Have equity in your home? Want a lower payment? An appraisal from Nationwide Property Valuation can help you get rid of your PMI.

A 20% down payment is usually accepted when purchasing a home. The lender's liability is usually only the remainder between the home value and the amount outstanding on the loan, so the 20% provides a nice buffer against the costs of foreclosure, selling the home again, and typical value fluctuations on the chance that a purchaser doesn't pay.

During the recent mortgage upturn of the mid 2000s, it was widespread to see lenders commanding down payments of 10, 5 or even 0 percent. A lender is able to manage the additional risk of the reduced down payment with Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. PMI protects the lender in the event a borrower is unable to pay on the loan and the value of the house is lower than what the borrower still owes on the loan.

PMI can be costly to a borrower because the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is rolled into the mortgage monthly payment and often isn't even tax deductible. It's advantageous for the lender because they obtain the money, and they receive payment if the borrower is unable to pay, opposite from a piggyback loan where the lender absorbs all the damages.

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

How buyers can avoid bearing the expense of PMI

With the utilization of The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998, on most loans lenders are obligated to automatically stop the PMI when the principal balance of the loan equals 78 percent of the initial loan amount. The law designates that, at the request of the homeowner, the PMI must be released when the principal amount equals only 80 percent. So, smart homeowners can get off the hook ahead of time.

It can take many years to get to the point where the principal is just 20% of the initial loan amount, so it's necessary to know how your home has grown in value. After all, any appreciation you've achieved over time counts towards abolishing PMI. So why pay it after your loan balance has dropped below the 80% threshold? Your neighborhood may not be adopting the national trends and/or your home could have secured equity before things simmered down, so even when nationwide trends signify 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. An accredited, licensed real estate appraiser can definitely help. It's an appraiser's job to recognize the market dynamics of their area. At Nationwide Property Valuation, we're experts at recognizing value trends in La Jolla, San Diego County and surrounding areas, and we know when property values have risen or declined. Faced with figures from an appraiser, the mortgage company will usually do away with the PMI with little effort. At which time, the homeowner can retain 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