Tortorella Appraisals, Inc. can help you remove your Private Mortgage Insurance

It's generally understood that a 20% down payment is accepted when getting a mortgage. Considering the liability for the lender is oftentimes only the difference between the home value and the amount outstanding on the loan, the 20% supplies a nice cushion against the costs of foreclosure, reselling the home, and regular value changeson the chance that a purchaser defaults.

The market was working with down payments as low as 10, 5 and often 0 percent during the mortgage boom of the last decade. How does a lender endure the added risk of the low down payment? The answer is Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. This additional plan takes care of the lender in case a borrower is unable to pay on the loan and the value of the house is lower than the balance of the loan.

PMI can be costly to a borrower on the grounds that the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is compiled into the mortgage payment and oftentimes isn't even tax deductible. It's profitable for the lender because they acquire the money, and they receive payment if the borrower doesn't pay, opposite from a piggyback loan where the lender consumes 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 home buyers avoid bearing the expense of PMI?

With the utilization of The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998, on nearly all loans lenders are required to automatically eliminate the PMI when the principal balance of the loan equals 78 percent of the primary loan amount. Acute home owners can get off the hook sooner than expected. The law pledges that, upon request of the home owner, the PMI must be abandoned when the principal amount reaches only 80 percent.

It can take countless years to get to the point where the principal is only 20% of the original loan amount, so it's crucial to know how your home has grown in value. After all, every bit of appreciation you've gained over the years counts towards dismissing PMI. So what's the reason for paying it after the balance of your loan has fallen below the 80% threshold? Your neighborhood may not be adopting the national trends and/or your home might have secured equity before things cooled off, so even when nationwide trends predict decreasing home values, you should realize that real estate is local.

The toughest thing for many home owners to know is just when their home's equity rises above 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 Tortorella Appraisals, Inc., we know when property values have risen or declined. We're masters at determining value trends in Kingston, Ulster County and surrounding areas. Faced with information from an appraiser, the mortgage company will usually drop 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