1. Define Your Dream Home
Visualize what "home" means to you—its location, size, amenities, and lifestyle. This clarity helps set realistic expectations and budgets.

2. Choose Your Path: Loan or Self-Funded
Decide whether you'll buy with the help of a home loan or build the entire corpus through your own savings and investments. Each path requires different planning strategies.

3. Estimate the Full Cost
Include property value, stamp duty, registration charges, brokerage, interiors, and moving costs. If self-funded, plan for 100% of this amount. If opting for a loan, aim to cover at least 20–30% as a down payment.

4. Project Future Property Costs
Use inflation-adjusted projections to estimate how much your dream home might cost in 3–10 years. Typically, real estate prices grow at 5–8% annually.

5. Set Your Timeline
Choose your purchase target year based on career goals, family plans, and financial readiness. This helps determine your monthly investment requirement.

6. Build Your Investment Plan
Start SIPs or create a lumpsum plan to meet your target amount. Match investment type to time horizon—use equity for long-term and debt/fixed income for short-term goals.

7. Prepare for Contingencies
Keep an emergency fund to protect your goal from disruptions. If taking a loan, ensure you have term insurance to cover liabilities. If self-funding, maintain liquidity buffers.