Simplifying Home Loans - Your Go to Guide to Apply for a Home Loan

Thanks to home loans, you don't have to wait a long time to get your dream home. You don't have to save for years before you can afford to buy a house anymore. With home loans, you can buy a house easily, and repay the amount lent in monthly installments.

However, the process of applying for a home loan can be a bit complicated, considering the technical terms thrown at you. Here are the 10 home loan terms that you should know before applying for a home loan:

1. EMI: The most commonly used term when applying for a loan, EMI or Equated Monthly Installments is the monthly amount you pay the bank to repay the loan. It is a pre-calculated agreed amount known to the borrower before taking the loan. EMI is calculated based on the amount borrowed, the applicable interest rate, and the loan tenure.

2. Down Payment or Margin: While buying a property, the banks sanction 70-80% of the property value. The remaining funds must be arranged by the borrower. For example, you plan to buy a house worth Rs. 50 lacs and the bank sanctions Rs. 40 lacs as a home loan. The remaining 20% you need to arrange yourself is known as a down payment or margin.

3. Resale: The term resale is used for houses that were previously owned by a party and are not directly bought from builders.

4. Credit Appraisal: Before sanctioning a loan, the bank ensures the borrower's repayment capacity by checking several parameters. These include checking income, age, savings, employer, assets and liabilities, and other information to avoid default. The process of ensuring repayment capacity is called a credit appraisal.

5. Pre-approved Property: Banks verify properties eligible for home loans. Some builders get this sanity check done by banks to promote their property for sale. A pre-approved property does not mean a 100% safe property, and one has to check several factors before investing.

6. Security/collateral: Sometimes the bank needs a collateral or a security which is an asset to ensure the repayment ability of the applicant. This asset shall be used to recover the amount in case of default.

7. Post-Dated Cheques (PDCs): Post-Dated Cheques are a series of cheques issued by the borrower for up to 1-2 years, which are used to withdraw EMIs in the form of ECS. PDCs bear a future date and can be cleared on the mentioned date.

8. Sanction Letter: It states that the loan has been confirmed to be granted. The sanction letter confirms the applicant's eligibility for the loan and other loan-related details such as loan amount, interest rate, tenure, EMIs, etc. A bank has the right to cancel the loan even upon sanction letter issue. This might be due to property-related or other issues.

9. Disbursement Mode: Once the bank completes verification and legalities, it agrees to disburse the loan amount. Loan disbursement could be done in 3 modes:

• Advance Disbursement: When the entire loan amount is disbursed to the borrower by the bank before construction completion, it is called Advance Disbursement.

• Partial Disbursement: When part of the loan amount is disbursed prior to construction completion and the remaining amount is disbursed upon construction completion, it is known as Partial Disbursement.

• Full Disbursement: When the entire loan amount is disbursed upon construction completion, it is called Full Disbursement.

10. Pre-EMI: It is the amount you pay as interest prior to the complete disbursement of the loan amount.

With an understanding of the above-mentioned terms, you can make informed decisions when applying for a loan to realise your dream of owning a home.