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Barnes Appraisal Company can help you remove your Private Mortgage Insurance

When buying a house, a 20% down payment is typically the standard. The lender's liability is usually only the remainder between the home value and the sum outstanding on the loan, so the 20% adds a nice buffer against the expenses of foreclosure, reselling the home, and typical value fluctuations in the event a purchaser doesn't pay.

The market was accepting down payments down to 10, 5 and even 0 percent in the peak of last decade's mortgage boom. A lender is able to manage the added risk of the minimal down payment with Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. This supplemental policy guards the lender if a borrower is unable to pay on the loan and the value of the property is lower than the balance of the loan.

Since the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is compiled into the mortgage payment and frequently isn't even tax deductible, PMI is costly to a borrower. It's profitable for the lender because they secure the money, and they get the money if the borrower doesn't pay, unlike a piggyback loan where the lender consumes all the costs.

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

How can a homeowner avoid paying PMI?

With the utilization of The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998, on nearly all loans lenders are forced to automatically terminate the PMI when the principal balance of the loan equals 78 percent of the initial loan amount. Savvy homeowners can get off the hook beforehand. The law states that, upon request of the homeowner, the PMI must be released when the principal amount equals just 80 percent.

It can take many years to arrive at the point where the principal is only 20% of the initial amount borrowed, so it's necessary to know how your home has appreciated in value. After all, any appreciation you've acquired over the years counts towards abolishing PMI. So what's the reason for paying it after your loan balance has dropped below the 80% threshold? Despite the fact that nationwide trends signify declining home values, understand that real estate is local. Your neighborhood might not be adopting the national trends and/or your home might have acquired equity before things cooled off.

The difficult thing for most homeowners to know is just when their home's equity goes over the 20% point. A certified, licensed real estate appraiser can definitely help. It is an appraiser's job to keep up with the market dynamics of their area. At Barnes Appraisal Company, we're experts at analyzing value trends in Lawton, Comanche County and surrounding areas, and we know when property values have risen or declined. Faced with figures from an appraiser, the mortgage company will often drop the PMI with little trouble. At which time, the homeowner can enjoy 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