Big Country Residential Appraisals can help you remove your Private Mortgage InsuranceIt's generally understood that a 20% down payment is the standard when getting a mortgage. Considering the liability for the lender is generally only the remainder between the home value and the amount remaining on the loan, the 20% adds a nice buffer against the charges of foreclosure, selling the home again, and natural value variationsin the event a borrower is unable to pay. Lenders were accepting down payments as low as 10, 5 and often 0 percent in the peak of last decade's mortgage boom. A lender is able to handle the additional risk of the minimal down payment with Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. PMI protects the lender if a borrower defaults on the loan and the value of the home is lower than the loan balance. PMI is pricey to a borrower in that the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is rolled into the mortgage payment and frequently isn't even tax deductible. It's lucrative for the lender because they collect the money, and they get paid if the borrower is unable to pay, separate from 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 can home owners keep from bearing the expense of PMI?The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 forces the lenders on most loans to automatically cancel the PMI when the principal balance of the loan reaches 78 percent of the primary loan amount. The law states that, upon request of the homeowner, the PMI must be released when the principal amount reaches only 80 percent. So, wise homeowners can get off the hook a little early. It can take many years to arrive at the point where the principal is just 20% of the original loan amount, so it's important to know how your home has grown in value. After all, every bit of appreciation you've acquired over the years counts towards dismissing PMI. So why should you pay it after the balance of your loan has dropped below the 80% mark? Even when nationwide trends indicate declining home values, realize that real estate is local. Your neighborhood might not be adopting the national trends and/or your home may have secured equity before things simmered down. A certified, licensed real estate appraiser can help homeowners understand just when their home's equity rises above the 20% point, as it's a tough thing to know. It is an appraiser's job to recognize the market dynamics of their area. At Big Country Residential Appraisals, we know when property values have risen or declined. We're masters at analyzing value trends in Abilene, Taylor County and surrounding areas. Faced with information from an appraiser, the mortgage company will usually drop the PMI with little anxiety. At which time, the home owner can delight in the savings from that point on.
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