Region Appraisals & Consultants LLC can help you remove your Private Mortgage InsuranceA 20% down payment is usually accepted when buying a house. Because the risk for the lender is oftentimes only the difference between the home value and the amount remaining on the loan, the 20% supplies a nice buffer against the costs of foreclosure, selling the home again, and typical value fluctuationson the chance that a borrower defaults. During the recent mortgage boom of the mid 2000s, it became widespread to see lenders taking down payments of 10, 5 or even 0 percent. How does a lender handle the additional risk of the small down payment? The answer is Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. This additional policy protects the lender if a borrower is unable to pay on the loan and the market price of the house is less than the balance of the loan. PMI is costly to a borrower on the grounds that the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is bundled into the mortgage payment and frequently isn't even tax deductible. It's advantageous for the lender because they obtain the money, and they get paid if the borrower doesn't pay, opposite from a piggyback loan where the lender consumes all the losses. Does your monthly mortgage payment include PMI? Contact us, you may be able to save money by removing your PMI. How can home buyers keep from bearing the cost of PMI?With the implementation of The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998, on most loans lenders are obligated to automatically eliminate the PMI when the principal balance of the loan reaches 78 percent of the initial loan amount. Wise homeowners can get off the hook a little early. The law stipulates that, at the request of the homeowner, the PMI must be dropped when the principal amount equals only 80 percent. It can take countless years to reach the point where the principal is only 20% of the initial amount borrowed, so it's crucial to know how your home has increased in value. After all, any appreciation you've obtained over the years counts towards dismissing PMI. So why should you pay 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 acquired equity before things calmed down, so even when nationwide trends forecast declining home values, you should understand that real estate is local. A certified, licensed real estate appraiser can help home owners understand just when their home's equity goes over the 20% point, as it's a difficult thing to know. As appraisers, it's our job to keep up with the market dynamics of our area. At Region Appraisals & Consultants LLC, we're masters at identifying value trends in Miami, Miami-Dade 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 delight in the savings from that point on.
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