Housing Bust Forces Americans to Alter Retirement Plans

May 3, 2010— -- When the stock market collapsed two years ago, Grace Murphy's 401(k) savings collapsed along with it. But the Gainesville, Fla., school teacher, 53, still liked her odds of an early retirement. Thanks to Florida's robust housing market at the time, she envisioned eventually tapping into her home equity to help make a fruitful retirement a reality.

"At that time, I really thought the real estate market down her would hold just fine," Murphy says. "I guess I was wrong about that."

As the U.S. economy continues to struggle, a sharp rebound in the housing market is still considered faint. That's forcing many Americans who were hoping to tap into their home equity as a way to get to retirement to change their plans.

Some are staring at the prospect of working three to five years longer to help reach their retirement goals. Others are likely to be forced to live on fixed incomes from pensions,401(k)s or IRAs, and Social Security until their homes recover some of their lost value.

"A lot of these people are looking at years before their homes are worth more than their mortgages," says Stefan Bruckmeier, a financial planner in Denver, Colo. "That means home equity won't be a reliable retirement option for years."

About one in six people with a mortgage now owe the bank more than their homes are worth, according to a report by Moody's. Most of them are property owners who purchased their homes within the past few years, or refinanced their properties and siphoned off too much equity.

Financial planners say Americans in this situation should consider exploring options other than relying on home equity as a back-up plan for retirement. Among the best options, experts say, are downsizing their homes, selling assets, postponing retirement by working longer and signing up for a reverse mortgage.

The first logical choice, experts say, is to downsize. Downsizing offers the financial benefit of lowering monthly mortgage payments, resulting in increased cash flow, reduced maintenance costs and lower utility bills. Downsizing could also lower your real estate taxes because of a lower estimation on a smaller home.