A "low interest" loan shouldn't mean you have very little interest in paying it back!
Applying for a home loan is an exciting first step in your journey to owning your dream home. This need not be overwhelming with our step-by-step guide to the home loan procedure.
While there are some slight differences between lenders, the process outlined here will be the same for all banks. Following these steps will make your home loan application easy and stress-free.
The steps to complete the home loan process are as follows:
The procedure to take Home Loan begins with an application form. This loan application will require a few basic pieces of information about the applicant. Usually, this includes:
Once the formal application is filled, the next step is to attach all the valid documents required by the bank with it. Usually, this includes the:
Get Details of Documents For Home Loan
Once the formal application and document submission process is done, the applicant has to pay the processing fee to the bank. This is the amount collected for maintaining the applicant’s loan account. It includes sending some confidential paperwork (like IT certificates, post-dated cheque, etc.) every year.
The processing fee of a bank usually:
Say, for example, the applicant has applied for a home loan of Rs. 15 lakh, then the processing fee will be Rs. 3,750 (at 0.25%) and Rs. 7,500 (at 0.50%) respectively.
A commission is then generated by the bank to the agent handling the applicant’s home loan process, which to an extent is taken from the processing fee paid by the applicant. Though most banks have a proper fee structure, it can be negotiated. There is no crime in trying to bargain with the processing fee.
Note. Every bank will have a processing fee for a loan. However, there are banks that offer zero processing fee home loans. Well, don’t fall for this because this advantage can call for a higher rate of interest, stamp duties, and other legal charges.
Once the applicant has completed the application and documentation process, he or she has to wait until the bank or the respective financial company checks the papers. It usually takes about 1-2 days or even less if the submitted paperwork is correct.
However, there might be times when the bank might want the applicant to pay a visit to the bank for a face-to-face interaction before the loan is sanctioned. This is done to collect more details about the applicant and to make sure if he/she will be able to repay the loan with the interest amount.
Use: Home Loan Repayment Calculator
Keep in mind that millions of people apply for home loans on a daily basis and to ensure that bank approves the paperwork as soon as possible, the applicant has to be genuine in the entire procedure.
Any fake document or fraudulent activity is unacceptable by the bank. It is a criminal offense and can lead to bigger troubles. As soon as the application form & documents are submitted, and the processing fee is paid, the bank authority then evaluates them.
A bank examines the following details of an applicant:
Note: A bank representative pays a visit to the applicant’s residence or workplace to verify his/her details. At times, the references listed by the applicant in the form are also checked. This enables a clear trust between both the parties.
Check out: Loan to Value Ratio
One of the most important steps in the home loan process is the approval or sanction stage. This stage can either lead to a positive outcome or it can lead to a negative outcome. It all depends on the bank.
If the bank is not happy with any of your documents, your chances of approval decrease. On the other hand, if all goes well, you will get your loan sanctioned or approved very soon.
A bank usually deep-checks the applicant’s following documents to approve a home loan:
Based on the information mentioned above, the bank finalizes and communicates the maximum loan amount the applicant can receive. Finally, this proceeds with an official sanction letter. It can be either unconditional or can contain a few policies, which has to be fulfilled by the applicant before the disbursal.
Check: Reasons for Home Loan Rejection
As soon as the loan is sanctioned or approved, the bank then sends a certified offer letter, which mentions the following details:
Once the applicant agrees to the offer letter, he or she has to sign a duplicate copy of the offer letter, which is for the bank’s records. Years back, this usually came with a specific administrative fee. However, it is no longer practiced.
Note: Make sure to read all the details carefully. Check if the rate of interest is applied as per the percentage discussed and decided with the bank. Remember that the interest rate on the home loan can be negotiated. Always give it a try and use this as the best for your advantage.
Once the offer letter is officially accepted by the applicant, the bank next concentrates on the home property he/she intends to purchase. Even if it is not finalized, the applicant can request for a time duration to select one.
Once the property is selected, the applicant has to:
The original property papers will normally include the following details:
Note: The original property papers stay with the bank until the home loan is completely repaid.
