Ifyou have your house for sale and you want to have the best chance ofgetting top dollar for your home, you have to get the right peopleinto your home. If you’ve done everything right on the insideof your home but you have neglected the outside of your home, you may look out your front window to find would-behomebuyers hunkered in their car looking over your house and aroundat your lawn, only to pull away from the curb cruising onto a betterlooking house.

Whatdo YOU want to accomplish from YOUR mortgage? Let’s stayconnected. Call me at (615) 924-6215. Let’s explore yourfinancing options. Subscribe to get weekly Real Estate MortgageShoppe podcasts with show notes at www.TNRDHomeLoans.com

ToYour Success,

TNRDHomeLoans, Mortgage Loan Officer NMLS #757308

Sierra PacificMortgage 46 Timber Creek Dr. Cordova, TN 38018

Good morning,Memphis! Welcome to our internet listeners and podcast listenersacross the 50 states! You’re on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe. I’myour host, McKenzie Mortgage RD Loans, Mortgage Loan Officer. You can connect with meat www.TNRDHomeLoans.com. Ourgeneral topic isCURB APPEAL WHEN YOU AREFINANCING A HOME OR BUYING OR SELLING A HOME. Subscribeto get Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe podcasts with show notes atwww.TNRDHomeLoans.com Call us whilewe’re live today August 29, 2020 at (901)535-9732.

JohnLawhon of Lawhon Landscape and Design, it is always good having youin the radio studio. You’ve got somegreat tips for us to keep our curb appeal –well appealing. Yourfamily has been business since 1958. You do the landscape designs,installation, irrigation and spray. You do it all. Tell us alittle more about yourself and what Lawhon Landscape offers yourclients. (John Lawhon introduces himself and talks about whatLawhon Landscape does-)

(Jo) John,when it comes to looking good, your job is to help your clients getthe best-looking curb appeal for every season. My job as a mortgageloan officer is to help my clients look the best they can on amortgage loan application. Knowing what virtues to accentuate for aclient is like window dressing for the file.

PLANBEFORE YOU PAY—REN’S STORY

Notlong ago Ren (not his real name) called me and said he was finallyready to buy his first home. He announced that “I am going to usemy money to pay off ALL of my bills before I come in to see you. Don’t you think that is the best thing?” My suggestion was,“Before you spend a dime paying anything off, Ren, let’s get asnap shot of where you are right now.”

MoneyTalks Loudest

Ren’slease would be up soon on his apartment and he knew he needed astrong prequalification letter and a quick approval to be in the newhouse before he had to get out of his apartment. He was worn out withpaying rent money every month when he could be investing in owninghis own home. He had just enough saved to pay the 3% to 5% downpayment on the house he wanted, but knew he had some other debt too.

Itruly appreciated Ren’s willingness to go the extra mile to help meget his loan file looking its best. But, the top priority with themortgage underwriting software systems is to show an adequate amountof money available in the bank to make the down payment and pay somecosts and its always looks good to have reserve funds left foremergencies.

GoodCredit Can Take You Far

Thesecond important factor in making a borrower like Ren look good is toshow a high credit score Ren’s ability to show that he payscreditors and only owes a small percentage on the credit linesavailable to him. I pointed out to Ren that a great credit score is ascore over 780. An average score is around 700. When your creditscore gets around 650 or 640, then you can probably still get astandard mortgage, but some loan programs will price up the rate youpay to get the loan.

Income-To-DebtRatios-Can You Make The Payment

Afterlooking at funds available and the credit profile, underwriters lookat income-to-debt ratios. Ren’s income-to-debt ratio added the newproposed house payment including principal, interest, taxes,insurance and mortgage insurance together with all the minimumpayment amounts from credit cards, the car loan and other installmentaccounts. This total divided into the gross income amount equals theincome-to-debt ratio. For Ren, his debt-to-income ratio –totalmonthly debt divided into his gross income— was around 45 percent. Not bad

However,in some cases the mortgage underwriting program could haveprequalified Ren with a 50 percent income-to-debt ratio due to thefact that he keeps more than enough cash available in his bankaccount. Ren’s prequalification letter was very strong. He wasconfident going into the real estate market to purchase his firsthome. We looked at some down payment assistance program for Renalso. Once the home appraisal and title work is done, Ren gets allof his income and asset supporting documents into the file, then ahuman underwriter reviews the information and makes the ultimatedecision on approving the loan suspending until further informationis documented or denies the loan. Approve is the goal.

