Posts Tagged ‘Lenders Mortgage Insurance’

Home Loans with No LMI

April 15th, 2010 No Comments
Posted by iggy

Lenders Mortgage Insurance or LMI is often a must once the loan to value ratio (LVR) of the property is 80% and up.  However there are a number of loans that can go over 85% LVR but will not require you to pay LMI.  These types of loans can save you a lot of money, as you need not worry about LMI premiums.  There are only certain fees to pay in exchange for the fact that there is no LMI being charged to you.

Another tested way to avoid LMI altogether is to either make a sizable deposit with the bank.  This usually amounts to 20% of the total value of the property.  You can also avoid going above 80% LVR to keep banks from charging you LMI.  These are two tried and tested ways of avoiding additional LMI costs and paying no LMI whatsoever.

This means that if you would like to get into the real estate market much earlier, yet do not have any funds to make a deposit, or would really like to get a loan of 80% or more of the property’s total value, then expect to be required to pay LMI as most banks and lenders will charge you LMI premiums.

The experts on home loans have access to those banks and lenders who are willing to go over 80% and yet do charge no lmi whatsoever.  However, be warned that interest rates and additional fees may be applied, so the costs may actually be the same as paying LMI.  This means it would be best to make use of a LMI calculator before getting a loan with no lmi.  For all you know, it could cost much less than getting a loan without LMI in the first place.

Advantages of LMI

March 24th, 2010 No Comments
Posted by iggy

Impulse buying is easy if you have enough funding, or enough credit,  There is no need to wait or save up for a purchase, and often the only drawback is that you have to pay a little more for instant loans.  The idea and concept behind Lenders Mortgage Insurance or LMI is similar.  You get to purchase a house with only a minimal deposit or no deposit at all.  Of course few would call buying a house or any form of real estate impulse buying, but the concept is the same.

However, the main reason that LMI exists is for the protection of the lender.  What the borrower does at the start when LMI is required is to pay a premium of a considerable amount to cover the property mortgaged.  This enables the bank or lender to take more risks in case of inability of the borrower to make the required repayments, and when the property is sold at auction, the sale is not enough to cover the costs of the loan.

Although it may seem like LMI can only benefit the bank or lender, there are also incidental benefits to the borrower.  The most obvious benefit is the fact that the borrower is able to immediately purchase the property.  This saves the borrower from needing to pay rising housing costs, and he can limit himself to interest payments and the payment of the required premiums.

The problem with LMI is thay while lenders and banks make use of it, the identity and rates and actual costs related to LMI are often left undisclosed to the prospective borrowers.  Due to the fact that the fees are left undisclosed, then it becomes more difficult for the borrower to budget possible expenses.

In order to get a more accurate figure of how much LMI costs it would be best to consult the home loan experts.  They can provide you with a free LMI Calculator to give you a clear idea on how much LMI you have to pay depending on your particular circumstances.

Use an LMI Calculator to Accurately Determine Loan Expenses

March 3rd, 2010 No Comments
Posted by iggy

When one would like to get a home loan in Australia, often it involves LMI or Lenders Mortgage Insurance.  Lenders mortgage insurance is as worded, protection for the lender or bank.  Basically it is a premium paid by the borrower to insure the bank in case the borrower is unable to make the necessary repayments.  If you are very behind with your loan repayment, your property may be sold, and if the sale of the property is not enough to cover the loan, then it is the insurance company who answers for the deficit.  However, just because it is made for the benefit of the lender, it does not mean that it cannot be helpful to the borrower.  It can be of help to the borrower when they don’t have enough savings for deposit, and enable them to enter the real estate market earlier.

LMI is also used when your loan to value ratio is at or above 80% of the value of the property.  Loan to value ratio or LVR is another term that is intimately connected to LMI.  Where there is a high enough LVR, usually LMI is required.  To illustrate LVR, for example you would like to purchase a property worth $1,000,000.00.  The 80% LVR that would require LMI is simply 80% of the $1,000,000.00, which is $800,000.00.  Thus when you get a $800,000.00 loan then you will be required to pay LMI, at a very high premium.

Another problem with LMI is that there are so many providers of this type of insurance.  Because there are many providers, a borrower is often at a loss on how to compute the costs in relation to LMI.  To add and complicate things, banks and lenders also do not disclose who their LMI provider is, thus the borrower is left in the dark as to how much LMI would cost.

Thankfully there is an LMI Calculator out there available in order to help the borrower accurately determine how much they would need to save to pay for the LMI premiums, and the other costs in relation to any loan they wish to get.  This will ensure that you have enough funds prepared when applying for your home loan.