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What is a housing loan? Find out today how it works, types and conditions

Thinking about building, renovating or buying a property? So find out what a housing loan is, what its types, purposes are and what you need to do to get one. Read our full article below!

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What is a housing loan?

imagem com uma chave na porta de uma casa que foi adquirida após entender o que é um crédito habitação
Understand how housing credit works. Source: Pexels.

Housing credit is a loan for obtaining, building or renovating a property, among other possibilities, which is characterized by always being related to real estate issues.

This way, you can turn to building a property. Also, for the renovation of an existing one or even for the purchase of one that is already ready.

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Auxílio Filho is a social security benefit aimed at Portuguese workers. After all, it avoids lost wages due to absence from work due to illness. Find out more and see how to request it!

Another possibility of using this type of credit is to purchase land where, in the future, the construction of a property will take place.

Therefore, unlike personal credit, housing credit has a commitment. The use of its value must always be for real estate purposes.

What types of housing credit exist?

There are 5 types of housing credit available in Portuguese banks. Check below for more details on what they are and how they work.

Acquisition

The first type of housing credit corresponds to the amount available for the purchase of property. In other words, he focuses on purchasing real estate.

In this case, the acquisition refers to the construction itself, and not the land. You can go back to purchasing a ready-made property that does not require major renovations.

For example, it can be useful when purchasing apartments in newly built buildings.

Construction

Another type of housing credit corresponds to its use to build a new property on land that the individual already owns.

It is common for the value to be granted in tranches here. In other words, according to progress in the work.

Construction

This type of housing loan is very similar to the previous one, construction. The difference is that here the property already exists. Therefore, credit goes to reforms and changes.

Credit can be useful in a property that is already owned by the individual or one that he or she is in the process of purchasing.

Once again, the release of values progresses along with the construction, so that it occurs little by little, in tranches.

Land and building

The fourth type of housing credit addresses two objectives at the same time. After all, it encompasses both the value for purchasing the land and for building the property.

Transfer

Finally, the last type of housing credit is transfer. In other words, in this case there is already a loan and it is only transferred to another institution.

The transfer takes place with the aim of ensuring that the customer finds better payment conditions, such as lower fees.

Understand the purposes of a housing loan

imagem com várias casas em uma rua que podem ser adquiridas com o crédito habitação
You can use housing credit for different purposes. Source: Pexels.

In addition to the types of housing credit, it also has classifications understood as purposes. Check out what they are in the items below.

Permanent own housing

The first purpose for which housing credit can be used is the acquisition of permanent housing.

In other words, to acquire the property or renovate another that will be a family home. In this case, the family group does not own any other property.

Own secondary housing

This purpose refers to cases in which the family group already owns a property, but wishes to acquire or build another.

In this case, then, housing credit will be useful to purchase a summer property, for example. Or, to use the property for rental purposes.

Investment housing

Finally, the third and final purpose of a housing loan corresponds to its use for investment purposes.

This corresponds to the loan to acquire a property (or build it, as we saw above) for rental purposes exclusively. This will generate profit for the family.

What is the term and value of the housing loan?

The conditions relating to the amount and repayment period of a home loan vary according to each case.

After all, the conditions depend on the individual's financial situation, guarantees and their image in the market.

On the other hand, they also change depending on the financial institution. They vary in terms of the maximum term or maximum amount they make available in operations.

What is needed to take out a housing loan?

There are some conditions that apply to all banks when it comes to granting credit. They also affect housing. See what they are:

  • Not have your name on the Banco de Portugal blacklist (list of debtors);
  • Have proof of permanent residence in Portugal;
  • Have proof of income.

Therefore, only those who live in Portugal, have income and do not have a bad name will be able to take out a loan.

For housing credit, it is up to the individual to provide proof of residence and income at the time of application.

Furthermore, by offering an asset as collateral – such as the property itself – it is possible to reduce the operation's interest rates and improve payment conditions.

Care when taking out housing credit

Finally, there are some essential precautions when taking out credit. Check out what they are!

Look for quality banks

Before doing any business, count on a quality bank. Research the reputation of the institutions that offer the credit you want. So, avoid scams!

Beware of signs of scams

In addition to knowing which institutions have a good reputation in the market, pay attention to other signs. For example, no bank requires an initial deposit to grant credit.

If this happens, avoid this option, as it smells like fraud!

Compare the conditions

When you have proposals from quality banks in hand, compare them. So, see which ones are more expensive and also which ones are more advantageous.

Always keep your budget in mind

Finally, remember to know your budget and financial conditions before closing a deal. It is essential that you have the financial capacity to support the mortgage installments.

And, if you want options to start and do research, find out about BNI Housing Credit below. The application is online and you have up to 30 years to pay it off!

Imagem com fundo branco com o logo do Banco BNI Europa

Discover BNI Housing credit: up to 30 years to pay off!

BNI Housing Credit gives you approval within 24 hours and has an online application, in addition to many other benefits. Keep reading and find out everything about it, including how to request it!

About the author  /  Aline Augusto

My name is Aline Mesquita, I'm a writer here on the blog, where I write about finance in general, as well as other topics. I have been working with content creation for 10 years, with a postgraduate degree in Project Management, with expertise in SEO practices, in addition to studying finance, market trends and cryptocurrencies.

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