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Let Quality Appraisals by Boscoe, LLC help you decide if you can cancel your PMI

A 20% down payment is typically accepted when buying a house. The lender's liability is generally only the remainder between the home value and the amount due on the loan, so the 20% provides a nice buffer against the costs of foreclosure, reselling the home, and typical value variations on the chance that a borrower is unable to pay.

Banks were taking down payments dropping to 10, 5 and frequently 0 percent during the mortgage boom of the last decade. A lender is able to handle the added risk of the reduced down payment with Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. PMI protects the lender in case a borrower doesn't pay on the loan and the market price of the home is less than the loan balance.

Because the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is bundled into the mortgage payment and frequently isn't even tax deductible, PMI can be expensive to a borrower. It's lucrative for the lender because they acquire the money, and they get paid if the borrower doesn't pay, as opposed to a piggyback loan where the lender absorbs all the costs.


Is PMI a part of your monthly house payment? Call Quality Appraisals by Boscoe, LLC today at (407)947-5435 or send us an e-mail. A current appraisal could save you thousands.

How can a homeowner prevent bearing the expense of PMI?

The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 forces the lenders on the majority of loans to automatically cancel the PMI when the principal balance of the loan equals 78 percent of the primary loan amount. The law stipulates that, at the request of the home owner, the PMI must be released when the principal amount equals just 80 percent. So, acute homeowners can get off the hook sooner than expected.

It can take several years to arrive at the point where the principal is just 80% of the original loan amount, so it's necessary to know how your Florida home has appreciated in value. After all, any appreciation you've accomplished over the years counts towards abolishing PMI. So why should you pay it after your loan balance has fallen below the 80% threshold? Your neighborhood may not adhere to national trends and/or your home could have acquired equity before the economy cooled off. So even when nationwide trends signify falling home values, you should know most importantly that real estate is local.

An accredited, Florida licensed real estate appraiser can help homeowners figure out just when their home's equity goes over the 20% point, as it's a hard thing to know. It is an appraiser's job to keep up with the market dynamics of their area. At Quality Appraisals by Boscoe, LLC, we're experts at recognizing value trends in Astatula, Lake County, and surrounding areas, and we know when property values have risen or declined. When faced with information from an appraiser, the mortgage company will most often remove the PMI with little trouble. At which time, the home owner can enjoy the savings from that point on.


Has your real estate appreciated since you first purchased? Contact Quality Appraisals by Boscoe, LLC today at (407)947-5435. You may be able to get rid of your Private Mortgage Insurance payment.

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