In a surprising move, the 6-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by Governor Shaktikanta Das lowered the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25%. This is the first repo rate cut since August 2017.
The repo rate is a tool that the RBI uses to control the flow of money in the economy. Thus, a repo rate increase or decrease affects the cost of funds available within the economy. So, the repo rate decrease has implications for your home loan interest rate. Here’s a look at what awaits new and existing homebuyers.
The potential impact of the repo rate cut on home loan EMIs
Following the RBI repo rate cut, banks, NBFCs and other lenders may lower the interest rate on home loans as well as other loans. This is because most lenders determine the interest rate on loans using the Marginal Cost of Funds Based Lending Rate (MCLR), which takes into account changes in the repo rate.
Thus, if the lender chooses to pass on this rate cut benefit to borrowers, it is likely to lower the EMIs on your home loan.
Let’s illustrate this with an example. Say you take a home loan of Rs. 70,00,00 for a tenor of 20 years at 8.8% interest. Your present EMI will be Rs. 62,083 per month. Now, taking into consideration the 25 basis points reduction in interest rate, your new interest on the same loan will be 8.55%, which brings your EMI down to Rs. 60,969. This means you save approximately Rs. 13,368 in a year.
However, this is dependent on lenders reducing the interest rate in accordance with the cut in the repo rate, which may or may not happen.
- The government of India’s 182 days treasury bill yield produced by FBIL
-Other benchmark market interest rates produced by FBIL
If banks follow the repo rate to determine your loan’s interest rate, then the interest rate may fall. This will make borrowing easier on the pocket. However, keep in mind that if you have an existing floating interest rate home loan, you will enjoy the benefit of lower rates only when your reset date comes around. This, in most cases, happens every 6 or 12 months.
If you are looking to buy a home, you can apply for a home loan of up to Rs. 3.5 crore with Bajaj Finserv at a competitive interest rate right now. Here you can also benefit from an array of features like easy online application, minimal documentation with doorstep pickup, a Flexi Hybrid facility that gives you up to 4 years of principal holiday, a top-up loan, and other lucrative prepayment offers.
So, to realise your dream of becoming a homeowner at the earliest, check your pre-approved offer and get instant approval on a customised deal.
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