Short sale and foreclosed homes seem to be flooding the market these days.While buying a home from motivated sellers or a bank that has foreclosed may seem like a good deal, there are some things that you, as a buyer, should investigate and consider. 

·       Why is the homeowner doing a short sale? 

·       Did they buy too much house or did they lose their job? 

·       How long have they owned and lived in the house? 

·       Were the utility costs too high?

·       What are the utility costs? 

·       Did they maintain the property?

·       Are there any HOA dues for this neighborhood? 

If the homeowner is doing the short sale because they bought more home than they could afford once their loan payments increased, they may not have had the money to do maintenance on the home.  You should check the home for obvious issues such as damaged floors, water damage, damaged stucco, damaged doors and windows. 

You may need to be prepared to spend money to bring the home back to a live-able condition.You should also consider the utility costs, HOA costs or special tax costs -- these should factor into your decision.If these combined costs are $200-$800 a month, you should determine if you can afford those costs on top of the house payment.Please check out next month's issue when we feature Part II - More Factors to Consider.

Shutter those high energy costs

These bamboo shutters have a solar cell will capture power from the sun and turn it into energy while the shutter itself will reduce energy costs.  It's a two-in-one home improvement that will pay you back. For more information, visit Sunny Shutter. 

Filtered water for all

The Filtrete Water Station has a filter vessel that allows up to four water bottles to be filled at one time using your own tap water.Save time and money -- no more buying water in bulk.

When is cat litter not litter? 

When it's reusable.Envirokats is the first reusable kitty litter.The litter is made from recycled rubber tires and can be cleaned and used indefinitely.  No more litter to buy so you save time and money.  No more litter clogging up the landfills so yo help save our planet.

Check out Eco-Chic Design's new blog - The Green Design Huntress: A blog for people who want to design a life and dwelling that is consciously created in line with your values and the environment.

·       Dream it

·       Budget it

·       Design it

·       Deconstruct it

·       Reconstruct it

·       Love it

Let Eco-Chic Design help you design the room of your dreams.  A remodel or redesign involves a lot of choices and can be a bit overwhelming. Eco-Chic takes on the remodeling stress so you don't have to. We plan your space and select materials, finishes, furnishings, appliances, fixtures, lighting according to your budget.  Eco-Chic gets you to the "ahhh" moment when you walk into that finished room, kick your shoes off and say "I am home." Call today to start your project - 916-240-3724 or email marie@eco-chicdesign.com.