Let J Group Residential Appraising Services help you learn if you can get rid of your PMIIt's largely understood that a 20% down payment is accepted when purchasing a home. The lender's risk is usually only the remainder between the home value and the amount outstanding on the loan, so the 20% supplies a nice buffer against the charges of foreclosure, selling the home again, and regular value variations in the event a borrower is unable to pay. The market was accepting down payments down to 10, 5 and even 0 percent in the peak of last decade's mortgage boom. How does a lender handle the increased risk of the low down payment? The answer is Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. PMI takes care of the lender in the event a borrower is unable to pay on the loan and the market price of the home is lower than the balance of the loan. PMI can be costly to a borrower because the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is lumped into the mortgage monthly payment and oftentimes isn't even tax deductible. It's advantageous for the lender because they collect the money, and they get the money if the borrower defaults, opposite from a piggyback loan where the lender takes in all the deficits. 
Does your monthly mortgage payment include PMI? Contact us, you may be able to save money by removing your PMI. How can a home buyer avoid bearing the cost of PMI?The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 obligates the lenders on nearly all loans to automatically cease the PMI when the principal balance of the loan reaches 78 percent of the beginning loan amount. The law pledges that, at the request of the homeowner, the PMI must be dropped when the principal amount reaches only 80 percent. So, keen home owners can get off the hook a little early. It can take many years to get to the point where the principal is only 20% of the original amount borrowed, so it's necessary to know how your home has increased in value. After all, any appreciation you've acquired over the years counts towards removing PMI. So what's the reason for paying it after the balance of your loan has dropped below the 80% mark? Your neighborhood might not be minding the national trends and/or your home may have gained equity before things simmered down, so even when nationwide trends forecast declining home values, you should understand that real estate is local. The difficult thing for most home owners to understand is just when their home's equity rises above the 20% point. A certified, licensed real estate appraiser can definitely help. As appraisers, it's our job to recognize the market dynamics of our area. At J Group Residential Appraising Services, we know when property values have risen or declined. We're experts at pinpointing value trends in Boise, Ada County and surrounding areas. When faced with figures from an appraiser, the mortgage company will generally do away with the PMI with little trouble. At which time, the homeowner can relish the savings from that point on.
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