Blog | Archives for July 2025

Lesson Plans and Loan Plans: How to Compare Loan Options

By Wendy Lewis
July 30, 2025

Teachers spend hours building lesson plans, all with the goal of delivering incredible insight on important topics to young minds ready to learn. Teachers also need to focus on their own education, especially when making big decisions like buying a home.

Southern Trust Mortgage aims to be a resource for teachers in the community who want to own a home and just need the tools to make it happen. Our Educator Advantage program provides teachers with a $400 lender credit that keeps more money in their pockets.

For teachers wondering about the affordability and accessibility of homes today, the good news is that there are often more programs and resources available than you realize. Let’s explore some important tools and resources that can help you.

Comparing Loan Options

Numerous loan types exist today. Fixed rate, adjustable rate, and numerous term lengths create competitive, and even low, monthly payments. Before jumping into any loan program, though, it’s critical to compare options. Some of the most important factors to compare when choosing a loan include:

Interest rate: The Percentage of Interest you will pay monthly over the life of the loan. The monthly payment that goes toward the interest reduces as the years go, eventually paying more toward the principal each month than interest.
Loan length: Longer terms help reduce monthly payments, but may extend the cost of buying a home. Typical loan terms are 30, 20, 15 & 10 Years.
Fixed or adjustable rates: Fixed rates stay the same throughout the lifetime of the loan, creating financial stability because you know your payment, but adjustable rate loans could offer some lower monthly cost during the initial ARM period.
Borrowing power: Factors like your income and debt play a role in how much a lender can offer to you.
Closing costs: Closing costs are paid at closing and cover the different expenses required to complete the loan process. Your agent can often help you negotiate with the seller for paid closing costs.

At Southern Trust Mortgage, our lending team works directly with you to compare options, find the most affordable loan, and aid in securing the best interest rates available. With professional support, it’s easier to find loan terms that better suit your individual needs. Learn about Homebuying today!

Connecting Teachers With Savings Opportunities

Teachers can obtain a loan that fits their needs through Southern Trust Mortgage. Speak to your lender about:

Down payment assistance programs within your community
Teacher-specific saving opportunities (including our Educator Advantage program)
Community-specific savings options

As a teacher, you deserve an opportunity to own a home and build your life in the community. With the Educator Advantage and the wide range of lending options available to you from Southern Trust Mortgage, learn more about homebuying today.

Blog | Archives for July 2025

How Homeownership Benefits Communities, Families, and Individuals

By Wendy Lewis
July 2, 2025

How Homeownership Benefits Communities, Families, and Individuals

Why buy a house? Most people see buying a home as a personal decision, one that impacts their future and perhaps that of their families. That is true, but ownership goes further. It also impacts communities.

When making the decision to buy a home, always focus on the individual value and benefits it can offer. Yet, on the grand scale, it’s worth taking a closer look at why owning your home is helping to support a healthy community.

Homeownership Supports Community Stability

Research conducted by Habitat for Humanity has found that individuals with residential stability experience increased life satisfaction, engage more frequently with their community, and achieve better educational outcomes for their children. It also helps boost physical and mental health.

Owning a home, the organization found, was associated with a decreased risk of residential instability. The organization found that renters move about five times as often as those who buy a home. They only stay in their residence about one-quarter of the time that homeowners do.

What Does Owning a Home Do?

Owning a home can create a marked improvement in the quality of life of individuals. It creates a sense of financial freedom, builds financial stability for families, and contributes to long-term generational benefits. Consider a larger view. Owning a home can lead to the following community benefits:

Improved economic growth: Communities with higher percentages of homeowners have a more stable economic landscape. It aids in contributing to higher property values, which helps attract new businesses to the area. That creates local investment.
Better civic engagement: Homeowners are more committed to their community. That means they are more likely to get involved in the schools, community volunteer programs, and the local political scene. That ensures the community’s decisions, growth, and change focus on what’s most important to those who live there.
Better outcomes: Communities with a higher number of owners than renters often have lower crime rates, better public assistance numbers, and enhanced property maintenance and improvement over time, according to data from the National Realtors Association.

Supporting Homeownership Means Educating and Starting the Conversation

Exploring the benefits of homeownership to communities, families, and individuals demonstrates the value of investing. Having the right partner to help fund that economic objective and achieve that long-term growth is more complex.

At Southern Trust Mortgage, our team is here to help you make the best decisions for your future. We work with consumers, real estate agents, and others to support the goal of growing healthy communities one mortgage at a time. Contact us to learn more.

Blog | Archives for July 2025

The Move from Renter to Buyer: What Makes It Happen?

By Wendy Lewis
July 2, 2025

How does someone make the decision to go from renting a home to buying? It’s often a personal decision based on a combination of factors. Yet, sometimes, it’s beneficial to take the time to consider the value of making the move to buy. Could it be possible? Is that the decision best suited for your future?

Renting might feel like the safer bet right now, but it could be holding you back. On average, homeowners have nearly 40 times the net worth of renters. Why? Every mortgage payment they make builds their wealth. Your rent? It just builds your landlord’s.

Net Worth

To build confidence in the process and benefits of buying a home, it’s essential to take a closer look at some of the core factors that impact many renters’ decisions. Consider the factors that influence a renter’s decision to become a buyer.

