Home loans: APR, PMI and prepayment strategy
A mortgage is usually the largest loan of your life — a 0.5% rate difference on a 25-year loan can mean lakhs in extra interest. Always compare APR, not just nominal rates, because processing fees and PMI quietly inflate the real cost.
PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) typically applies when your down payment is below 20%. It protects the lender, not you, and usually drops off once you build 20% equity — request its removal proactively.
Bi-weekly payments make one extra monthly payment per year and can shave 4–6 years off a 30-year mortgage. Even a small recurring prepayment toward principal has an outsized effect because early payments are mostly interest.
Tax benefits on home loan interest (and in some jurisdictions, principal) can materially reduce your effective rate. Run the Tax Benefit tab with your marginal rate to see the net cost.