Gettin' a mortgage in BA

[Dim Witty]

Anyone know what it takes to be eligable for a mortgage here, how much interest is charged, etc. etc and la-di-da?

 

[Ries]

the only people I have known who did this successfully were citizens, and had jobs, good jobs, in blanco.
There are some special deals in the microcentro, as the city is trying to encourage more residential in empty offices.
but unless you have, at a minimum, a dni, and, preferably, citizenship, I think its going to be very tough.

 

[Rich One]

Here is as an example the conditions for Banco Nacion

Each bank has a different set of conditions

Banco de la Nación Argentina

Productos, servicios y promociones diseñados para atender las necesidades de personas y empresas de los distintos sectores productivos del país.

bna.com.ar

 

[LuckyLuke]

As Rich One recommended, banks have mortgage web pages that let you use their "pre-qualification checklist". You put in your salary, or monotributo status, loan amount, etc.

I don't know much about your personal situation, but Ries is correct, you need proof of stable income, legal status, and I've noticed credit standards to be much tighter for those considered "elderly".

 

[steveinbsas]

Anyone know what it takes to be eligable for a mortgage here, how much interest is charged, etc. etc and la-di-da?

This is artiicle indicates that the annual mortgage interest rate changed by banks in Argentina is "fifteen percent over inflation."

Peso crisis drives mortgage rates to 15%, upending Milei agenda | Buenos Aires Times https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/eco...tgage-rates-to-15-upending-milei-agenda.phtml

As of October, with a reported inflation rate of 30.1 to 32 percent, that would result in ak annual mortgage rate of over 45%?

(Based on Google's AI answer when I asked about the current inflation rate 8n Argentina:

As of October 2025, Argentina's official year-over-year (YoY) inflation rate stood around 31.3% to 32.0%, with monthly inflation at approximately 2.3%, showing signs of stabilization after significant peaks, though still very high, with core inflation also around 1.9% monthly. The data reflects ongoing efforts by President Milei's administration to control rising prices, with the annual figure being the lowest since mid-2022, but monthly rates sometimes nudging up slightly, as seen with October's slight increase from September. )

 

[rob0001]

It is also common to require a 50% down payment under most lenders.

 

[Ries]

We were involved in a sale where the buyer got a mortgage. Her employer had a special deal with a bank, and while I don’t know for sure, I think it involved direct deposit of all salaries of the firm into that bank, some degree of employer responsibility, relatively high interest rate and short length of mortgage by US standards, and decent sized down payment.

 

[LuckyLuke]

Much of the strategy behind lenders and mortgage holders is in my opinion unspoken.

Banks are currently charging an insane percentage. Were talking about an inflation index (UVA) that exceeds even the dollar and even were the dollar to keep pace, add another 12 % on top of that.

Nobody in their right mind could reasonably keep up with such a mortgage amortization except for one rule. The payment quota can't exceed a percentage of declared income. I believe this is 25-35% of your banked sueldo.

Think about that for a moment. Those in the market to buy are currently renting. It's not uncommon for renters to allocate up to 50% of their salary to rent. So in essence you are reducing your rent cost 15-25% by getting a mortgage.

Mortgages are thereby in essence a rent controlled lease by the bank. It's a good deal for those who can come up with a deposit (30%) and aren't in a rush to pay it off.

 

[carride]

Last week's news stated BNA has been giving out the most UVA mortgages. Peso loans that are tracked as UVA units on the balance sheet, using the french amortization method with your fixed interest rate. So the principal is regularly recalculated according to the UVA rate, then the interest is applied. Startling to see the principal rise and monthly peso payment jump, but if you convert (in your mind) those as USD your monthly payment is basically always close to the same.

Banco Municipal de Rosario, which for over a year offered the lowest interest rate (3% APR), no longer offers that condition . The general rate remains at 4.2%

Brubank, raising its rate from 10% to 12%

These two entities join the increases of the last month, in which, for the first time since its launch, Banco Nación raised its rate from 4.5% to 6% . It is worth noting that, despite this, it is the bank that has captured the most demand so far : with more than 40% of all applications .

Los créditos hipotecarios registran más aumentos que bajas

Las tasas de los créditos hipotecarios no dan tregua: los bancos continúan elevando su interés

www-lanacion-com-ar.translate.goog

Mortgages are thereby in essence a rent controlled lease by the bank. It's a good deal for those who can come up with a deposit (30%) and aren't in a rush to pay it off.

Exactly as @LuckyLuke explains. Those who I know with 2017-2018 UVA loans (macri y caputo years) are on track to pay off in the original 15 year agreement. Plus extra months because the Fernandez and Congress forced banks to pause a few payments during the pandemic whether the borrower wanted or not. For those who's salary has, with luck, increased along with inflation during these chaotic years. Those who's salary did not increase enough only paid ~20% of the salary each month, but tacked on the unpaid amount to their principal are not on track to finish in the 15 years.

 

[LuckyLuke]

Those who's salary did not increase enough only paid ~20% of the salary each month, but tacked on the unpaid amount to their principal are not on track to finish in the 15 years.

This part I'm very curious about. There doesn't appear to be a whole lot of literature about the renewal of mortgages.

What happens if you retired or now work en negro during the mortgage term, can the bank non-renew your mortgage for lack of qualifications?

What happens if your principal balance now exceeds the home value? Is the loan still sufficiently secured by the home?