  • Counseling is required, and it's independent. HUD lists four agencies within about 30 miles. I don't choose or pay yours.
  • Check whether you're in the city. A Covina mailing address isn't always inside city limits, which decides the repair and ride programs you can use.
  • The city's repair program has a lien rule. Ask the city and me before combining it with a reverse mortgage.
  • Your contract in your language. If a reverse mortgage is negotiated mainly in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese or Korean, California requires a translated contract.
  • Property Tax Postponement and a reverse mortgage usually don't mix. Postponed taxes come due if you take a reverse mortgage.

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Counseling near Covina

HUD's counselor data, read Nov. 5, 2026, lists these agencies within about 30 miles of Covina that offer reverse mortgage counseling. None has a Los Angeles County address. Distances are straight-line and approximate. I'm not recommending any of them.

CityAgencyAboutPhoneWhat HUD lists
OntarioInland Fair Housing and Mediation Board17 miles800-321-0911In person, group, online, phone, video; English, Spanish
Rancho CucamongaNeighborhood Partnership Housing Services19 miles909-988-5979In person, phone, video; English, Spanish
OrangeNeighborWorks Orange County20 miles714-409-3444In person, group, phone; English, Spanish, Vietnamese
RiversideCarolyn E. Wylie Center30 miles951-683-5193Group, online, phone, video; English, Spanish

Ask each agency whether a HECM counselor is available, what it costs, and whether family can join by phone. For another language, call HUD at (800) 569-4287. See counseling near Diamond Bar.

Languages and your contract

Under California Civil Code 1632, if a reverse mortgage on your Covina home is negotiated mainly in Spanish (or Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese or Korean), the business must give each borrower a translation of the whole contract before signing. See protecting a parent.

Covina senior resources

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Questions about your own situation?

Talk with Tom Jarboe. He's been helping families with home loans since 1986. You'll get plain answers, and he'll tell you if a reverse mortgage isn't the right fit.

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Home repair help, and the lien rule

The City of Covina Residential Rehabilitation Program helps owner-occupants of single-family homes or mobile homes inside city limits with health and safety repairs and accessibility changes for older or disabled residents. Its flyer, updated November 2025, says:

A reverse mortgage is a lien on your home, so ask the city and me before combining this program with one. On a HECM, the reverse mortgage must be the first lien, and other liens must be subordinate to it (24 CFR 206.27(b)(3)).

Call Special Projects at (626) 384-5509. If your address is in unincorporated Covina, ask LA County's LACDA about its Single Family Home Improvement Program at (626) 586-1805, and about its other repair programs for unincorporated areas.

County help: taxes, deed alerts and probate

Covina is in Los Angeles County. Property taxes are due in two installments; LA County homeowner help has the dates, exemptions and who to call, including the county's aging and elder abuse lines.

With a reverse mortgage there's no required monthly mortgage payment, but property taxes, homeowners insurance, HOA dues and upkeep stay yours with any reverse mortgage. On a HECM, falling behind on taxes or insurance can make the loan come due; private loans set their own rules.

If you're weighing the state's Property Tax Postponement, know that postponed taxes come due if you take a reverse mortgage (Government Code 16190(f)), so usually you pick one; see Property Tax Postponement or a reverse mortgage?.

Deed alerts come by mail automatically through the Registrar-Recorder's Homeowner Notification Program, and you can add email alerts through the Assessor's Homeowner Alert Service.

If a parent dies, probate for a Covina home is filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles; see titles, trusts and probate and after a parent dies.

Fire zones and homeowners insurance

On a HECM, keeping homeowners insurance in force is a loan duty, and a lapse can make the loan come due. Private (proprietary) reverse mortgages set their own rules in the loan papers.

The State Fire Marshal's 2025 recommended map for local areas shows no Very High fire hazard zone acres in Covina, but the city's code still refers to a Very High zone map from 2008, so ask the city which map applies.

See LA County homeowner help for how to check your address and where to get insurance help.

Home values in Covina

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey puts the median value of owner-occupied homes in Covina at about $718,900 (2020 to 2024 estimates, as owners reported them). That is a broad average, not your home's value.

For FHA case numbers assigned in 2026, HUD's HECM limit is $1,249,125, and a HECM figures your amount on the lower of your home's value or that limit. Private (proprietary) reverse mortgages set their own rules. See types of reverse mortgages.

The balance grows over time with interest, mortgage insurance and fees; for when the loan comes due, see how a reverse mortgage works in California.

Do and don't

My advice:

Do

  • Do check whether your address is inside Covina city limits before you count on a city program.
  • Do get the city's answer in writing before combining its repair program with a loan.

Don’t

  • Don't let anyone rush you past counseling or California's 7-day wait after counseling before a final application or fee.
  • Don't buy an annuity or other product because someone says the loan requires it. No one involved in the loan can require that.

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A made-up example to show how it works. Your situation will be different.

Example: Consuelo asks before she combines programs

Consuelo, 70, owns her home inside Covina city limits, and its old plumbing needs work. She's on the city's rehabilitation waiting list and is also looking at a HECM. She asked Special Projects, in writing, how a reverse mortgage would fit the program's lien rule. She keeps paying her property taxes and insurance, and she hasn't decided yet.

Questions families ask

Is my Covina address in the city or in unincorporated LA County?

The city's repair flyer says that, in general, city addresses have street numbers of 2,999 or lower, and numbers of 3,000 or more are generally unincorporated LA County. Call City Hall at (626) 384-5400 to be sure.

Can I use Covina's home repair program if I have a reverse mortgage?

Maybe. The program needs "sufficient equity," allows no more than two other liens, and won't take less than third position. On a HECM, the reverse mortgage must be the first lien, and other liens must be subordinate to it. Ask Special Projects at (626) 384-5509, and me, before you combine them.

How do I find a reverse mortgage lender near Covina who explains things clearly?

I can't rate myself, so here's what I'd look for in anyone: someone who explains that counseling is required, lists every cost, says when it isn't a fit, and never pushes other products. Look up any loan officer on NMLS Consumer Access. I'm Tom Jarboe, NMLS #210600, and my office is in Diamond Bar.

Tom Jarboe

Your next step

Talk with me first. I'll give you honest answers on both sides, go over your options and tell you plainly if a reverse mortgage isn't the right fit. Call (909) 869-6588 or email [email protected], or read about me. There's no pressure.

Before you can apply for a HECM, you'll meet with an independent HUD-approved counselor. It's required, and I'll give you a list of agencies. In California there's also a 7-day wait after counseling before a final application or any fees. Find one on HUD's site or call (800) 569-4287. See also how a reverse mortgage works in California.

Questions about a reverse mortgage on your Covina home? Talk with Tom.

Sources (read November 5, 2026, unless another date is shown)20 sources · show all

Reverse mortgages closed near Covina

Type Covina or your own ZIP to see how many FHA-insured reverse mortgages (HECMs) have closed nearby. The counts come from HUD.

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Tom Jarboe, Regional Sales Manager, New American Funding, NMLS #210600, Diamond Bar.

As a loan officer, I want you to be able to check everything. That's why I give you honest answers on both sides, cite the official rules, and make sure you meet an independent HUD-approved counselor before you apply. My goal is that you make an honest, educated decision. More about me.

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Questions? Ask a person, not a robot.

Call or email Tom. No pressure and no obligation: if a reverse mortgage isn't right for you, he'll tell you, and point you to what might be.

Tom Jarboe, Regional Sales Manager, New American Funding
NMLS #210600
20955 Pathfinder Rd, Suite 200
Diamond Bar, CA 91765

(909) 869-6588
[email protected]