Iplan to share with you some more insider tips from behind themortgage desk. But for now, let’s dig into some landscaping curbappeal tips from John Lawhon of Lawhon Landscape

(John) starts with curb appeal tips that homeowners can use without a lotof expense to improve their home’s curb appeal for selling orstaying… )

You’reon Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe. I’m your host, McKenzie Mortgage RD Loans, MortgageLoan Officer. What do YOU want to accomplish with your mortgage?Make your plan. Let’s work your plan if the deal works for youtoday, let’s do it today. When we come back John Lawhon of LawhonLandscape will be sharing more great curb appeal ideas. See you backin just a moment.

THELOOK BACK MEMPHIS TRIVIA CONTEST

^2ndsegment after 9:15 break:OurLook Back Memphis Trivia Contest is brought to you by notableMemphis historian, Jimmy Ogle.Twelve of his Memphis History lectures entitled MakingMemphis – Storytelling by Jimmy Oglemay be viewed by Googling “JIMMY OGLE PINK PALACE”. View atJimmyOgle.com.. The Look BackMemphis Trivia Contest is sponsored by John and Jennifer Lawhon ofLawhon Landscape (901) 754-7474 the Lawhon’s can help you plan yourlandscaping if you have a BIG, BIG project or a smaller project oryou can do the big project in phases . The Lawhons are giving away a$25 gift card to the first person with the correct trivia answer. Ifyou know the answer to our trivia question, call us at 901 535 WREC901 535-9732.

Garner# 185 * 08/29/20

Eads,Tennessee

Question: I am a tiny unincorporated community in east Shelby County near Hwy64 and I-269. Who am I?

Hint: I amlocated near the Old Stage Road, which opened in 1829 between Memphisand Somerville.

Hint: A famous musician with the hit song of 1967 (“Ode To Billie Joe”)lives in this community now.

Hint:My USPS ZipCode is 38028.

FinalHint: I wasnamed the man who designed the first all-steel bridge across theMississippi River, in St. Louis in 1874.

Answer:Eads,Tennessee. Before there was Eads, that area of eastern Shelby County, was knownby at least two other names. Its core was called Stewardville. Much of the surrounding area was known as GraysCreek,probably due to the vast amount of land owned in the rea by brothersJames and John Gray, who were among Shelby County’s earliestsettlers. John Gray’s home is believed to have been the firstbuilt of bricks in all of West Tennessee. (The John Gray house wasmoved to Germantown Municipal Park in 1989 and restored for visits.

Fourschools for African-American children funded by the Julius RosenwaldFoundation were built in the Eads area in the early 1900. SingerBobbie Gentry, who had the # 1 song of 1967, “Ode To Billie Joe”,is a resident of the area.

EadsBridge in St. Louis, named for itsdesigner and builder, JamesBuchanan Eads, is a combined road and railway bridge overthe MississippiRiver connecting Missouri to Illinois. Opened in 1874, EadsBridge was the first bridge erected across the Mississippi south ofthe Missouri River. Eads Bridge is the oldest bridge on the river.

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QUESTIONSANSWERED BY JOHN LAWHON:

1. How can homeowners or business owners use color in landscape to enhance curb appeal?
2. What kind of response do realtors get from a home that has good landscaping vs one that has not been spruced up?

1. Talk about ways homeowners can get some great curb appeal if they are selling their home or just getting ready for the in-laws to pay a visit.

