What is internal home loan balance transfer?

Home loan balance transfer is a process where the home loan of a particular borrower is transferred from one bank to another, usually for a lower rate of interest. The new bank will pay off the loan in entirety to the existing bank, and all future home loan payments will have to be paid towards the new bank after the home loan transfer.

In case of an internal home loan balance transfer, it is a process where the home loan is transferred to another individual within the same bank. Let’s say that you have an existing home loan with a particular bank and would like to sell your house. At the same time, the buyer of the property would like to avail a loan to make the purchase. Instead of having to close your existing loan, and the buyer having to apply for another loan, the buyer simply takes over the existing loan. This is known as internal home loan balance transfer.

Requirements to internally transfer your home loan

• A letter of consent from the existing borrower to foreclose his loan in lieu of the property being sold 
• A loan application form that is duly filled by the new owner of the property
• The processing fee for the loan must be provided to the bank
• No objection certificate from the developer
• Any prepayment charges will have to be borne by the new owner

Steps To Manage Your Home Loan EMI

The home loan market has boomed in the last couple of years and it has allowed a lot more people to purchase a house. However, the flipside is that many home loan borrowers are having trouble with the EMIs. Usually, the monthly instalments that need to be paid are overwhelming to the borrower to the extent that their lifestyle has been compromised. And, since a home loan is a long-term investment, one must be wary about being unable to manage the EMI associated with it.

Mentioned below are some tips to help you manage your home loan EMI.

• Understand your monthly financial outflow – Prior to obtaining a home loan, understand the monthly outflow of cash that you need to set aside to pay off your EMI. There are several online home loan EMI calculators to help you determine this. Make use of these calculators to gauge if you are capable of repaying the loan. If the EMI exceeds 40 – 50% of your monthly income, it is a good idea to reconsider availing the loan. If you have other debts, reduce these debts from your monthly income and calculate 40 – 50% of this amount. If your home loan exceeds this amount, it is advisable to reconsider your home loan.
• Pay higher EMIs – Choosing a home loan with a higher EMI means that you will save on the total interest payable. This also helps you reduce the tenure on your home loan. However, one must keep the previous point in mind as well when opting for a loan with a higher EMI. One must not simply opt for a higher EMI if the current lifestyle is being compromised.
• Increase your EMI payments – Home loans are long-term investments, and during the tenure, an applicant’s income is bound to increase. Increasing your EMI as and when your income increases will help you save on the total interest payable and will reduce the tenure of the loan as well. This also applies to instances when a borrower receives a bonus or a lump sum amount. It makes sense to pay a part of it or the entire amount towards the home loan. This is because it helps you save on a substantial amount of the total interest payable.
• Transfer your home loan – If you have been paying off the home loan diligently for a while, you can request your bank to reduce the rate of interest. If the bank doesn’t oblige, you can choose to transfer your home loan to another bank. Most banks allow home loan balance transfers and this can help reduce the rate of interest and also modify the EMI. in this process.The new bank will pay off the home loan to your existing bank and all future EMIs will have to be paid to the new bank. However, it must be understood that after a while of paying back the home loan, you would primarily be paying back the principal and only a part of the interest. This means that you have paid off most of the interest on your home loan. It is, therefore, illogical to transfer your home loan after a certain point of the tenure of the home loan.
• Make prepayments – As mentioned earlier, make the effort to utilise any additional income you may receive to make partial prepayments toward the home loan. Although you may view it as losing out on a lump sum amount at once, you are actually saving on a lot of money by making prepayments. Usually, banks do not charge you on prepayments, and preclosure. Therefore, in order to save money, it is logical to make prepayments.
• Reassess your investments – If the total return on your investments is lesser than the total interest payable on your home loan, it is sensible to withdraw these investments to pay off the home loan. This is so because the marginal interest you avail from the investments will be overshadowed by the total interest you save by prepaying the home loan.

A home loan is a long-term commitment, therefore, it is important to make sure that you are financially capable of repaying this loan even before applying for it. Use online platforms that will help you assess the financial outflow you would have to incur to pay back the loan, and proceed cautiously. In case you are burdened by an existing home loan, follow the steps mentioned in this article and maintain financial discipline for a while. This will help you ease the EMI burden and will also help you pay off the home loan faster. Also consider refinancing your home loan to reduce the EMI you have to pay. However, this should be considered only after negotiating with your existing bank first.