Funding Your Dream Home
Outlook Money|October 2017

Benign interest rates, policy push and fairly attractive prices—is this the right time to buy that house you have been eyeing? Anagh Pal, Preeti Kulkarni, and Himali Patel find out.

Anagh Pal, Preeti Kulkarni, and Himali Patel
Funding Your Dream Home

Just the way there is no right time to start investing; there is no right time to buy a house, especially if you are looking for a house to live in. A house purchase works well if you are planning to live in it, so, your first home purchase should definitely be with the same intention. Ask any financial planner about buying a house on a loan and chances are high they will dissuade you if you plan to buy when you already own a house or are paying EMIs on another house and are planning a second house purchase as an investment.

Yet today, house purchase, especially in the affordable housing segment, breaches many of the otherwise sane advices given in the earlier paragraph. The festive cheer is on us, developers are offering great deals, home loan interest rates are low and there is the tax incentive to first time home buyers, which makes home buying so tempting. The incentives under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) have clearly played a role in price correction in the residential real estate sector. Several new housing projects announced by builders and developers are creating the interest among potential buyers to consider a house purchase owing to these factors.

“The scheme has benefited not just the lower middle class but also the middle class by lowering the cost of buying a property. As the MIG scheme has been extended till March 2019, we expect demand to gain momentum,” says Renu Sud Karnad, MD, HDFC. The scheme has come as a boon for Mumbai-based Sudhir Mishra who bought a flat in Boisar in 2015, which cost him ₹16 lakh under an affordable housing project.

This story is from the October 2017 edition of Outlook Money.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 2017 edition of Outlook Money.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OUTLOOK MONEYView All
7 Steps To Refresh Your Finances In The New FY
Outlook Money

7 Steps To Refresh Your Finances In The New FY

Setting goals and then making your money work to achieve them can be a gamechanger for your financial life

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2024
Turn Of The Tide: Should You Invest In Debt Funds Now?
Outlook Money

Turn Of The Tide: Should You Invest In Debt Funds Now?

The past few years have been challenging for debt fund investors, but the case for adding them in your portfolio is now more compelling than ever

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2024
Who Should Choose An Index Fund?
Outlook Money

Who Should Choose An Index Fund?

Index funds’ returns are similar to their underlying index, so if cost and protection are high on your list and market-beating performance is secondary, they could be an ideal choice.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
What Is Depreciation?
Outlook Money

What Is Depreciation?

Depreciation indicates a reduction in the value of an asset over time. Typically, it occurs due to wear and tear of the asset over time as a result of continued use to calculate the depreciation of an asset, one needs to consider several factors, one of which is the useful life of the asset.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2024
REGULATORY ROUNDUP
Outlook Money

REGULATORY ROUNDUP

Change: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) directs asset management companies (AMCs) to conduct stress tests on small and mid-cap funds and disclose key findings on liquidity and other aspects.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2024
Plan Repayment Before Taking Loan
Outlook Money

Plan Repayment Before Taking Loan

I have a home loan running but need a loan of around `10 lakh for renovating the house.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
Fund Life Goals Before Business
Outlook Money

Fund Life Goals Before Business

I am in my late 20s and want to invest in the real estate sector.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2024
SECRET ROAD TO FINANCIAL DIGNITY
Outlook Money

SECRET ROAD TO FINANCIAL DIGNITY

Dignity is something most retirees want once their active work life comes to an end and it is closely tied to the individual’s financial well-being

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2024
'Combined Life, Health Plans Won't Increase Complexity'
Outlook Money

'Combined Life, Health Plans Won't Increase Complexity'

The life insurance market in India has recorded a consistent premium growth over the years, but insurance penetration is yet to reach the desired level. Quite in line, HDFC Life Insurance has shown a growth of 5 per cent year-on-year in its total annual premium equivalent in the nine months until December 2023 and has grown on other parameters as well. Its assets under management (AUM) went up 20 per cent, while it recorded a net profit of 16 per cent y-o-y, in the period. Even in terms of penetration, the company’s growth in Tier II and Tier II cities are positive. Vibha Padalkar, managing director and chief executive officer of HDFC Life Insurance shared the secret sauce for the growth in a conversation with Nidhi Sinha, editor, Outlook Money, talked about the challenges the insurance industry faces, and the road ahead in view of recent regulatory proposals. Edited excerpts:

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2024
BUCKET YOUR WORRIES AWAY
Outlook Money

BUCKET YOUR WORRIES AWAY

Once you have accumulated a decent corpus in your working life, the next big task should be to smartly deploy it across different schemes through a bucketing strategy so that your regular expenses are taken care of while your corpus keeps growing. This will ensure that you do not outlive your corpus

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2024