Buying a home is one of the most important financial decisions in life. However, the process of applying for and availing a home loan is complex for most people. This is where using a home loan calculator becomes useful. A home loan calculator is an online tool that helps you estimate your loan eligibility, EMI, interest outgo, repayment period etc. This blog post explores the top reasons why home buyers should use a home loan calculator.
1. Estimates Loan Eligibility
The prime reason to use a home loan calculator is that it helps you determine the loan amount you are eligible for. Based on your monthly income, existing EMI payments, credit score and age, the calculator estimates the maximum home loan you can avail of. This allows you to set a realistic budget for your property purchase. The calculator asks for basic personal and financial details and does complex calculations to provide the loan eligibility result in seconds. Knowing this figure sets expectations on the property value you can finance with a home loan.
2. Calculates Monthly EMI Payments
The home loan EMI or equated monthly installment is the fixed amount you pay each month to service the loan. The EMI depends on the loan amount, tenure and interest rate. A home loan calculator does the math instantly to show the EMI you would pay for a specific loan amount, tenure and rate combination. This allows you to evaluate the impact of these three factors on your EMI. You can assess if you can afford the EMI by comparing it with your monthly income and budget. The calculator also shows how increasing the down payment amount reduces your loan and EMI burden.
3. Helps Choose the Right Loan Tenure
Home loans are paid over long repayment periods of 15 to 30 years. Using the home loan calculator shows you how increasing the loan tenure reduces the EMI amount. However, longer tenures also mean paying more interest over the full term. The calculator lets you simulate different tenures and see the tradeoff between EMI and total interest payment. This helps pick the ideal tenure that balances affordability with total outflow. Avoiding loans with too long tenure prevents excessive interest payment. The calculator guides you to the sweet spot between short and long tenure.
4. Allows Comparison of Interest Rates
The prevailing home loan interest rates offered by different lenders is a key factor influencing EMIs and loan costs. The calculator allows you to enter the rates being offered by banks. You can see how much lower the EMI and total interest outgo will be with every 0.5% reduction in rate. This shows the impact of interest rates and helps choose the lender offering the best rates, leading to major savings. Rate comparison using the calculator prevents you from taking loans with very high interest costs.
5. Provides Total Interest Payment Estimate
The home loan calculator projects the total interest you will pay over the full tenure based on the loan amount, tenure and rate. This gives you a better picture of the actual cost of the loan rather than just the EMI. You can use the total interest figure to rationalize your loan amount, tenure and EMI payments. Optimizing these parameters using the calculator ensures you minimize interest costs on your home loan. This ensures you maximize savings and get the best deal.
Conclusion
Using online home loan calculators offered by portals like 5paisa is highly beneficial for all home buyers. The calculator simplifies the complex loan calculations and provides quick estimates that help you make optimal financing decisions. Right from determining how much loan you can get, choosing ideal tenure, comparing rates across lenders to minimizing total interest outflow, the home loan calculator or personal loan calculator is invaluable. The calculator transforms the home loan process from complicated to straightforward for borrowers.
