India, March 8 -- For many working women, buying a home represents both financial independence and long-term security. However, a home loan is not just a property purchase decision but a multi-decade financial commitment that must align with other life goals.

Shalini Sinha, a 35-year-old school administrator, decided to buy a Rs.70 lakh apartment after years of renting. She had modest savings and could not afford a very high down payment without depleting her emergency corpus.

She structured her loan so that EMIs remained below 35% of her monthly income. While she continued small SIP investments, most surplus income went toward loan repayment and household expenses.

Shalini and her husband took a joint home loan and documented their re...