Interstate Appraisal Inc. can help you remove your Private Mortgage Insurance

When purchasing a home, a 20% down payment is usually the standard. Because the risk for the lender is generally only the remainder between the home value and the amount remaining on the loan, the 20% supplies a nice cushion against the charges of foreclosure, reselling the home, and typical value variations in the event a borrower doesn't pay.

The market was taking down payments as low as 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 small down payment with Private Mortgage Insurance or PMI. PMI covers the lender in the event a borrower defaults on the loan and the market price of the home is less than what the borrower still owes on the loan.

PMI can be expensive to a borrower on the grounds that the $40-$50 a month per $100,000 borrowed is lumped into the mortgage payment and on many occasions isn't even tax deductible. As opposed to a piggyback loan where the lender takes in all the deficits, PMI is money-making for the lender because they obtain the money, and they are covered if the borrower defaults.


Has your real estate appreciated since you first purchased? Call Interstate Appraisal Inc. today at (718) 599-2077. You may be able to save money by removing your Private Mortgage Insurance payment.

How home owners can refrain from bearing the cost of PMI

With the implementation of The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998, lenders are required to automatically stop the PMI when the principal balance of the loan reaches 78 percent of the original loan amount on nearly all loans. The law stipulates that, at the request of the home owner, the PMI must be abandoned when the principal amount equals just 80 percent. So, acute home owners can get off the hook sooner than expected.

Since it can take many years to arrive at the point where the principal is only 80% of the original amount of the loan, it's crucial to know how your New York home has grown in value. After all, every bit of appreciation you've accomplished over time counts towards removing PMI. So why pay it after your loan balance has fallen below the 80% threshold? Your neighborhood might not adhere to national trends and/or your home may have secured equity before the economy simmered down. So even when nationwide trends hint at declining home values, you should understand that real estate is local.

An accredited, New York 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 recognize the market dynamics of their area. At Interstate Appraisal Inc., we know when property values have risen or declined. We're masters at recognizing value trends in Brooklyn, Kings County, and surrounding areas. When faced with data from an appraiser, the mortgage company will generally eliminate the PMI with little anxiety. At which time, the home owner can delight in the savings from that point on.


The savings from dropping the PMI required when you got your mortgage pays for the appraisal in a matter of months. Nobody is more qualified than Interstate Appraisal Inc. when it comes to appreciating values in Brooklyn and Kings County. Contact us today.

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