Buying a house is the most important decision a common man makes in his life and with the coming of low-cost housing he can reach his goal with much more ease. But as it's the most valuable buy of your life you need to be very careful with every step.

Affordable housing has become the new mantra in Indian real estate where builders are luring investors to buy houses which not only come under their budget but also fetch good returns. However, as a consumer you need to be aware of the fine print before you take the plunge as many consumers are very easily fooled by fancy promotional campaigns and hidden charges.

After recession builders have been reeling under pressure of a credit crunch, thus many projects have either been delayed or some compromises have been made with what was promised and later what was delivered as the final product.

So it is very important to do your homework and a proper research before singling out a specific house. Pick 5 to 6 projects that may suit your

Credit cards have become an integral part of our life, but concerns about its security and vulnerability is an ongoing issue. Credit card frauds are rising at an alarming rate. Card associations and banks on the other hand have been trying hard to enhance card security features to minimize frauds and misuses.

Here is a look at the security features introduced by card issuers and banks in the current scenario.

Verified by Visa/Mastercard SecureCode

A significant upgrade in credit card security features came with the introduction of 'Verified by Visa/MasterCard Secure Code programme' or second factor authentication. It addresses the credit and debit card transactions over internet.

Earlier, to do an online transaction, the only information needed was your credit card number, expiry date and the CVV number printed on the back of the card. It is easy to obtain this information as they are exposed when you handover your card at hotels, shops or petrol stations. Fraudsters can use this data

Your existing home loan provider can be your best friend in times of your future financial needs. As they offered you a mortgage against your house, they can also help you with a quick loan against your house called a 'top-up loan' where you don't have to provide any additional collateral or paper work.

Top up Loan Concept

When Vishal Menon, Senior Manager of Reliance Communications, decided to buy a car, he wanted a car loan. He found that the loan started from 12% interest rate and so he turned to his home loan provider for a top up loan. He had about nine years left in his home loan. The bank offered him a top-up loan of Rs 4 L at a floating rate of 9.5%. Thus he was able to cut down an interest rate of 2.5%.

Once you prove your bank that you can repay the home loan, you can ask them to get it topped up. It can be used as a personal loan to finance anything from your interior decoration or child's education to daughter's marriage. The top-up is treated as a second loan and is