Legal CheckOnce the property papers are submitted, the bank then validates them for authentication. This process is termed as “legal check.” In fact, the sale papers between the applicant and the seller are verified.
These original documents are sent to the bank’s lawyer for an in-depth check. Only when the lawyer approves all the submitted documents as clear, then everything related to home loan is good. If not, the applicant will be asked to submit a few more documents for verification.
Every bank is highly cautious with the loan it lends and the home property it plans to finance. Hence, a technical check or a double check is further done. The bank sends a property expert to check the premises an applicant intends to buy.
Now, this person could either be an employee of the bank or a civil engineer or someone from an architect’s firm.
The visit to the “site property” is basically conducted for verifying the details given below:
If the construction is already for resale or in a ready stage, then the representative will check for:
Note: A bank conducts a proper technical check to understand the construction progress and to gain the trust of the applicant. This is an important phase of the home loan process and hence, cannot be skipped by the applicant.
Also bear in mind that there will be a fee for this technical check, which may be either charged separately or might be taken from the upfront fee.
The Site’s Value EstimationOnce the expert completes the technical inspection of the site, it is then followed by determining and checking the property’s overall value. This is basically done because of the increasing malpractices. There have been multiple cases where the applicants have shown property purchases from the associated entities at extremely inflated rates just to acquire cheap loans.
Thus, the risk for a bank to lend the money to his/her applicant has become high. However, a site’s estimation can help the bank to determine the total loan amount so that the sanction is straightforward.
Note: A few banks charge an extra fee for the estimation check as well. It is covered either by the upfront amount or the applicant might be asked to pay separately.
Once the technical and site’s estimation is done by the bank, and the lawyer clears all the paperwork, the next step is the final registration of the deal. The lawyer of the bank finalizes the loan documents, drafts them, and have them stamped as well as signed.
After the paperwork is complete, the applicant has to sign the agreement of the home loan. He/she has to submit the cheques (post-dated) for the initial 36 months or the duration both the parties have agreed upon.
After this, the original property papers have to be handed to the bank. Some banks can even create a video recording of the applicant handing over these papers to the bank. This is for the bank’s security, safety, and proof.
This stage is known as the MOE (Memorandum of Execution) and has a stamp duty based on the state the applicant applies at. This duty is paid by the applicant.
Once the applicant signs the papers and everything is legally clear, the loan amount is given via cheque. However, prior to this, the applicant has to submit a few essential documents to the bank, as these will serve as his/her personal contribution to the home property.
If the applicant is trying to source some more funds from outside, then the pieces of evidence have to be submitted as well. Only then, the bank releases the loan’s part-disbursement. The cheque is always under either the seller or development/society authority or builder.
Nevertheless, there can be a few exceptional cases too. Say, for instance, the applicant has made excess payment from his/her own account, then the cheque is handed to him/her directly from the bank.
Note: Make sure not to delay the house loan process after approval because every day counts here. The moment the loan is sanctioned, the interest rates are charged from that day onwards. So, every single day costs! Hence, ensure that the cheque is taken on the mentioned delivery date. Avoid paying additional interests.
Key Points To RememberA loan is disbursed based on the construction stage of the house property. In the case of ready/resale, the loan disbursement is full, meaning that the bank delivers full or complete payments to the recipient via cheque.
If the house is “under construction”, the loan payment is typically done in parts, which is officially termed as a part disbursement. When the loan is disbursed partly, the bank will not begin the EMIs right away. Since the loan EMI is calculated against the total loan sum at the agreed interest rate for a given duration, the repayment dues on part disbursement may not be applicable in the beginning.
The processing time for a home loan varies from bank to bank and depends on multiple other factors like the lending procedure of the institution, verification process, etc. In most cases, the processing time is between a few weeks to a month.
Home loan sanction letters are the first step in the process of getting a home loan approved. They're signed by someone who has the authority to approve the loan, and they're given after they've looked at things like your credit score, income, ability to pay back the loan, and documents.
Home loan prepayment is a service that allows you to pay off your loan (wholly or in part) before your loan term ends if you have more funds available. If you decide to prepay your loan, you have the option of: Lowering your EMI while keeping your tenure unchanged & Lowering your term while keeping your EMI unchanged.
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