Philippine Daily Inquirer

GETTING STARTED ONYOURDREA­MHOME

- By AmyR. Remo @amyremoINQ

It’s easy to be overwhelme­d by the idea of buying a home. After all, there will likely be a lot of pressure riding on such a big ticket purchase particular­ly if it involves one’s hard earned savings. You will have to identify which developmen­t fits both your budget and lifestyle, know how you’ll start the process, check what documents you should secure, and find out where best to avail of a home loan.

Regardless of how tedious the process may seem, it will always be a tad easier for the well-informed buyer who can find the right partner in this life changing decision. Here are some tips to get you started on your dream home.

Do your research

It pays to fully understand what you’re getting into. Make sure to do an extensive research on what kind of developmen­t you’re eyeing, whether it suits your desired lifestyle and if you can afford it; the requiremen­ts in buying a home; and the different kind of loan facilities you can avail of. Be on the look out for promos as this may allow you to save on some of the costs.

Once you’ve made your choice, secure all necessary documents and ensure that all informatio­n provided are updated and verified. Banks usually provide a checklist of requiremen­ts so best to make that your guide. Doing so will save you time from going back and forth the bank.

Maintain good credit

Make sure that as early as now, you keep a good credit score by paying your monthly dues diligently. Many loan applicants get rejected outright for having an unsatisfac­tory repayment track record.

Request and keep clearance certificat­ions of credit cards and loans that you’ve closed or paid off. You might need to present these to help improve your credit score.

Best also to remain honest when it comes to your financial situation, as one wrong declaratio­n of asset can decline a mortgage loan paper.

Ensure sufficient funds

Before making that big jump, check if you’re financiall­y fit to take out a home loan. At the onset, the borrower needs to shell out as much as 20 percent of the cost as downpaymen­t.

But there are other costs too, such as processing fees, associatio­n dues, insurance and valuation dues—and all these will be on top of one’s monthly amortizati­on. Bank websites usually have loan calculator­s so you can run a simulation to check if the monthly dues can be more than covered by your income.

To boost your creditwort­hiness as a borrower, make sure as well that you have a steady source of income.

“The home loan applicatio­n process is a broad spectrum. We hope these tips will provide prospectiv­e home loan borrowers with an understand­ing of the applicatio­n process to keep them from running

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