Financial Readiness
Consistent Income
Lifestyle Choices
Market Conditions

Before you make the decision to buy a home or to keep renting, take a closer look at what buying could mean for you as soon as you move into the home. With the help of your Southern Trust Loan Officer, it is possible to crunch the numbers and find out exactly which opportunities can make a difference in your decision.

With the right information, data, and careful consideration of all the options available, it may be wise to move into homeownership instead of a larger rental.

Turn to Southern Trust Mortgage now. Schedule a time to speak with our team about home loans that meet your needs. Contact us now to learn more.

Blog | Archives for July 2025

What Is the True Value of Owning a Home?

By Wendy Lewis
July 2, 2025

What Is the True Value of Owning a Home?

Deciding to buy a home means different things to various buyers. For some, the dream of homeownership fosters the need to buy as soon as possible. For others, it takes longer to make that decision, whether due to lifestyle or financial reasons.

But what happens when a buyer is on the fence? You could buy a home now, but should you? To make that decision, consider some of the most important reasons why buyers report wanting to buy a home, as noted by the National Association of Realtors.

Value Increase

Home values historically increase over the long term. From the end of 2000 to the end of 2023, for example, the median home price in the U.S. rose from $172,900 to $417,700. While a variety of factors contributed to that, and periods of home value drops can occur, over the long term, real estate is a good investment for many. Over time, you could sell your home for more than you paid for it.

Owning a home helps you save on your taxes. The U.S. Tax Code allows homeowners to deduct a substantial portion of their mortgage interest for the year from their taxable income. That means you’re reducing the amount of taxes you pay each year by owning a home.

Equity Affordability

Another core reason to own a home is equity, the portion of a home’s value that is owned by the owner free and clear. With each payment, equity increases, resulting in a substantial value over time. If there is a need to renovate or tap into funds for other reasons, that equity often offers a considerably lower interest rate than most personal loans.

A Loan Helps Build Credit

Buying a home with a mortgage helps build the owner’s credit score. Over time, this means better borrowing power due to consistent, on-time payments. Real people benefit from these benefits.

Savings Opportunity

As one of the largest assets that many people own throughout their lifetime, their home can become a valuable savings tool for the future. As mortgage payments are paid down and the debt owed, equity grows, creating a significant asset that you could sell to fund retirement down the road.

Looking for Guidance on Homeownership?

Home buying offers benefits. However, it is critical for both homebuyers to weigh those benefits against the costs and limitations that can sometimes apply. Having a lender that’s resourceful, transparent, and ready to support the unique needs of each buyer is a must.

At Southern Trust Mortgage, we remain your dedicated team to help fund the purchase of a home. Whether you are not sure about homeownership right now or you need help for a client who needs support in securing their first home loan, we are here to guide you.

Contact Southern Trust Mortgage now for a free, no-obligation quote and the support you need when buying your next home.

Blog | Archives for July 2025

What Homebuyers Need to Make the Decision to Invest

By Wendy Lewis
July 2, 2025

Realtors Support Those Who Want to Own a Home: What Homebuyers Need to Make the Decision to Invest

Homeownership has long been a financial objective for many people. With so much uncertainty in the economy and the world in general, it’s critical for potential buyers to have authentic insight to help them decide whether to buy now or wait a bit.

Statistics on Homeownership

Data released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) indicate that homeownership remains a desirable goal for many people. Approximately 29% of all homebuyers are Millennials, those between the ages of 26 and 34, while Gen Xers, those aged 45 to 59, comprise about 24% of buyers. Those between the ages of 60 and 69 made up 26% of buyers. Overall, the homeownership rate in the U.S. stood at approximately 65.1% as of the first quarter of 2025.

When it comes to making a purchase, potential homebuyers seek affordable loans. About 74% of all homebuyers finance their home purchase, with younger borrowers relying on their savings to meet down payment requirements. In recent years, high rental rates in many areas have delayed the possibility of buying a home for younger borrowers, according to NAR data.

Numerous Loan Options and Tools Make It Possible to Buy a Home

Information is the key to making an informed decision about buying a home. Many people wonder if they earn enough to afford a home. Others struggle with knowing how much of a home fits their budget. There are also questions about the accessibility of loans.

Real estate agents are the backbone of educating future homebuyers. They offer insight into home buying trends, home values, and negotiation strategies. Yet, they are also a solid resource for choosing a lender.

The Value of Homeownership to Today’s Generation

Homeownership offers a range of benefits for individuals at all stages of life. It offers far more than just the ability to decide what color to paint the walls. Some of the core benefits include:

Equity-building power: Each payment reduces a portion of the borrowed funds, creating equity. Owners can tap into that equity to secure low-interest loans.
Potential value appreciation: Typically, home values increase over time, creating wealth for borrowers as that occurs. This can lead to financial gains if the buyer decides to sell later.
Stability: Owning your home provides stability. With a fixed-rate mortgage, your monthly payment does not change for years, making knowing you can afford your home possible.

Connect with Homebuyers: Finding Lending Opportunities

For lenders and buyers alike, having an affordable lender to turn to for mortgage support is critically important. Speak to Southern Trust Mortgage now to learn more about how we have helped thousands of families buy with confidence.