Housing microfinance study

Project Publications: Ramji, Minakshi and Stuti Tripathi. Micro-Housing Loans for Micro-Entrepreneurs: A Needs Assessment. CMF Working Paper No. 38. This paper appeared in the peer-reviewed journal the microFinance Review, produced by the Bankers Institute of Rural Development in their inaugural volume.

The aim of this research project is to develop, in partnership with an MFI, a housing micro-mortgage product that can be easily replicated across the country in compatible contexts. This project will be conducted in two phases. Phase 1 will conduct a demand assessment for the product and Phase 2 will look product design experimentation. The description for Phase 1 is given below.

In order to exploit the optimal potential of the product, due consideration must be given to the following points of action research:
(i) Practitioner Interviews: CMF will identify four stakeholders, either involved or interested in providing housing microfinance: These are a combination of NGOs or MFIs offering the product (including, SMILE, IASC, Shalom Trust and ESAF) and financiers or organizations providing technical assistance, such as DHFL, ICICI Bank, the National Housing Board (NHB) and Habitat for Humanity.
(ii) Demand Assessment: CMF conducted a short demand assessment on a subset of potential clients of the final product. Understanding demand is an essential part of designing a product that is in touch with ground realities and meets expectations of potential clients. This exercise assessed demand for aspects of housing finance amongst the target clientele including willingness and ability to pay, terms of the loan (interest rates, tenure, repayment schedule) and demand for additional services such as technical assistance etc.

CMF Research Associates: Stuti Tripathi, Minakshi Ramji 

See Some CMF Related Documents:
# Stuti Tripathi's Presentation at BIRD Seminar, July 2009[PDF, 20KB]
# Data for Housing Survey [zip, 186KB]