1. Spruce up outdoor containers.
2. Container plants make a positive difference to patios and doorways where would-be buyers enter and exit the house..
3. Mulch in the right spots spruces up a place, so apply a fresh layer in all your garden beds. The right color mulch enhances the other surrounding plants and makes everything pop.
4. Plant something with color that brings a feeling of pleasant excitement.
5. Colorful flowers. Go for a splash of several colors or a more one-color method-whatever looks good at your home.
6. Giving your landscape the neat and tidy trimmed look. Get rid of dead stuff. Dead and unkempt plantings indicate neglect which buyers could presume is true of the inside of the house too. Grab would-be buyers at the curb with a great looking landscape.
7. Tend to perennial beds. Tidy up annual and perennials that don’t look good. If you have to replace the plant, you may want to consider replacing it with a different plant.
8. Dig up and prepare to transfer plants that will go with the house if you are moving. Make sure the buyer of your home know you are taking certain plants.
9. Clean up small ponds or pools. Get rid of any visible algae, remove leaves and clean filters so that the water is pure and clean. Green algae water in a pool can be a real turn off .
10. Correct any irrigation issues. Fix a broken system or install an irrigation system if needed. Correct drainage problems.
11. Fix leaky faucets since this can indicate to would-be buyers possible other water problems in the house.
12. Drawing the eye pleasantly to your home’s front entrance is an easy, low-cost way to up your home’s curb appeal. Painting your door a pretty hue that contrasts but complements your home’s color. Place a potted plant or two by the front entrance to add pizzaz.
13. Manicure the Lawn
14. Use potted plants to dress up your entryway.
15. Add architectural details that go with the style of your home to enhance your façade
16. Use plants that will keep the landscaping low-maintenance lawn.
17. Improve the looks of driveways and pathways.
18. Rocking and Hardscaping
19. Talk about some of your more high profile landscaping projects.

ColliervilleTown Center, Page Robbins, and more

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TOPICSCOVERED BY JO GARNER, MORTGAGE LOAN OFFICER

1. What are some other ways you can look your best on a mortgage loan application?

1. Other ways you can spiff up your mortgage loan file so that you are looking your best is to stay away from overdrafts on your bank statements. Right before you close, underwriters will want to see updated banking history. Try to keep from making large deposits into your accounts other than payroll. Loan regulations require that you show a paper trail documenting the source of large deposits. Depending on the story behind the large deposit, it could cost you your loan or at least delay your closing while you document its source.
2. Don’t buy anything other than daily things you normally purchase while you are in the loan process. Right before you are ready to close, your report is checked again. If it appears that you bought a car or furniture or appliances or cosigned a loan for someone, this could cause your mortgage to be denied. Whatever you do DO NOT open a 12 months same as cash account. This can be a real deal killer and it can drop your credit scores 50 to 100 points.
3. I have a Do’s and Don’ts checklist that we can go over together to insure you have the smoothest loan process possible and get to closing on time. Connect with me and I am happy to go over it with you. You can find me at www.TNRDHomeLoans.com

1. What are the top five steps for improving credit scores?
2. RACHET UP THE CREDIT SCORE TO RATCH DOWN THE PRICE OF MORTGAGE RATE-PHILLIP AND FARRAH FENTON’S STORY

Phillipand Farrah Fenton had been married over a year and expecting theirfirst child. As newly- weds, they didn’t mind living cramped in atiny house in a family member’s backyard. But, now they had thebaby to think about. Phillip’s credit score was suffering becauseof some bills he had not paid and others he had racked up from hiscarefree college days.

Inorder to put himself and his family in a better position, Phillip andI talked about his plans. He disciplined himself with the help ofhis wife to aggressively pay down the balances on his revolvingcredit card accounts to keep the owed balances under 30% usage oneach of the lines of credit. His credit score started improving.

Afteradding several points to his credit score, Phillip was in a positionto get a lot lower mortgage interest rate. Bragging rights for theFenton’s. They locked in a lower mortgage rate than they everthought possible. Now they had more money to spend on their baby.

Weare going to talk about some other strategies you can use later inthis show. But the way you can get started using this one onimproving your credit scores is pull the free credit report thegovernment allows you to get once a year fromwww.annualcreditreport.com Review it for errors and look for ways to get your revolving creditbalances paid down and maintained as low as possible —using lessthan 30% if possible on your credit lines and making your payments ontime.

Make paymentson your existing credit on time, never going over 30 days late.

thesource of his extra funds—he just didn’t make the payments on anyof his bills and

1. Keep your revolving account owed balances UNDER 30% of the total credit limit. Revolving credit is open ended credit lines like credit cards. Revolving credit activity makes up 35% of your credit score. Many times if a mortgage client needs 15 or 20 points added quickly to their scores, I will suggest they try paying down the revolving accounts to under 30% of the total credit limit. As soon as the lower balance owed is reported it can many times add 10, 20 or even 30 points to a borrowers score. Whatever you do, DO NOT get a 12 months -same as- cash account. These appear to the credit scoring computers like maxed out revolving accounts and send your score down in the tank.

