Here's the formula: Loan amount ÷ appraisal value or purchase price (
whichever is less) For example: The home you
want to buy has an appraised value of $ 205,000, but $ 200,000 is the purchase price The bank will base the loan amount on the $ 200,000
figure, because it's the lower of the 2 You have $ 40,000 for a down payment, so you need a $ 160,000 loan to meet the $ 200,000 purchase price Your loan - to - value equation would look like this: $ 160,000 ÷ $ 200,000 =.80 You multiply.80 by 100 % and that gives you an LTV of 80 % Private mortgage insurance (PMI) If your down payment is lower than 20 %, your loan - to - value ratio for conventional financing will be higher than 80 %.