Plan your down payment & loan

For properties under ₹30L: minimum 10% down (banks can lend 90%). ₹30L-75L: minimum 20% (80% LTV). Above ₹75L: minimum 25% (75% LTV). These are RBI mandates.

Higher DP wins on total interest. Longer tenure helps cash flow but costs much more. Example on ₹40L loan @ 8.5%: 15y = ₹34L interest; 20y = ₹43L; 30y = ₹70L. Big difference.

Add 7-10% of property value for: stamp duty (5-7%), registration (1%), GST on under-construction (5%), legal fees (₹10K-50K), and home loan processing fee (0.5-1% of loan).

Yes. Section 24: up to ₹2L per year interest deductible (self-occupied). Section 80C: up to ₹1.5L principal repaid is deductible. First-time buyers: extra ₹50K under 80EE.

Generally no for purchase loans (RBI rules limit LTV). However, top-up loans on existing home loans can effectively give you 100% in some cases. Loan-against-property allows up to 80% of property value.

Math: if your post-tax investment return exceeds the post-tax home loan rate, invest. Home loan rate ~8.5% post-tax = ~6%. SIPs returning 12% beat this. But prepayment has psychological benefit (debt-free).

Banks allow up to 40-50% of net income going to EMI. Smart limit: 30-35% for sustainability. Above 45% leaves no buffer for emergencies or other goals.

Yes. Most home loans allow part-prepayments and EMI step-up without penalty (RBI rule for floating-rate). Use bonuses to make annual prepayments — knocks years off tenure.