Myolder customers grew up with credit in the 70’s and 80’s and weretaught that the higher credit balances you carried, the better yourscores. NOT TRUE TODAY! In fact, if you owe over 50% of your totalcredit limit on a revolving account, today’s credit scoringalgorithms will cause your credit scores to go down by 10,20, or 30points or more. Not a good thing.

C.Leave really old collection accounts alone if they creditor has notbeen recently reporting the collection to the bureaus. If they are afew years old, they probably aren’t negatively affecting yourcredit scores anyway. It seems counterintuitive for it to work thatway, but once you pay off an old collection account and it isreported paid, it’s computer numerical code identifying it as aderogatory account type doesn’t change and the credit scoringsoftware reads your paid off collection account as a recentderogatory account taking your scores down temporarily. Afterseveral weeks your scores should look better though because you don’tshow an UNPAID collection but at first paying off a collectionaccount can send your scores down which is what you DON’T want whenyou are trying to buy a home or refinance one. You can pay these oldcollections off after you have purchased the home. (use thebasketball bounce analogy)

1. If you do not have a credit score due to having no credit or if you are trying to offset some negative credit accounts, you may want to open a small secured account and keep the balance owed between $12 dollars and $20 dollars each month. In order to keep such a tight control on the balance owed like that some of my customers just use the secured credit card account by buying $12 to $19 dollars in gas for the car each month. That way they can control keeping the balance strategically in those margins. You’re just playing a game with the computer scoring system.
2. The important way to maintain your credit is to get a free report (without the credit score) each year from a place like www.annualcreditreport.com Just look over the activity and make sure it is correct and that your revolving account balances are comfortably under 30% of the total credit limit. Check for any derogatory reporting. Since identity theft is one of the most wide spread white-collar crimes, it is probably a good idea to sign up for a service that alerts you if someone is trying to use your social security number

Anothergreat resource for determine generally what is most important indetermining your credit score in order of importance is the websitewww.myfico.com

1. Strategies that make your home purchase offer stronger without having to pay too much for the house.

Getall of your income and asset support documents to the lender right upfront. Ask the lender to review our income and your assets and emailtheir opinion. Print the lenders prequalification letter and thelender’s email message to you with the complimentary commentsabout the strength of your credit and loan request. Give thesepapers to the seller or their realtor. Some sellers aren’tlooking for the highest sales price offer. Some sellers are lookingfor the surestofficer. Alender who, from their message you indicates that you are financiallystrong and able to purchase their home, is a good strategy to use tomake a great impression on the seller in a multiple-offer,competitive situation.

REALESTATE TIP OF THE WEEK (John Lawhon of Lawhon Landscaping shares areal estate related money-saving or time-saving tip. Consult alandscape design specialist before starting on a design by yourself. A professional can save you a lot of money be planting the rightplans ):McKenzie Mortgage RD Loans shares tip for homeowners taking advantage of refinancingto lower mortgage rate, shorten term, or freeing up cash permonth—situation with burning inflation hotter warning of possiblespike upward in the prices on mortgage rates

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Talk Shoppeoffers free networking & education to anyone interested in realestate or in business. Go to www.TalkShoppe.comand click on Upcoming Events Tab for virtual meeting location websiteaddress. Talk Shoppe meets every Wednesday September2nd , 2020 9A-10A CT ThisWednesday Talk Shoppe presents: JonIsom, Covid-19 Safety and Health In the Work Place, 3836 Safety LLC,901-600-6746

Talk Shoppe events are freethanks to supporters like Tim Gilliland of www.BackupRX.com When you need to recover lost data on your computer, you will feelvery thankful when you call Tim at BackupRX and simply download allyour data and system files immediately when you need it. ContactBackupRX about getting your data automatically backed-up atwww.BackupRX.com

Did you know that 91% ofconsumers listen to radio? Let’s explore some affordable radiopackages through Talk Shoppe to help get YOU and YOUR businessmessage out to your target market. Call me and let’s explore theright stations and time of day to reach your audience. (901)482-0354 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2. Thoughts and prayersgoing out to those in the path of stormy weather and those dealingwith the California fires

3.

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4. Subscribe atwww.TNRDHomeLoans.com and you canget our weekly blog posts with podcasts conveniently in your inbox.

5. Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe reminds you to MAKE YOUR PLAN. LET’SWORK YOUR PLAN. IF THE DEAL WORKS FOR YOU TODAY, DO IT TODAY.

