Pros of a Piggyback loan There are three major pros of choosing a piggyback loan: The ability to purchase more home, easier to get approved financing with little or no money down, and avoid PMI or private mortgage …show more content…
Finally, a piggyback loan allows the home buyer to purchase a home without paying PMI or private mortgage insurance. PMI is basically an insurance policy for the lender in case the borrower defaults on the loan. The lender however makes the borrower pay for this insurance policy either up front or as a monthly payment. Most lenders require PMI unless the home buyer has at least 20% equity in the home. Since a piggyback loan takes care of the 20% equity through another lender the first lender doesn 't require the purchase of PMI. Cons of a Piggyback loan There are some cons of choosing a piggyback loan: Higher interest rates, fees or large balloon payments, restrictions on home equity loans, and no way to drop your payment by getting rid of PMI. First, a piggyback loan always carries a higher interest rate than a standard fixed rater mortgage. The lenders are assuming a little more risk therefore they charge higher interest rates. Sometimes the lender of the 80% will offer very competitive rates, however the second lender will often have an interest rate 3% - 4% higher than the first loan. For the first mortgage may carry an interest rate of 6.25% and the second mortgage may have an interest rate of