Almost every Individual in India is aware of the word Housing Board. So we are not going to discuss much about it.

What we are going to discuss here is about the list of Housing Boards in India. Before that let see what are the main aim & objective of Housing Board in brief.

Its so simple they are providing housing accommodation to the needy citizens at an affordable price (Source: http://www.aphb.gov.in/aboutus.aspx).

Lets see the list of housing boards

• Andhra Pradesh Housing Board – www.aphb.gov.in/
• Arunachal Pradesh housing board – aphwcl.nic.in/
• Bihar State Housing Board – http://www.bshb.in/
• Chhattisgarh Housing Board – www.cghb.gov.in/
• Goa Housing Board – www.goahousingboard.goa.gov.in/
• Gujarat Housing Board – gujarathousingboard.org/
• Haryana Housing Board – http://hbh.nic.in/
• Himachal Pradesh housing Board – http://www.himuda.com/
• Jammu & Kashmir Housing Board – http://jkhousingboard.gov.in/
• Jharkhand Housing Board – http://www.jharkhand.gov.in/New_Depts/housi/housi_fr.html
• Karnataka Housing Board – http://khb.kar.nic.in/
• Kerala State Housing Board – www.kshb.kerala.gov.in/
• Madhya Pradesh Housing Board – http://www.mphousing.in/NewMPHB/homepage.aspx
• Maharashtra Housing Board – http://mhada.maharashtra.gov.in/
• Chhattisgarh Housing Board – www.cghb.gov.in/
• West Bengal Housing Board – http://www.wbhousingboard.in/html/index.php
• Himachal pradesh housing board – http://www.himuda.com/
• Delhi Development Authority – http://dda.org.in/home.htm
• Orissa State Housing Board – http://www.oshb.org/
• Punjab Housing Board – http://puda.nic.in/
• Rajasthan Housing Board – www.rhbonline.rajasthan.gov.in/
• Sikkim Housing Board – http://sikkimudhd.org/
• Tamil Nadu Housing Board – http://tnhb.gov.in/
• Tripura Housing Board – https://tripura.gov.in/
• Uttar Pradesh Housing Board – http://www.upavp.com/
• West Bengal Housing Board – http://www.wbhousingboard.in/html/index.php

If you think we have missed some housing boards for any state just fill that in comment box section.

Burglar have become smarter and they will use every trick in the book to rob your house. It always better to safeguard the home with the basic security protocol. One does not have to use high end gadgets to protect their house or spend money in placing a home guard. These tips can be followed to deter the thief

Door locks: Use a door lock which are strong and heavy. If your house has grill gate as well; lock both the grill gate and the wooden door. Ensure that you lock all the windows from the inside. An open window means that you are inviting trouble and show you alertness. A regular watcher may see as a sign of weakness in you and your house.

Alarm: The best solutions is to install alarm. House that have installed alarm are rarely touched by burglars. You can even you a sign to indicate that you have installed alarm. The burglar may just pass your house and leave it

Dogs are good: Trained dogs are better used to safeguard the house. When you are away, you can let your dog lose inside the house or tie them in front of the door.

Inform you vendors: Before departing from your house inform you paper guy and milkman the date of your absence. Bundles of paper and packets of milk lying in the front door mean you are giving invitation to the theif. Make sure that you tell him the date of absence

Inform the neighbors: Inform the neighbor about your absence and tell them the date of your arrival. They wont keep watch of your house 24×7 , but can smell a danger in your house or noise from your house when burgled. Give the key to the neighbor so that they recheck the house when they are in doubt.

Keep costly items away from the window: Better to keep away from the door which are costly. The burglar may rob the house by just breaking the window and getting away from the costly item. Fully close the window wih curtains and drapes so that no one can see from the outside.

Keep the lights on in the hall: The lights in the hall will look like you are there in your house. Also darkness is invitation to danger. The lights act as a deterrent.

Get a safe: Put all your valuables in a safe. Though the burglar may break into your house, he will find it difficult break the safe. He will think twice to carry a heavy and big items like Tv, home theatre etc

If you got more ideas do share it in the comment section

You may have searched for house or a plot to invest in 2012, but for some reason you missed out your chance. As we look into 2013, it is for sure there will be appreciation in the properties and prices will rise. It is better to start searching for property at the start of the year rather than rushing in and making hasty decision in the mid year and hyper galloping at the end of the year. Hurried buying of property results in making wrong decision.

