Blog | Archives for April 2018

Your Perfect Summer Vegetable Garden

By Southern Trust Mortgage
April 27, 2018

Few things say Summer like the vibrant colors and crisp tastes of fresh veggies – and what could be better than being able to step outside and pick them ripe off the vine from your very own harvest? We know it’s still Spring, but this is the perfect time to explore your green thumb.

Planning, planting and tending to your very own vegetable garden may seem like a big task, but if you do it the right way, it is actually very simple and enjoyable. Not only will it allow you to enjoy your home in a different context, but you will also have a steady yield of organic, tasty vegetables for meals and sharing. Don’t know where to begin? We’re here to walk you through the five most important components of summer gardening to get you started…

Location is Key

Picking a good location for your garden is extremely important. Take note of what parts of your yard receive the most direct sunlight for the longest during the day. Six or more hours of sunlight on your garden is ideal. Survey the sunny areas you’ve identified and pick the flattest one that does not flood. This will be your ideal space. You can either clear a plot and plant your garden right on the ground or build raised beds. Though both are viable options, building your beds up at least 6 inches allows for better root system growth, and therefore, can produce better vegetables. If you think you’d like to build your own raised beds, there is a step-by-step guide here. One last thing to note is that you’ll want to be able to walk around your garden to water it and pick your produce, so leave enough space around it for a comfortable path.

Soil Selection

Especially with warm-season vegetables, the success of your garden starts with the soil. Make sure you choose soil that has a good amount of compost and organic matter. It should be loose, light and well-draining. Stay away from soil that feels heavy, sticky or sandy. For raised beds, you will most likely be selecting your soil from a local distributor so you will have a lot of control. However, if you are building your garden directly on the ground, you need to dig up some of the soil to test what you’ve got. It could be fine for planting, but chances are you may have to add some compost and organic matter to it. This is extremely important as it aids in providing the plants the nutrients that they need to grow. Also, it never hurts to get a soil test kit so know for sure if your soil is lacking anything it needs to yield a healthy crop.

Using fertilizer in your soil is also extremely healthy for the garden and will help your plants to develop to their full potential while also fighting disease. Try to use fertilizers that are more organic and less nitrogen-heavy. Many people worry about over-fertilizing their garden. A great way to avoid this is to simply use as organic fertilizer as possible. The more chemicals present, the bigger concern about over-fertilization.

Once you’ve got your soil and fetilizer down, you’ll need to mulch it so your plants are protected. This is very important so don’t forget to do it! Putting down mulch or pine straw will create a barrier that insulates the soil. This will keep your soil cooler on hot days and warmer on cool days. It will also shield your young plants from heavy rainfall, wind and disease. On top of all that, it suppresses weed growth!

When To Plant

Different vegetables succeed in all different seasons, but we’re talking mainly about summer vegetables here, so you’ll want to start planting them in mid to late Spring, depending on when your particular location’s soil warms up. Its obviously impossible to predict the weather, but a good rule of thumb is to get things planted once you’ve seen a steady week or two of warm days in a row. This usually signifies that Spring has sprung! The Farmers Almanac also has a great Planting Calendar for an extra reference.

What To Plant

As far as what you should plant, it is really completely at your discretion. Think of what you would like to eat the most and what vegetables are more native in your particular area. For example, what do all the local farmers’ markets sell a lot of? That is probably your best indicator of what does well in your climate. Also, here is a list of a few veggies that are known to thrive in gardens.

Tomatoes

Zucchini Squash

Peppers

Cabbage

Beets

Carrots

Radishes

Marigolds

Placing & Spacing

Plants, just like humans, get stressed out when they are too tightly packed together. Remember to give them a little room to breathe! Make sure you look into how big each of your plants will get at full growth and leave space accordingly. Also, many gardeners make the mistake of planting their veggies in rows. This seems like it would make sense when thinking about how Farmers plant their crops, but gardens are different. It is actually best to plant in groups “triangles” instead of “squares”. Triangular formations produce up to 14% more plants in each bed. Another great way to create more space in your garden is to grow vertically. “Vining” crops will grow up trellises, stakes and fences. Good examples of vining crops include pole beans, peas, squash and melons.

When deciding what plants to put where, it is recommended that vegetables with taller growth be planted in the northwest side of the garden. This ensures they will not shade the smaller plants around them. Some examples of plants with tall growth include corn, beans and tomatoes.

Some plants fair better next to each other than others. “Companion Planting” is an age-old practice that groups plants together that will help each others growth and production. If you are interested in experimenting with this, here is a complete guide!

Watering

The most important part of maintaining your garden is watering it. Vegetables typically need one inch of water per week, including natural rainfall. Also, a half inch of water should be added for every ten degrees over average temperature should the weather get abnormally warm. This should be doubled in arid climates. It is very tempting, but make sure not to overwater your plants. Overwatering can breed bacteria, disease and fungus that can be detrimental for your vegetable growth.

