Let Anderson Appraisal House help you determine if you can cancel your PMI

When getting a mortgage, a 20% down payment is usually the standard. Considering the liability for the lender is generally only the difference between the home value and the amount remaining on the loan, the 20% provides a nice cushion against the expenses of foreclosure, reselling the home, and natural value fluctuationsin the event a borrower defaults.

The market was working with down payments down to 10, 5 and often 0 percent during the mortgage boom of the mid 2000s. A lender is able to endure the increased risk of the low down payment with Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. This supplementary policy guards the lender if a borrower doesn't pay on the loan and the value of the property is less than what the borrower still owes on the loan.

PMI is pricey to a borrower on the grounds that the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is bundled into the mortgage payment and generally isn't even tax deductible. Separate from a piggyback loan where the lender absorbs all the damages, PMI is money-making for the lender because they obtain the money, and they receive payment if the borrower defaults.

Does your monthly mortgage payment include PMI? Contact us, you may be able to save money by removing your PMI.

How can homeowners prevent paying PMI?

The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 requires the lenders on nearly all loans to automatically cease the PMI when the principal balance of the loan equals 78 percent of the initial loan amount. The law designates that, upon request of the homeowner, the PMI must be abandoned when the principal amount reaches only 80 percent. So, smart home owners can get off the hook a little earlier.

It can take many years to reach the point where the principal is only 20% of the original amount of the loan, so it's important to know how your home has increased in value. After all, all of the appreciation you've accomplished over time counts towards removing PMI. So why should you pay it after your loan balance has fallen below the 80% mark? Your neighborhood may not be adopting the national trends and/or your home could have gained equity before things settled down, so even when nationwide trends hint at decreasing home values, you should understand that real estate is local.

The toughest thing for most 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 understand the market dynamics of our area. At Anderson Appraisal House, we're masters at identifying value trends in Felton, York County and surrounding areas, and we know when property values have risen or declined. Faced with information from an appraiser, the mortgage company will most often do away with the PMI with little trouble. At that time, the home owner can retain the savings from that point on.

Want to learn more about PMI and the Homeowners Protection Act? Click this link:
Cancellation of Private Mortgage Insurance: Federal Law May Save You Hundreds of Dollars Each Year