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Mortgage versus home loan - do they mean the same thing?

Most people use the words ‘home loan’ and ‘mortgage’ interchangeably, but these terms refer to two separate things.

A home loan is the sum of money a lender gives you to purchase your chosen property. You then pay this money back to the lender over a number of years, along with interest on the loan calculated at either a variable (fluctuates with the market) or fixed (1 to 5 years) interest rate.

A mortgage is a security measure that’s put in place when you take out your home loan which protects the lender if you default on your loan repayments. If you don’t pay the money back to them, the mortgage gives the lender the legal right to sell your property to recoup their losses. The mortgage stays in force until you have paid off your home loan, after which the property becomes totally yours.

In short, a home loan is a means of buying a home when you don’t have the money yourself, while a mortgage is a means of guaranteeing a loan and protecting the lender from non-payment.

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