What Mortgage Can I Afford On My Income?
Banks will consider your net income while calculating the eligibility for total mortgage amount.
Normally, all banks take 50% of your monthly net income towards loan repayment in total.
However, your credit appraisal and loan eligibility is largely based on your profile, your savings and other sources of income if any.
To determine what you can afford, consider these factors:
Monthly Income.
The first thing you need to know is exactly how much money you bring in each month.
This includes your salary and any other sources of income, such as investments. You can also add income of your spouse or close family member to enhance the total income.
Your total income is the baseline for figuring out how much you can afford to pay for home loan each month.
Debt Payments.
If you have existing debts, then part of your monthly income is already spoken for. Figure out how much you need to spend per month to service any other debts you have, such as personal loans, car loans, or credit card debt.
Other Expenses.
Of course, debt payments aren't your only expense. You also need to cover other needs like food, utilities, childcare, and transportation. Banks usually don't ask about these expenses when considering you for a loan. Look at your household budget and figure out how much of your monthly spending goes toward necessities you can't cut.
If you don't have a budget, this is a good time to make one, since you'll probably need it as a homeowner.
Savings.
A final monthly expense is money you want to save. For instance, if you're setting aside funds every month to save for retirement or already are investing towards child's policy, that's another chunk of your income that you can't put toward housing.
Available Funds.
Affording a house isn't just a matter of meeting the monthly payments. You also need to have enough cash on hand to cover the down payment and closing costs. The amount you pay up front will also affect the monthly payments. If you can afford a large down payment, you won't need to borrow as much for your mortgage, which will lower your EMIs (monthly payments). On the other hand, if the amount you have saved up isn't enough for a down payment of at least 20%, you will probably have to look at alternatives like projects approved under post-handover schemes from developers.
Look at all your available funds, such as savings and investments, and figure out how much you can spare to put toward your home purchase.
Credit Rating.
Finally, you need to consider your credit score. If you have very good or excellent credit rating that is, a credit score of at least 750+ you will qualify for the best interest rates on your mortgage, which will keep your EMIs low. On the other hand, if you have fair to poor credit rating, you are likely to pay higher rates, raising your EMIs.
Start with a stress-free mortgage pre-approval with Homely Yours. Check out the latest mortgage interest rates for all major lenders on our Compare Loan Section. [updated in real-time]