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About to take a home loan? Read this information before you proceed.
If you are about to apply for a housing loan, it is natural that you are filled with dread and excitement in equal measure. On the one hand, you are on your way to buying your first home. But on the other, you are worried about the housing loan and the many sub-parts in it that you are not familiar with!
Applying for a home loan is easy if you know the operative parts of the process. We compile a list of 5 factors to consider when applying for a home loan:
1 Your eligibility matters – a lot. Your loan eligibility is the amount of money you can get when you apply for a home loan. Knowing the loan eligibility helps in determining the kind of house you should look for. It is computed basis your age, number of working years left, annual income, credit history, etc. The lending agency does not consider Medical Allowance and LTA in its final calculation. Thus, your projected income is automatically reduced.
2 Clear up your credit history. Your credit history comprises any present liabilities you have (personal/car/credit card loan), any other housing loan, or even any defaults on past loans. The higher your credit score, the higher is the chance of the loan application being approved. If you are applying for a home loan, it might be a good idea to clear up any unpaid debts first. Repay all loans if you can, or leave only a small amount to be repaid before you apply for the housing loan. A poor credit history might result in the application being rejected or a higher interest rate being charged.
3 A pre-approved loan saves time. You might be in the middle of house hunting, but certain of finalising a property in about six months. Instead of waiting to apply for a loan after finding a house, you might apply for a pre-approved loan. The loan application and approval can happen concurrently while you keep looking for suitable homes. The advantage of taking a pre-approved loan is that the evaluation process is over in a month’s time, and the loan is ready and waiting for you before you give the housing agency the go-ahead to disburse the funds. This way, you save a lot of time and can make the purchase in just a few days after selecting the property, instead of applying for a home loan at that point and then waiting for the approval to come through.
4 Check the interest rates being offered. The interest being charged on the loan determines whether it is an affordable loan or not. The lower the interest rate, the lower is the EMI and the lower the money repaid to the housing finance company. Do your research about the average home loan rates being offered under both fixed and floating interest categories. Once you find the right loan product, you can also inquire about processing fees, legal evaluation fees, etc.
5 The property documents are all-important. The housing finance company goes through the house sale agreement thoroughly. Any problematic clauses or missing chain of agreements (showing ownership from first owner to the current one) are swiftly flagged and pointed out to you. The lender will give you time to correct these lacunae, but it does put a question mark on the application. It is prudent to show the sale agreement to a lawyer and have any lacunae corrected before making the loan application.
