NHT Loans
Types of Loans, Mortage Calculator and Loan Checklist
Most people think that NHT loans are only for buying, building and repairing.
You will be surprised at the wide variety of loans that are being offered to locals and tourists.
Let us first look at the most popular loans that are offered, and then we will examine a few other loans that are not as favoured but just as important as the other loans.
Going to N.H.T. and signing up for a loan can be tricky. By taking out one loan you might ruin your chances of getting a next loan.
You want to be able to receive the maximum amount without negatively affecting your finances.
Here we take a look at the majority of the NHT loans available.
Types of NHT Loans Available
To Buy A House
At present, you can be granted up to 5.5 million Jamaican
dollars for persons seeking to buy or build a new home.
For those persons that already own a home, you can receive up to JA$1,500,000 or approximately US$11,500 to assist a friend or a family member to buy land.
To Buy Land In Jamaica
If you are interested in purchasing land anywhere in Jamaica, you can be awarded up to 2.5 million. In some instances, the land will cost more than 2.5 million dollars granted.
In that case, you would have to find the remainder yourself.
If you know a friend or another qualified contributor to N.H.T., you can join with that person and receive up to 4 million dollars to purchase the land.
To Build A House
For those persons who own a piece of land but lack the finance to build, you can borrow up to 5.5 million to build.
If you were previously granted a loan from N.H.T. to buy land, you can borrow the difference as long as your total loan issued by N.H.T. is not more than 5.5 million dollars.
So if you received 2.5 million to buy land, you can be awarded up to 3 million to build a house on that land.
Repair, Fix or Improve Your House
NHT Loans are also available to repair, fix or improve your home.
This loan is only available for persons who already own a home and have never received a loan from the agency and for persons who got a loan more than 15 years ago.
To Obtain Land Title
This type of loan is most popularly issued to persons in rural areas that own land but do not have the title to the land.
Now you can borrow a loan and register your land in any parish in Jamaica.
Energy-Saving Loans
These types of loans started a few years ago. The most popular energy-saving loan is the $250,000 water heater loan.
This NHT loan can be accessed by any contributor regardless if you have or have not received a loan from the agency.
The second type of energy-saving loan, which has increased in demand in Jamaica, is the solar electricity loan.
Currently, you can borrow up to 1.5 million dollars to purchase and install solar electricity panels.
Only persons that have never received any loan or persons that have received a loan more than 15 years ago will have access to the solar electricity loan.
Fifteen Plus Loans
The fifteen plus loan is geared towards persons who have received a loan more than 15 years ago. You can now access an additional 1.5 million to repair, build or install solar systems.
Parent Assistance Loans
Parents under 65 years old can now borrow up to 4.5 million dollars to assist one child (biological or legally adopted) to buy or build a home.
This only applies if you have never received any loans.
Parents under and over the age of 65 years are now able to assist their biological or legally adopted child through an N.H.T. loan.
For parents over 65 years old who have contributed to the fund for more than 10 years, you may transfer your points to one of your children.
This will improve his or her chances of borrowing more money.
This can only work if you have never received any or the full refund from N.H.T. So if you are not planning to personally use you your loan, it is best not to take your refund if you are planning to assist your child with a loan.
Earning $10,000 Or Less?
N.H.T. is not just for persons who earn six figures monthly.
To increase your chances of building or buying a home, persons that earn equivalent to JA$10,000 weekly or less, may be awarded up to 1.2 million dollars in grants.
The amount you receive will depend on factors such as age, salary and years of contribution.
5 Criteria for NHT Loan
An NHT loan is easy to access. Below are the 5 conditions you need to meet.
NHT Loan Interest Rates
NHT has lowered their interest rates and has made it possible for low-income earners to access loans to build, buy or improve. Even if you are 55 years old you can still receive a loan.
JMD
$6,500 - $12,000.99 0%
$12,001- $20,000.99 0% to 2%
$20,001 - $30,000.99 2% to 4%
$30,001 and over 4% to 6%
Before you apply for your loan, ensure that you take a look at the NHT Checklist for loans and Mortgages.
Your Mortgage Calculator
You can have an idea of how much NHT loan you will have access to by using the NHT mortgage calculator. Before you use the calculator ensure that you have this information at hand:
You will also need to know other basic information but ensure that you have the answers to all the questions above.
For further details on any loan, please contact one of their customer service agents. If you are in Jamaica, I would advise you to call their call center at 1-888-225-5648 or 1-888-991-2832.
When in Jamaica, it is best to visit their head office in Kingston.
This office is well structured and has several departments to better assist with your individual needs such as NHT projects, compliance department, customer service department and contributions refund department.
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