We hope these veggie gardening fundamentals will put you well on your way to a bountiful and delicious summer season. And don’t forget, if you’re in the market for a new home, our Loan Officers are standing by and ready to get you started!

Blog | Archives for April 2018

3 Steps To Selling Your Home With Social Media

By Southern Trust Mortgage
April 18, 2018

In these fast-paced days of the digital era, if you’re not using social media, you’re getting left behind. No matter what industry you’re in, you can benefit from the vast engaged audience that social media provides. This can come in especially handy when trying to leverage the potential of these free platforms when making a sale on a home. Skeptical? Don’t be. It’s easier than you think and here’s how..

Step 1.

Hire A Realtor With A Social Media Presence

Some real estate agents use social media to market their listings and some do not. A real estate agent with a social media skill-set is very valuable these days. It’s important to find an agent that has an established sphere of influence on social media. This will not only help broaden the audience that sees your listing but automatically target people in the industry that may have clients looking to buy. Also, if your agent has a current business Facebook page, you have the ability to run targeted ads linking to your listing.

When looking at potential agents, check out their business pages on social media and gather as much information as possible. Do they have many followers? The more followers they have the more exposure you’ll have. Do they post regularly and keep their content up-to-date? The more they post the better. Consistently updated content on a social profile ranks higher in many newsfeeds and is seen b more people. Do they have many positive client reviews on their sites? A lot of reviews means that this isn’t the agent’s first rodeo. They have likely used social to market previously and have had success doing it.

Step 2.

Invest In Good Visuals

Let’s face it, looking at houses isn’t what it used to be. This is simply because when you go to see a house nowadays, you’re not seeing it for the first time. Chances are you’ve already saved the listing to your smartphone and scrolled through the pictures critiquing every square foot before agreeing to go take a look in person. Since this is the case with many buyers, you need to sell them on the images of the house before you can sell them on the actual house. To do this, you need great pictures and videos. Do not try to do this yourself unless you have experience. Invest in a professional photographer and/or videographer to put together the most visually-appealing representation of your home possible. Have the photo shoot when your home is extremely clean, with minimal furniture and decorations as these tend to clutter the space and make it look smaller. Also, make sure it is a clear and sunny day. Most people are more likely to see themselves in a home if the sun is shining through the windows with the space looking bright and welcoming. Exterior photos are better on sunny days as well (obviously!).

Video is a great way to give buyers a feel for the home instantly. Virtual tours have become a common thing amongst motivated sellers in recent years as it adds an element of distinction to the listing. Also, if you’ve got a great lot or a great location, drone footage can be an amazing add-on as well. Saying you’re “steps from the beach” has so much more impact when buyers can see it for themselves.

Ask your agent (that you carefully selected using credentials outlined in Step 1) if they have the ability to host your photos and videos on a separate landing page that is exclusive to your listing. Many social media savvy agents are willing to create a separate website for each listing. This presents the most professional looking listing and makes your agent very easily accessible to anyone that would like a showing. Also, your home won’t be just one of several results on an MLS search, so buyers are less likely to get distracted and move on.

Step 3.

Share, Share & Share Some More

Once you’ve hired the right agent and secured the best photos & videos possible, you are ready to make your house listing active and share it with the world! You already know your agent will be sharing the listing on all of their social pages, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it as well! You can either share a direct link to the listing OR upload the photos and videos yourself with a description of the property and details. Uploading the photos is recommended as links are not as highly prioritized in newsfeeds. For example, Facebook is more likely to show a post with photos and video than a post with just a link. To take it a step further, embedding video in your post, such as a virtual tour, gets the most organic exposure possible. Also, take note that some platforms (such as Instagram) do not support links at all, so photo and video uploads are the only option.

It is not a bad idea to share your listing more than once on each social platform. Once it’s been up for a few days it can get ‘stale’ and people are less likely to see it. Reposting the listing gives anyone that didn’t see it the first time another opportunity. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to give updates on it; such as a drop in sales price or open house date. Another good thing to do is to tell friends and family to share your post on their social media profiles as well. The more people that share it with their “followers” the better. Information is spread so virally these days that all it takes is simply getting the information out there and your audience will do the rest. Someone may have a friend of a friend that they know wants to buy a home where your selling. It’s all about getting people to talk and use connections.

Interested in using these tools but don’t have any profiles set up? Here are four of the very best options to start with for social media engagement. They are easy to use and free to set up!

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Nextdoor

The thought of selling a home can make some people cringe… but, it shouldn’t be that painful! There are so many social media resources available to you that make it a lot easier than it used to be. Take advantage of the way information is distributed nowadays and get your message out to as many people as possible. It may surprise you just how quickly you can get things done!

Blog | Archives for April 2018

4 Tips for Navigating the Spring Homebuying Season

By Southern Trust Mortgage
April 3, 2018

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN. THE SNOW HAS (ALMOST) MELTED AND THE SPRING HOMEBUYING FRENZY HAS BEGUN – AND ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE THE MOST POPULAR TIME TO BUY A HOME, IT IS DEFINITELY NOT THE EASIEST.

