Buying a home can be one of the biggest investments of your life. However, if you don’t have a substantial amount of money saved up for a down payment, you may be required to pay for Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI). LMI is an insurance policy that is designed to protect the lender in case you default on your loan. In this article, we will discuss what Lenders Mortgage Insurance is, how it works, and how you can avoid paying it.
What is Lenders Mortgage Insurance?
Lenders Mortgage Insurance, or LMI, is a type of insurance policy that is designed to protect the lender in case the borrower defaults on their loan. This insurance policy is typically required when the borrower has a down payment that is less than 20% of the purchase price of the home. The purpose of LMI is to protect the lender from financial loss if the borrower defaults on the loan and the sale of the property does not cover the outstanding balance of the loan.
How Does Lenders Mortgage Insurance Work?
The cost of LMI depends on the loan amount and the size of the down payment. The higher the loan amount and the smaller the down payment, the higher the LMI premium. The cost of LMI can be a significant amount, usually between 1% and 3% of the loan amount. For example, if you are buying a $500,000 home with a 10% down payment, you could be required to pay between $10,000 and $15,000 for LMI.
It is important to note that LMI does not protect the borrower. It only protects the lender. If you default on your loan, you will still be responsible for paying back the outstanding balance of the loan, even if the sale of the property does not cover the full amount.
How to Avoid Lenders Mortgage Insurance?
If you want to avoid paying LMI, you will need to come up with a larger down payment. The minimum down payment required to avoid LMI is usually 20% of the purchase price of the home. However, if you can afford to put down even more than 20%, you could save yourself a significant amount of money in the long run.
If you are struggling to save up for a down payment, there are some other options that you could consider. For example, you could look into getting a guarantor loan. This is when a family member or friend agrees to provide security for your loan by using their property as collateral. This can help you avoid paying LMI, but it does come with some risks. If you default on your loan, the guarantor will be responsible for paying back the outstanding balance of the loan.
The Benefits of Avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance
If you are able to avoid paying LMI, there are several benefits. First, you will save yourself a significant amount of money. LMI can be a substantial cost, and by avoiding it, you could put that money towards other things, such as home improvements or paying down your mortgage faster.
Second, by avoiding LMI, you will have more equity in your home. Equity is the difference between the value of your home and the outstanding balance of your mortgage. The more equity you have in your home, the more flexibility you will have in the future. For example, you could use your equity to finance home improvements or to purchase an investment property.
Conclusion
Lenders Mortgage Insurance can be a significant cost for homebuyers who don’t have a large down payment. If you want to avoid paying LMI, you will need to come up with a larger down payment. There are also other options, such as guarantor loans, that can help you avoid paying LMI. By avoiding LMI, you will save yourself a significant amount of money and have more equity in your home, which can provide you with more flexibility in the future.