Avoid Private Mortgage Insurance Payments

As you have probably noticed, the mortgage market is very different than it was a couple of years ago. You may find that it is much tougher to get a loan, and it is really tougher to find a lower interest loan. PMI, or private mortgage insurance, is also tougher to avoid.

Private Mortgage Insurance, or PMI, is a type of policy that your lender may require you to buy before they will issue you a loan. It actually covers the loan company in case you cannot make payments. It does not cover you. You will still be responsible, and your credit can still be damaged. The reason lenders like it, is that it reduces their risk of losing money when they decide to carry your loan. But you usually have to pay for it, and it can add a few hundred dollars to your loan payment each month.

Do you have twenty percent of your purchase price to put down on your new home purchase? If so, you probably won't be required to take out this extra coverage. If you purchase, for example, a two hundred thousand dollar home, and can put down forty thousand, you already have substantial equity. You are less risky to the mortgage company. But if you need a loan for the whole amount, you may need to make PMI payments that are one percent of the loan value per year. This means that $200K loan can cost you an extra two thousand dollars a year!

There are still ways to avoid or reduce these extra payments even if you cannot come up wth a twenty percent down payment. You really should consider some alternatives because you could certainly put your money to better use. You could pay off your loan earlier, make home improvements, or start an emergency savings fund. These all seem like better options than paying money to protect your lender.

Consider an example of one way to cut out this cost. This consists of getting your lender pay the premium. They may raise your interest rate slightly if they agree to this. It is called Lender Paid PMI (LPPMI).

Take the example of a $150,000 mortgage which is fixed for thirty years at about five point five percent. Your payments should be about $850. You are only paying for the loan balance and interest.

Now let us look at this same loan, even if you got a little bit lower interest rate of right above five percent, but had to pay PMI. Your payment would be about $960 a month for interest, principal, and PMI!

Remember that this hundred bucks covers your loan company, and it does not cover you. This seems a fair deal to me. Compensate them a little more, but let them pay the premiums!

Not all lenders will make this deal for all borrowers though. Another option is to look into single premium policies. Since they are paid with one upfront payment, you can usually get a discount. You may also be able to roll this amount into your loan, which could still cost less than actually paying the higher price for monthly premiums.

Piggy back loans were the traditional way to avoid private mortgage insurance. An example would be to get one loan to pay 80%, and then get a second loan to cover the other 20% which would have been your down payment. These used to be very popular, but are not as common these days since lenders have made it much harder to qualify without a true down payment.

I would like to add a word of caution. If you want to buy a home, but cannot put down twenty percent, you should make sure you are ready for this additional responsibility. Could you buy a cheaper home or delay your purchase until you have more money saved.? Sometimes the purchase is still a good idea. It is your decision, but be sure you consider everything before you move ahead.