Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

There are a lot of steps that people need to take when buying a home. One of the most common issues that people discuss is the down payment. Most banks will require a down payment so that they aren’t the only ones taking on the risk of buying a home. The common question people have is how much of a down payment they should apply.

The Rule Of Thumb

Most people have heard about placing 20 percent down on a house as a solid rule of thumb. This number has been passed down from prior generations who purchased houses with similar down payments.

On the other hand, the price of housing has risen over the past few decades and this down payment might not be possible for some people. While 20 percent down might work for some people, it might not be feasible for others. 

Other Considerations

There are several additional factors that homebuyers need to think about. First, how big of a down payment is the bank requiring? Some banks might not lend to someone at all if they don’t reach a certain threshold. In other cases, the lender might ask someone to purchase something called private mortgage insurance, often abbreviated PMI.

This is an insurance policy that the borrower will have to purchase for the lender. If the borrower loses the home in foreclosure, the lender gets its money back through this insurance policy. Obviously, borrowers do not want to have this added expense. This is where the down payment is important.

In addition, banks might also be willing to lower the interest rate on the mortgage if the borrower increases the size of the down payment. With a lower interest rate, this can save someone a substantial amount of money down the road. Try to see if the lender will lower the interest rate in exchange for a larger down payment.

Deciding The Down Payment

These are a few of the many factors that homebuyers should think about when thinking about the down payment. While nobody wants to pay more than they should, the down payment is only one of the financial aspects people need to consider.

If you are in the market for a new home or interested in listing your current property, be sure to contact your trusted real estate professional.

When you are buying a home, you may run into a number of hurdles to complete the purchase. One of the items that you may be asked to purchase is called private mortgage insurance, often shortened to PMI. This is a unique insurance policy that your lender, such as the credit union or bank, may ask you to buy in order to protect themselves. In this insurance policy, the bank protects themselves against losing money if you end up defaulting on your loan.

Unfortunately, if you are asked to purchase PMI, this will increase your monthly mortgage payment. Therefore, most people try to avoid it. Fortunately, there are a few ways to do this.

Increase the Size of Your Down Payment

Typically, the lender will ask you to purchase PMI if your loan to value ratio is off. In most cases, the lender will ask you to buy PMI if you put down less than 20 percent. It is important to remember that this is still handled on an individual case-by-case basis and each lender handles this differently. 

Invest in a Piggyback Mortgage

Another option to avoid PMI is to invest in something called a piggyback mortgage. In this case, you are splitting your mortgage into two policies. For example, if you put down 10 percent, you would need to take out a mortgage for the other 90 percent.

When you take out a piggyback mortgage, you split this 90 percent loan into one mortgage for 80 percent and the other for 10 percent. The drawback of this policy is that the second loan might have a higher interest rate than the first. This can help you avoid having to take out PMI.

Try Building the PMI Into the Loan

Finally, the last option is to roll them into the cost of the loan. In this case, the lender avoids asking you to purchase PMI and instead charges you a little bit more money for the loan. You won’t have a section on your bill for “private mortgage insurance” but you will have a slightly higher monthly payment anyways. Remember that you can refinance to a lower rate later, saving some money; however, it might be harder to eliminate PMI.

Avoiding Mortgage Insurance

These are a few ways that you can avoid purchasing PMI. This will help you keep your monthly payments low. As always, speak with your trusted mortgage professional for personal advice on your specific situation.

If you are in the market for a new home or interested in listing your current property, be sure to contact your trusted real estate professional.

Have you heard the term Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) when looking to finance real estate?

You may be wondering what PMI is and how you know when you need to purchase it.

These answers can be hard to find among all the real estate jargon you might be hearing lately.

Below is the short version of what you need to know.

What is Private Mortgage Insurance?

Private Mortgage Insurance is an insurance premium required by some lenders to offset the risk of a borrower defaulting on their home loan.

When you put down less than 20 percent of the real estate’s purchase price, the lender will generally require that PMI is added to the loan.

It is usually added into the monthly mortgage payment until the equity position in the real estate reaches 20 percent. However, there may be other options available in your area.

Under the current law, PMI will be canceled automatically when you reach 22 percent equity in your home, if you are current on your payments.

If you aren’t current, the lender may not be required to cancel the mortgage insurance because the loan is considered high-risk.

After getting caught up on your payments, the PMI will likely be cancelled. Any money that you have overpaid must be refunded to you within 45 days.

What if Your Real Estate Increases in Value?

With a conventional loan, it may take as many as 15 years of a 30-year loan to pay your balance down 20 percent making the minimum monthly payment.

But, if property values in your area rise, you might be able to cancel the PMI sooner.

Some lenders may be willing to consider the new value of your home to determine the equity in your home.

You may, however, be responsible for any fees, like an appraisal, that are incurred to assess the new value of your property.

In the end, private mortgage insurance is likely a good option if you can’t afford a down payment of 20 percent of the purchase price.

Now May Be A Very Good Time To Take Action

With all of the activity happening the housing market, now may be the best time for you to purchase your new home. 

A smart next move would be speaking with a qualified home financing professional to learn which programs and down payment options are available in the Birmingham area.