Be careful if you have any siblings. My husband got a call from his brother tearfully telling him that he had their mom secure loans against her home for almost the entire value and it is in foreclosure. He wanted us to refinance it! This was after he convinced her to give him almost all of her savings over the years. We knew about the draining of the savings, but had no idea about the house. I would advise anyone who has needy siblings to try to do a title search on the family home!