We bought in 2020 and have a 2.875% rate on our mortgage. We only put 10% down and had PMI but the broker was all, “you can refinance to get rid of that”.
I asked him when in the world we’d ever be able to refinance at or below that rate? He had nothing to say to that.
We bought ours in 2022 at a 4.15% rate with only 5% down and since I dealt with a local lender, got a conventional loan with no PMI. Thank God. The PMI was my biggest worry, but we were very fortunate.
Also found a house for under $300k, but it was built in 1952 and we’re a little in the boonies. We have a Walmart nearby and some fast food, but that’s it. We both work 20 miles away in the much larger town. And then we’re about an hour or so (depending on traffic) from a major city. So we had to make some concessions in order to even get a house. Though I love being in a small quiet neighborhood and being able to live away from the bustle of a larger town, but it does have drawbacks.
The biggest knock on our house is that it’s a townhome but I’ve successfully disbanded the HOA so that’s no longer an issue.
Ours is actually bigger than a lot of single family homes in the area, we’re 5ish minutes from downtown St. Paul, we’re on an end so only one attached neighbor, and best of all we’re on a dead end sleepy little street overlooking the Mississippi.
Actually it’s the view that sold us on the property.
Just FYI there are stipulations to removing PMI from a mortgage but refinancing usually isn’t one of them. Each situation is unique though. FHA and VA loans are different, etc.
We bought in 2020 and have a 2.875% rate on our mortgage. We only put 10% down and had PMI but the broker was all, “you can refinance to get rid of that”.
I asked him when in the world we’d ever be able to refinance at or below that rate? He had nothing to say to that.
We bought ours in 2022 at a 4.15% rate with only 5% down and since I dealt with a local lender, got a conventional loan with no PMI. Thank God. The PMI was my biggest worry, but we were very fortunate.
Also found a house for under $300k, but it was built in 1952 and we’re a little in the boonies. We have a Walmart nearby and some fast food, but that’s it. We both work 20 miles away in the much larger town. And then we’re about an hour or so (depending on traffic) from a major city. So we had to make some concessions in order to even get a house. Though I love being in a small quiet neighborhood and being able to live away from the bustle of a larger town, but it does have drawbacks.
The biggest knock on our house is that it’s a townhome but I’ve successfully disbanded the HOA so that’s no longer an issue.
Ours is actually bigger than a lot of single family homes in the area, we’re 5ish minutes from downtown St. Paul, we’re on an end so only one attached neighbor, and best of all we’re on a dead end sleepy little street overlooking the Mississippi.
Actually it’s the view that sold us on the property.
Just FYI there are stipulations to removing PMI from a mortgage but refinancing usually isn’t one of them. Each situation is unique though. FHA and VA loans are different, etc.
You are incorrect.
As the house value increases with the market you can refinance to a new lender with greater equity eliminating the need for PMI.
You can wait for PMI to cancel automatically, request early cancellation, get a reappraisal or refinance the mortgage to get rid of it.