Delux Appraisals can help you remove your Private Mortgage InsuranceWhen buying a house, a 20% down payment is typically the standard. Since the liability for the lender is generally only the difference between the home value and the amount outstanding on the loan, the 20% provides a nice buffer against the expenses of foreclosure, reselling the home, and regular value variationson the chance that a purchaser defaults. The market was working with down payments down to 10, 5 and even 0 percent during the mortgage boom of the last decade. A lender is able to handle the increased risk of the minimal down payment with Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. This supplemental policy covers the lender if a borrower doesn't pay on the loan and the value of the property is lower than what is owed on the loan. Because the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is rolled into the mortgage payment and oftentimes isn't even tax deductible, PMI can be costly to a borrower. Different from a piggyback loan where the lender takes in all the costs, PMI is profitable for the lender because they collect the money, and they receive payment if the borrower is unable to pay. ![]() Does your monthly mortgage payment include PMI? Contact us, you may be able to save money by removing your PMI. How can buyers refrain from bearing the expense of PMI?With the implementation of The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998, on nearly all loans lenders are required to automatically cancel the PMI when the principal balance of the loan reaches 78 percent of the primary loan amount. The law stipulates that, at the request of the home owner, the PMI must be released when the principal amount equals just 80 percent. So, keen homeowners can get off the hook a little early. It can take many years to reach the point where the principal is only 20% of the original amount borrowed, so it's important to know how your home has increased in value. After all, all of the appreciation you've accomplished over the years counts towards abolishing PMI. So what's the reason for paying it after the balance of your loan has dropped below the 80% threshold? Your neighborhood might not be minding the national trends and/or your home might have gained equity before things settled down, so even when nationwide trends signify plunging home values, you should understand that real estate is local. The hardest thing for almost all homeowners to understand is just when their home's equity goes over the 20% point. An accredited, licensed real estate appraiser can certainly help. As appraisers, it's our job to keep up with the market dynamics of our area. At Delux Appraisals, we're masters at recognizing value trends in Vista, San Diego County and surrounding areas, and we know when property values have risen or declined. Faced with data from an appraiser, the mortgage company will usually cancel the PMI with little effort. At that time, the home owner can delight in the savings from that point on.
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