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

When purchasing a home, a 20% down payment is usually the standard. Since the risk for the lender is oftentimes only the remainder between the home value and the amount due on the loan, the 20% adds a nice buffer against the charges of foreclosure, selling the home again, and typical value variationson the chance that a purchaser is unable to pay.

The market was accepting down payments as low as 10, 5 and even 0 percent during the mortgage boom of the mid 2000s. A lender is able to handle the increased risk of the small down payment with Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. PMI guards the lender in the event a borrower defaults on the loan and the worth of the property is less than the loan balance.

PMI can be pricey to a borrower because the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is rolled into the mortgage payment and generally isn't even tax deductible. It's lucrative for the lender because they acquire the money, and they get the money if the borrower is unable to pay, contradictory to a piggyback loan where the lender absorbs all the deficits.

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

How homebuyers can keep from paying PMI

With the implementation of The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998, on nearly all loans lenders are obligated to automatically cancel the PMI when the principal balance of the loan reaches 78 percent of the primary loan amount. The law guarantees that, at the request of the homeowner, the PMI must be released when the principal amount reaches just 80 percent. So, keen home owners can get off the hook a little early.

Because it can take countless years to get to the point where the principal is only 20% of the initial amount of the loan, it's crucial to know how your home has grown in value. After all, every bit of appreciation you've acquired over the years counts towards abolishing PMI. So why should you pay it after your loan balance has dropped below the 80% threshold? Even when nationwide trends indicate plunging home values, understand that real estate is local. Your neighborhood may not be adopting the national trends and/or your home may have acquired equity before things cooled off.

The toughest thing for almost all home owners to know is just when their home's equity goes over the 20% point. A certified, licensed real estate appraiser can definitely help. It's an appraiser's job to keep up with the market dynamics of their area. At Wronski Appraisal Services Inc., we're masters at analyzing value trends in Scottsdale, Maricopa 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 drop the PMI with little effort. At that 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