May 27th 2007

How To Avoid Private Mortgage Insurance



PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) is an additional monthly fee you have to pay if your down payment is less than 20% on a new mortgage. Mortgage companies claim that it’s a form of protection for them, in case you default on your home loan. This is required by all banks if you have less than 20% equity in your property. Most buyers typically put 5% or less down, so PMI is very common. How can you avoid PMI? The following are ways on how to avoid private mortgage insurance.

  1. The easiest way is to put 20% down or to buy a property well below market value. Try to gather enough funds to make your down payment greater than 20%.
  2. Find a different property that is less expensive that way you can get your down payment to or above 20 percent.
  3. The most common option is a second loan to make up the short fall. If you have 5% you can get a second mortgage of 15% to eliminate the PMI. Be careful here because a lot of people end up paying more interest for their second mortgage than they would if they simply paid the PMI. Do your research.
  4. If you couldn’t avoid PMI in the first place. Remember that once you establish a 20% equity position in your home, it can be reappraised and the PMI can be eliminated.

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