Practical, India-specific guides for buyers, sellers, and investors. No jargon, no sponsored content.
Buying your first home is the largest financial decision most Indians will ever make. Yet most first-time buyers discover the real process — and the real costs — only after they've committed. This guide covers every step, from salary check to sale deed.
Use the PropIQ Affordability Gauge to get your three budgets: conservative (30% DTI), moderate (40% DTI), and stretch (50% DTI). Most buyers start browsing at their stretch budget and end up financially stretched. Start at moderate.
Take your net monthly take-home (after tax, not gross CTC), subtract all existing EMIs, multiply by your target DTI — that's your maximum new home loan EMI. Feed that into the mortgage calculator to get your maximum loan, add your savings, and that is your real budget.
Approach 2–3 lenders (SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Bajaj Housing Finance). Compare not just the rate but processing fees, part-payment rules, and disbursement turnaround. Women co-borrowers get 0.05%–0.10% concession at most lenders.
Every under-construction project must be registered under RERA. Check your state's RERA portal before visiting — verify the registered carpet area, promised delivery date, and any complaints filed. A project without RERA registration is a significant red flag.
For a ₹80 lakh property in Maharashtra (male buyer), the upfront cost breakdown is: down payment ₹20L + stamp duty ₹4L (5%) + registration ₹80K (1%) + processing fee ₹30K + TDS ₹80K = approximately ₹26L required before your first EMI.
Pay ₹15,000–₹25,000 for a lawyer to conduct a title search going back at least 30 years. Verify clear title with no disputes, that the property has an OC if completed, and that all previous loans have been closed with an NOC from the previous lender.
On registration day, both buyer and seller must be present at the Sub-Registrar's office with original sale agreement, identity proofs, PAN cards, and payment receipts for stamp duty. The registered sale deed is your legal proof of ownership.
Calculate your mortgage now →Stamp duty is the single most-overlooked cost in Indian property transactions. On a ₹1 crore property, stamp duty alone can be ₹5–7 lakhs. This guide covers every major state, the female buyer concessions, and the difference between stamp duty and registration charges.
Stamp duty is a state government tax levied on property transfer. It is paid by the buyer and calculated as a percentage of the higher of the market value or the circle rate (government-set minimum value). Stamp duty must be paid before or at registration — without it, the transaction is not legally valid.
Several states offer reduced stamp duty when the property is registered in a woman's name. Delhi offers the largest concession at 2% (4% vs 6%), saving ₹2 lakhs on a ₹1 crore property. Punjab and Haryana also offer 2% concessions. The property must be registered solely in the woman's name to qualify.
Circle rate (also called guidance value or ready reckoner rate) is the minimum property value set by the state government for a given area. Stamp duty is calculated on the higher of the actual sale price or circle rate. Our stamp duty calculator accounts for this automatically.
For any property purchase at ₹50 lakhs or more, the buyer must deduct 1% TDS and deposit it using Form 26QB. This is separate from stamp duty and is a buyer's income tax obligation. Failure to deduct attracts penalties equal to the TDS amount.
Use the stamp duty calculator →Rental yield is the most important metric for real estate investors. In India, gross yields typically range from 2.5% to 5% for residential property, with significant variation by city, locality, and property type.
Gross yield = (Annual rent ÷ Property price) × 100. Net yield subtracts vacancy losses, property tax, maintenance, insurance, and society charges. In India, net yield is typically 1–2% lower than gross.
Most residential rental properties in India are cash-flow negative or barely break even when financed at current rates (8.5%–9.5%). A ₹80L property with ₹24L down payment and ₹56L loan at 9% for 20 years has an EMI of ₹50,400/month. The investment thesis relies heavily on capital appreciation — 6%–10% annually in Indian metro micro-markets over the last decade.
Hyderabad combines relatively affordable property prices, strong rental demand from the tech corridor (HITEC City, Gachibowli, Kondapur), and consistent capital appreciation. A 2BHK in the ₹60–80L range in Kondapur can yield ₹22,000–₹28,000/month — one of the best gross yields in any Tier-1 city.
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