Get your house in order

Don't fall for those slick ads and cool EMI schemes. A broker, therapist, financial advisor and lawyer list what to do before buying your first home

- Urvee Modwel

Buying a house? In this economy? Congratulations on the financial stability. What’s that like? But seriously, congratulations. And good luck fighting off every relative with unflappable, unsolicited advice about home buying. Even without them, there are far too many traps along the way. Gurgaon realtor Haneet Narang, personal finance content creator Shreyaa Kapoor, advocate Sarthak Maggon, and psychologist Ujwalla Bhandari lay out the key issues to address before signing on the dotted line.

First responders: Of course, location matters. Who wants to live in a dump in a dumpy part of town? But most first-time home buyers (unless they’ve got family money) should check their wallets before they check out pin codes. “Consider your income, existing debt, monthly expenses, and potential future income,” says Kapoor. “Ideally, your EMI shouldn’t be more than 28% to 36% of your monthly income.”

MAKE SURE THE PERSON CLAIMING TO SELL THE HOME LEGALLY OWNS IT AND HAS THE SOLE AUTHORITY TO SELL IT; AND THERE'S NO CO-OWNER WHO MIGHT CLAIM FRAUD LATER