If you are busy in the weekdays, keep ready your weekends to search for houses. During weekends event sellers are active and are willing to show properties. If in case if you have a very tight schedule at the weekend then, try to convince the seller to show you the property at the evening hours. Some will do and other wont. Don’t mind it as long you get a good chance to see the property. At least you can see the location where the property is located even if you are not able to see the property inside.

Do some research before seeing the property. Ask about its location and all other details like EB connection, water supply, its jurisdiction limit and its residential limit( whether it town panchayat or municipal corporation.)

As you keep on searching for your dream house, a pattern will emerge where you can confine your requirements or rather you will pretty sure know what you want. When you hit that limit, then you can go in for the kill.

Search and refine, search and refine search again and refine is the mantra to get your dream home

Mother nature has opened its arm and provided everything for mankind. But we ask for more and ask hard. This has lead to serious environmental consequence like global warming, pollution, extinction of floral and fauna. We have to do our part to preserve the nature. This can start from the home. Maybe these points will help

Cross ventilation:

If you don’t have cross ventilation facility in your home, it becomes bit stuffy even in winters. Make it a point to facilitate cross ventilation. Lack of ventilation generates heat which is unwanted and makes environment toxic

Avoid using plastics:

Take a jute bag or a big bag for shopping. Make sure that you dont take plastic from sellers. The reason is, plastic takes thousands of years to degrade and will pollute the environment.

Rain water harvesting:

It is wonderful idea which is used to recharge the ground water in your home. The better part is that you get to save rain water which pollution free. In summers rain water harvesting will provide you with enough water to sustain through.

Use CFL bulbs and please replace Incandescent bulbs:

CFL bulbs are more efficient and cost less and only 5% of energy in incandescent bulb is converted to light and rest is heat. It is bad for the environment.

Indoor plants:

Growing indoor plants is indeed beneficial. NASA says that indoor plants have the ability to remove pllutants from the house within 24 hours. It also improves the aesthic value of the house and provides a cool environment

Recycle Waste:

If you are living in an apartment consult with your neighbours and work out the solutions for recylcing the waste. Maintain two bin one for organic and another for inorganic waste. The organic waste can be composted and used as an fertilizer internally.

For individual houses you can compost the waste and then use it to fertilize your indoor plants and your backyard

Solar Panels:

Using the power of sun to generate electricity comes environmental friendly. Install solar panel in your house and save lot of money in electricity consumption. Time will come when it will become imperative to install solar panel. I hope so.

Cleaners:

The shopping mart is filled with so many home cleaners which are toxic. It is better to use home friendly products such as vigenar, baking soda, lemon juice, borax.

Use energy efficient devices:

Use energy efficient devices. Lot of brands have energy air conditioners. Use them. Curtain the east and west side house so that in summer it is cool. The less is the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature, lower the energy consumption.

These small but concrete steps will go a long way making your home cost effective and environmental friendly.

Today, man has the technology to convert dust into a product. One example is the fly ash bricks.

Fly ash is a waste product generated from the combustion of coal. This acts as a raw material for fly ash bricks which is used in construction industries. In the real estate sectors where the cost of construction is ever rising and buyers feel the heat; fly ash brick acts as an alternative solutions for clay bricks which are in heavy demand.

The best part is that they have so much to offer compared to clay bricks. They are needed, less in number than clay brick for construction.

Some of the good properties are

• They absorb less water than clay brick. It reduces dampness in wall.
• They absorb less mortar and plastering is not needed.
• Fly ash brick is fire and vermin resistance and their thermal property is favourable.
• They are durable, strong with neat edges which reduce wastage.

Many real estate companies have started using fly ash bricks as a substitute and it is a welcome sign. Tiles can also be made using it. It comes in various forms and sizes. It is used in pathways and courtyards.

For those who are planning to build individual houses, fly ash brick can significantly reduce the total cost of constructions and save a good amount of money. The clay brick are taken from the top soil which affect the fertility whereas fly ash brick does not require clay. They are made by mixing fly ash, stone grit, cement, crushed sand.