The Reverse Guide: straight answers from Tom Jarboe
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Reverse mortgages in Hacienda Heights: county help, counseling, fire zones and rides

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

Quick answer

Hacienda Heights is an unincorporated community, so there's no city hall: Los Angeles County handles your property tax, senior services, parks and home repair grants. The nearest HUD-listed reverse mortgage counseling agency is in Orange, about 14 miles away, and it counsels by phone too. My office is in Diamond Bar, and I'll give you honest answers on both sides, including when a reverse mortgage isn't the right fit.

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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

  • No city government means county services. Call LA County offices for taxes, senior programs, repair grants and abuse reports. Hacienda Heights is in the county's First Supervisorial District.
  • Counseling is required, and it's independent. HUD lists three agencies within about 30 miles that offer reverse mortgage counseling. I don't choose or pay yours.
  • Your contract in your language. If a reverse mortgage is negotiated mainly in Chinese or Spanish (or Tagalog, Vietnamese or Korean), California requires a translated contract before you sign.
  • County repair grants are for unincorporated areas. Hacienda Heights is unincorporated. Income and ownership rules apply, so ask whether they're taking applications.
  • Check your fire zone. The Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority says the brush areas it clears to protect Hacienda Heights are in CAL FIRE's Very High fire hazard zones. Check your own address, because insurance matters on a HECM (see below).
  • Property Tax Postponement and a reverse mortgage usually don't mix. Postponed taxes come due if you take a reverse mortgage.

Counseling near Hacienda Heights

HUD's counselor data, read Nov. 5, 2026, lists three agencies within about 30 miles of Hacienda Heights 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
OrangeNeighborWorks Orange County14 miles714-409-3444In person, group, phone; English, Spanish, Vietnamese
OntarioInland Fair Housing and Mediation Board23 miles800-321-0911In person, group, online, phone, video; English, Spanish
Rancho CucamongaNeighborhood Partnership Housing Services25 miles909-988-5979In person, phone, video; English, Spanish

None lists Chinese, Korean or Tagalog. If you'd like another language, here's what I'd do: call HUD at (800) 569-4287 and ask for a HECM counselor who speaks it, or ask an agency about an interpreter. Ask about the fee, and whether family can join by phone. For how a session works, see counseling near Diamond Bar.

Not sure which option fits you? Ask Tom for a personal estimate →

County offices for Hacienda Heights

The county's aging, elder abuse and property tax lines are in LA County homeowner help. More help lines are in protecting a parent.

Senior programs and rides

County help: taxes, deed alerts and probate

Hacienda Heights is in Los Angeles County. Property taxes are due in two installments; LA County homeowner help has the dates, exemptions and who to call. 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 Hacienda Heights home is filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles; see titles, trusts and probate.

Tom Jarboe

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.

Call Tom: (909) 869-6588Get my personal estimate

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 Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority said in January 2026 that the areas where it clears brush to protect Whittier and Hacienda Heights are in CAL FIRE's Very High fire hazard zones.

That doesn't tell you about your street: see LA County homeowner help for how to check your address and where to get insurance help.

Home repair help

Because Hacienda Heights is unincorporated, the LA County Development Authority's programs apply. Neither page says whether it's taking applications now, so call first.

These are county and nonprofit programs, not mine, and they're separate from any reverse mortgage. My advice: ask about them before you borrow for small repairs.

Languages and your contract

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

If your loan is explained in one of those languages and you don't get the contract in it, stop and ask why. See protecting a parent.

Home values in Hacienda Heights

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey puts the median value of owner-occupied homes in Hacienda Heights at about $820,800 (2020 to 2024 estimates, as owners reported them), and about 76% of homes are owner-occupied. That's 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 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.

Questions so far? Tom is glad to walk you through it. Call Tom: (909) 869-6588 →

Do and don't

My advice:

Do

  • Do call LA County, not a nearby city, for tax, senior and repair help.
  • Do look up your address on the fire zone map and keep your insurance paid.
  • Do ask for counseling and your contract in the language you're most comfortable with.

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.

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

Example: Ping gets around on the Heights Hopper

Ping, 72, owns her Hacienda Heights home and no longer drives. She rides the Heights Hopper to lunch at the Steinmetz Senior Center. Her daughter helped her apply in writing for the county's utility users tax senior exemption, since Ping is head of her household and receives SSI.

Ping found a counselor through HUD's line and booked a phone session, with her daughter listening, before talking with any lender. She keeps paying her property taxes and insurance, and she hasn't decided anything yet.

Questions families ask

If a parent can't drive, how do they get to the senior center or appointments?

The Heights Hopper Shuttle runs Monday to Saturday, with no fare for riders 60 and older: (626) 458-3909. For ADA paratransit, call Access Services at 1-800-827-0829.

Is there a reverse mortgage lender near Hacienda Heights 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, 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.

Ask the agency about counseling in your language. See also how a reverse mortgage works in California.

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

Sources (read November 5, 2026, unless another date is shown)23 sources · show all

Reverse mortgages closed near Hacienda Heights

Type Hacienda Heights 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]