We bought our place through some First Time home buyer program, and a soon as I could, when I got to 80/20 loan to value, I refinanced into a traditional 30-year to get rid of the PMI. I just remembered that VA loans apparently don't require PMI, but it's still a relevant tip to help you remember that if you have to settle for some term you don't love, you can work to change it later. Paying the extra on the mortgage helped to reduce the time it took to get to 80/20.