So far in 2018, we’ve already seen a trend of record low listings (the lowest in three years actually), and a steady rise in sales prices as the inventory tightens. This doesn’t mean you should shy away from your homeownership dreams, this just means you need to be as prepared as possible when navigating this unique housing market. That’s why we’ve compiled our four most important tips to give you a competitive edge when setting out on your spring home search.

1. Review Your Finances Early

It’s so tempting to set out on your quest and then decide if you can afford the ones you like. Repeat after me…Do. Not. Do. This. This usually results in buyer confusion and crushed dreams. The best thing you can do is sit down and take a good look at all your finances first. Decide how much you are willing to spend on a mortgage each month while factoring in miscellaneous outside expenses such as utilities, groceries, car payments etc. Also, if you know you are going to put less than 20% down, you will need to add some wiggle room for mortgage insurance. Once you decide what number you are comfortable with, use one of our mortgage calculators to figure out a sales price range you are comfortable with. This will give you a good starting point and a realistic view of what your options look like.

Another good thing to do before beginning the actual home buying process is to check your credit score. This will not only give you an idea of the programs you qualify for, but it gives you a chance to correct any inaccuracies you find. Correcting these errors could be the difference in qualifying for your loan when your credit is initially pulled by your mortgage lender. Worried about your credit? Southern Trust Mortgage has an in-house credit expert that is solely dedicated to helping our borrowers understand and rescore their credit (if necessary). Also, learn all about credit here.

2. Decide Specifically What You Want

When the right house comes along, you really need to be ready to jump and make an offer. This is not the time to be indecisive about the little things. Put together a list that details your “must haves” and “must not have” and stick to it. Such things may include the number of bedrooms or square footage you need, whether you want a pool, or how many miles you’re willing to commute to work. This will give you clarity from start to finish. Once you have a pretty good understanding of what you’re looking for, you won’t feel the need to compromise what you want or stretch yourself too thin looking at a million homes that “may work”.

For example, if you know for a fact that you need a one-story house, then put “must be one story” on your list and eliminate all two-story homes from your search altogether. Don’t look at two-story homes “just to see” and then concoct ways in your head to make it a one-story home. This will only distract your process. In the time it takes you to decide that you don’t want to spend the time or money converting this two-story home into a one-story, your dream one-story home could’ve come and gone. Now you’re back at the beginning still knowing you want a one-story home and wishing you hadn’t wasted any of that time.

Bottom line, figure out what matters to you and then only look at the homes that fit those needs.

3. Hire A Realtor.

So, you know your budget and have a pretty good idea of what you’re looking for. You’ve set your Zillow parameters so that when your perfect home hits the market you will get an email, text, carrier pigeon, etc. straight to your device. No listing can possibly get by you, right? WRONG. As nice as it is to have websites with current real estate listings at your fingertips, you still need a realtor. Generally, real estate agents get access to listings before they even hit the market. By the time you’ve copied and pasted the link to your newest find and sent it to family and friends for review, it’s likely someone else (that has hired an agent) has been shown, or even put an offer, on that house. It is simply the competitive climate we are in nowadays.

Getting access to listings as early as possible isn’t the only benefit of hiring a real estate agent. Agents also have an extensive knowledge and access to information about the neighborhoods and homes you’re looking at. They can also offer the best guidance in negotiating an offer or contract. They will present all of your options but can educate you on the best way to be as competitive as possible within your limits. This is especially necessary when you are going up against multiple other offers on a specific property.

4. Get Approved Early

Get in touch with a mortgage professional as early as possible to get pre-approved. Having a pre-approval letter already in hand when looking at homes ensures that you are able to make an offer quickly and seamlessly when you are ready to. This means you won’t have to wait 24-48 hours after deciding to make an offer to obtain the letter verifying you are approved for that amount. Instead, you can make an offer immediately. To get an even bigger edge on the competition, have a pre-approval from a local lender. Seller’s often given preference to buyers with offers from local lenders as opposed to an online letter from an out-of-area company.

To take it even a step further, Southern Trust offers the Priority Approval initiative. This is a full credit approval guaranteed in just 24-hours! How is this different from a traditional pre-approval? A full credit approval gives buyers the confidence to shop within their approved loan amount with an approval that has already been underwritten. A traditional pre-approval is just based on the information provided on your loan application. It is ultimately contingent on having your file underwritten. A credit approval through Southern Trust’s Priority Approval eliminates any doubt a seller may have that the loan will close smoothly or on time, and therefore, gives your offer a great competitive advantage over others.

The Spring Homebuying craze can be intimidating for even the savviest buyers, so we hope these simple suggestions will help clarify what you need to do to stand out from others who are eyeing the same homes you are. If you should have any questions along the way or would like to simply begin the mortgage process, we have seasoned loan professionals in several locations ready and excited to assist you. Reach out to one of them today to learn more!