I’d rather put down less, deal with the PMI for a bit, and keep some cash for emergencies or fixing stuff that always seems to go wrong in a new place.
Man, I hear you on that. When I bought my place, I thought I was being clever by scraping together every penny for the 20% down. Then my water heater died the first month. Cue me, googling “how to shower with cold water” and regretting not keeping a little cushion. In hindsight, I’d have taken the PMI hit for a while just to avoid eating ramen for two months straight. Sometimes flexibility really does win out over predictability... especially when your dishwasher starts making that weird noise.
I get where you’re coming from. When I refinanced last year, I debated whether to throw all my savings at the new loan to avoid PMI. Ended up keeping some cash on hand, and sure enough, my roof started leaking a month later. That “emergency fund” idea isn’t just a cliché. But here’s a question—do you think PMI is really that bad if you can get rid of it in a couple years? Sometimes I wonder if people overestimate how much it actually costs compared to the peace of mind you get from having some backup cash.
PMI gets a bad rap, but honestly, I think people stress over it more than they need to. If you’re only paying it for a year or two, it’s often not a huge chunk compared to the risk of draining your savings. I’ve seen folks dump everything into their down payment, then scramble when life throws a curveball—like, say, a busted water heater or a surprise tax bill. Sometimes a little PMI is just the cost of sleeping better at night, knowing you’ve got a cushion.
Yeah, I get where you’re coming from. When I refinanced, I kept a bit more cash on hand instead of pushing for 20% down. The PMI wasn’t ideal, but it was manageable and came off pretty quick once the value went up. Peace of mind’s worth something.
I get the peace of mind angle, but I’m always a little wary of PMI—even if it’s temporary. Those extra payments can add up fast, especially if home values don’t climb as quick as you hope. Sometimes stretching for that 20% upfront actually saves more in the long run, even if it feels like a stretch at first. Just depends on your risk tolerance, I guess.
