Is using PMI good for real-estate investors to lower down payment

[Elijah Wichers]

Hello,

I have been researching loans and financing options and discovered that many lenders will let borrowers put a lot less than 20% down on a property, given that they get PMI. Now, this sounds great for investors not wanting to put down a lot of money upfront and seems to be a great way to get more properties. However, with this strategy, it seems with a higher mortgage rate from putting less down and the cost of PMI might make it very difficult to find a cash-flowing property. Can anyone inform me of the pros and cons of doing this and enlighten me to any additional information? I am new to this and trying to study more about real estate investing. I would greatly appreciate any time, effort, and insight into this topic. Thank you.

[Gaetano Ciambriello]

You cannot purchase an investment property with less than 20% down, so you do not have to worry about PMI. Prior to February, you could purchase a SFR with 15% down.

One way to get around this is to purchase a new primary home each year with 5% down (and PMI) and then rent out your old residence. It requires moving every year, but can be a great way to pick up $5MM in assets over 10 years with only ~$250k out of pocket for down-payments.