Have equity in your home? Want a lower payment? An appraisal from Weaver Appraisal Group can help you get rid of your PMI.

It's largely inferred that a 20% down payment is common when getting a mortgage. The lender's risk is usually only the difference between the home value and the sum outstanding on the loan, so the 20% supplies a nice buffer against the charges of foreclosure, reselling the home, and typical value fluctuations on the chance that a borrower is unable to pay.

During the recent mortgage boom of the mid 2000s, it became customary to see lenders commanding down payments of 10, 5 or sometimes 0 percent. A lender is able to endure the increased risk of the reduced down payment with Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. PMI covers the lender if a borrower defaults on the loan and the market price of the property is lower than what the borrower still owes on the loan.

PMI can be expensive to a borrower on the grounds that the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is rolled into the mortgage monthly payment and frequently isn't even tax deductible. It's beneficial for the lender because they acquire the money, and they get paid if the borrower doesn't pay, contradictory to a piggyback loan where the lender takes in 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 expense of PMI?

With the employment of The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998, on nearly all loans lenders are forced to automatically stop the PMI when the principal balance of the loan reaches 78 percent of the beginning loan amount. The law guarantees that, upon request of the home owner, the PMI must be dropped when the principal amount equals just 80 percent. So, keen homeowners can get off the hook sooner than expected.

It can take many years to reach the point where the principal is just 20% of the original amount of the loan, so it's necessary to know how your home has increased in value. After all, every bit of appreciation you've obtained over the years counts towards abolishing PMI. So why pay it after your loan balance has dropped below the 80% threshold? Even when nationwide trends predict plummeting home values, understand that real estate is local. Your neighborhood may not be reflecting the national trends and/or your home might have acquired equity before things calmed down.

The toughest thing for most home owners to understand is just when their home's equity goes over the 20% point. An accredited, licensed real estate appraiser can definitely help. As appraisers, it's our job to understand the market dynamics of our area. At Weaver Appraisal Group, we know when property values have risen or declined. We're masters at analyzing value trends in Butner, Granville County and surrounding areas. When faced with data from an appraiser, the mortgage company will often do away with the PMI with little effort. At that time, the homeowner can relish 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