How do you use the home buying readiness score?
- Enter the price of the home you have in mind and pick the property type.
- Enter your monthly take-home pay, what you spend in a month (rent included, EMIs left out), the EMIs you already pay and your savings.
- Open “Adjust rates, loan and limits” to set your down payment, EMI limit, the months of emergency fund you want, and your credit score if you know it.
- Read the result and the five checks. “Time to be ready” shows how many months of saving close the gap.
What does being ready to buy mean?
You are ready when you can pay the down payment and government charges, still keep an emergency fund, and carry the EMI without running short each month. Loan eligibility only tells you what a bank might lend. Readiness asks whether the purchase leaves your household on a sound footing.
The five checks
(New EMI + EMIs you pay now) ÷ take-home ≤ your limitSavings ≥ down payment + government chargesSavings left ≥ months × (spending + all EMIs)Take-home − spending − all EMIs ≥ 0Your score ≥ the score you aim for (optional)Any check not met gives “Not yet”. An emergency fund that is partly there, or a credit score below your target, gives “Nearly there”. “Time to be ready” divides what you still need to save by what you save each month today (take-home − spending − EMIs you pay now). The 40% EMI limit and six months of fund are starting points you can change; banks set their own lending limits.
Spending is used as it is today. If it includes rent you will stop paying once you move in, the emergency fund check is on the safe side.
Worked example: ₹ 1 Cr flat on ₹ 2 L take-home
With 25% down the loan is ₹ 75,00,000, the most the RBI allows above ₹ 75 L. Government charges add ₹ 7,60,000, so the cash needed is ₹ 32,60,000, ₹ 2,60,000 more than savings of ₹ 30 L. The EMI of ₹ 65,087 plus ₹ 20,000 of current EMIs is 42.5% of pay, above a 40% limit.
To buy and keep six months of spending and EMIs (₹ 9,90,520) you need ₹ 12,50,520 more. Saving ₹ 1,00,000 a month, that takes about 13 months.
Worked example: ₹ 45 L first-sale flat on ₹ 1 L take-home
The first sale of a flat at ₹ 45 L pays 3% stamp duty, so charges are ₹ 2,41,200. With 20% down the cash needed is ₹ 11,41,200 and the EMI is ₹ 31,242, 31.2% of pay. Savings of ₹ 15 L leave ₹ 3,58,800, a little under the six-month fund of ₹ 4,27,450. The result is “Nearly there”, about 2 months away.
What stamp duty and registration apply in Bengaluru?
On a sale deed in Bengaluru, Karnataka charges 5% stamp duty on the market value (Karnataka Stamp Act, Schedule Art. 20(1)), a 10% cess on the duty (s.3B) and, inside the Greater Bengaluru Area, a 2% surcharge on the duty (Greater Bengaluru Governance Act 2024, s.170). The registration fee is 2% (IGR notification of 29 Aug 2025, in force from 31 Aug 2025). Together that is 7.6% of the value. The first sale of a flat pays less duty: 2% up to ₹ 20 L and 3% above ₹ 20 L up to ₹ 45 L, so the total is 4.24% or 5.36%. Resale flats, plots and houses pay 5% at any price. Rates verified 18 Oct 2026 · confirm on Kaveri Online before registering.
What does the score leave out?
- The property itself: title, approvals and builder. See the property risk assessment.
- Interiors, moving and other costs after you buy. Add them to spending or see the hidden cost calculator.
- Tax benefits on a home loan and changes in income. Ask your CA about tax.
Frequently asked questions
Related answers and guides
- Flat Possession Checklist Before Handover
- Under-Construction Site Visit Checklist
- Questions for Couples Before Buying a Home: 25 to Discuss
- Questions to Ask Before Buying a Flat: 100 for Bengaluru
Sources
- RBI loan-to-value limits: RBI Master Circular on housing finance.
- Stamp duty 5% (Schedule Art. 20(1)), first-sale flat slabs (Art. 20(2A)) and 10% cess (s.3B): Karnataka Stamp Act 1957, consolidated copy (DPAL); ₹ 35–45 L slab: Karnataka Stamp (Amendment) Act 2021.
- 2% surcharge on duty in the Greater Bengaluru Area: Greater Bengaluru Governance Act 2024, s.170.
- Registration fee 2%: IGR Karnataka, Table of Registration Fees (Notification RD/46/MNMU/2025) and IGR press note, 29 Aug 2025.
- Rates verified 18 Oct 2026 · confirm on Kaveri Online before registering.
- EMI: standard reducing-balance formula. EMI limit, emergency fund and target score: your inputs.
Indicative figures from the numbers you enter, not advice to buy. For tax questions, indicative only. Please verify with your Chartered Accountant before acting.
Planning your first home in Bengaluru? Talk to an acre&key advisor.