SPECIAL NOTE: REALESTATE MORTGAGE SHOPPE RECOMMENDS THAT YOU CONSULT WITH A FINANCIAL,LEGAL OR OTHER CERTIFIED, LICENSED PROFESSIONAL BEFORE ACTING ORINVESTING ON ANYTHING YOU HEAR OR SEE FROM THE CONTENT ON THIS SHOWOR BLOG POSTS. THE INFORMATION WE SHARE ON REAL ESTATE MORTGAGESHOPPE IS GENERAL IN NATURE MEANT FOR GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSESONLY. ALL EXAMPLES GIVEN FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ON REAL ESTATEMORTGAGE SHOPPE AND ARE BASED ON TRUE STORIES BUT WE USE FICTIONALCHARACTERS AND DO NOT DIRECTLY REFLECT REAL PEOPLE OR EXACT DETAILSIN ANY OF THE SITUATIONS.

QUOTE CORNER:

QUOTE CORNER: “Beautyattracts the eye but personality captures the heart” Pinterest

“A diamondis a chunk of coal that did well under pressure.” Henry Kissinger

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REJOINDERS:

1. Rejoinder Dan Sater, author and credit score advisor, Long Island, New York www.creditscoringadvisor.com
2. Don Lawler, videographer with Storytellers of Memphis www.storytellersMemphis.com
3. Brandon Thompson of Home Team Inspection service (901) 848-2388

Transitional Music: “Mama’sBroken Heart” Miranda Lambert;“Tacky”by Weird Al Yankovic; “Style” by Taylor Swift; “Memphis” by Johnny Rivers for the Look Back Memphis TriviaContest

ABOUT JOHN & JENNIFER LAWHON OF LAWHON LANDSCAPING DESIGN:

Call:(901) 754-7474

Beautifulgardens begin with thoughtful design. The staff of Lawhon LandscapeDesign includes professionals with degrees in Landscape Architecture,Plant Pathology, Studio Art, and Agronomy. Our designers and plantprofessionals create outdoor living spaces with your lifestyle inmind.

Ourmany years of experience in design, installing, and maintainingMid-South landscapes make us uniquely qualified to create gardensthat are both beautiful and practical to maintain.

AFamily Business

Ourbusiness was started in 1958 by Rex and Beth Lawhon and was one ofthe first weed control companies in the Southeast. Over the years, wehave kept our client list small and personal in order to serve thegardens of Memphis with the best in lawn and shrub care. The highquality of our work has paid off over the years by the many repeatcustomers we have – both residential and commercial. We follow thephilosophy of doing it right the first time. We hope that you willgive us the opportunity to serve your garden needs as well.

In1985, we expanded our family company by offering a complete designbuild landscape service. John Lawhon, with a degree in LandscapeArchitecture, offers complete landscape designs for every budget aswell as outstanding plant installation services. In order to helpmaintain your landscape, we offer complete irrigation systeminstallation. We have everything you need to make your home morebeautiful than ever.

ABOUTJO GARNER-MORTGAGE LOAN OFFICER:

WHAT DO YOUWANT TO ACCOMPLISH WITH YOUR MORTGAGE?

www.TNRDHomeLoans.com (901) 482 0354 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. twitter @jogarner NMLS# 757308 (currently working with SierraPacific Mortgage, Inc)

“WhateverYOUR personal priorities are, my job is to help you get the mortgageterms that will give you bragging rights when you talk about it andhelp you score on hitting your goals .”

Asa mortgage loan officer, my job is to help you get to the benefitsyou want from your financing terms. What is most important to you? Ican help you find the financing terms that will help you get to whatyou want. What is your comfort level on a house payment? How muchare you comfortable paying down,? What type of financing do you needto get the house you want to buy or refinance?

Differentclients have different priorities in life—some are buying theirfirst home with very little down payment funds. Some are recoveringfrom medical challenges, divorces or preparing to send children tocollege and some are embarking on a long term goal of buyingproperties to build rental income.”

TNRDHomeLoans is a mortgage officer with extensive knowledge in tailoringmortgages to her customers who are refinancing or purchasing homesall over the country. She offers conventional, FHA, VA or other loanprograms for refinancing and purchases.

Jocan help you look at rent vs buy, when it makes sense to refinance,how to get the best deal on your home purchase financing.

TNRDHomeLoans has been in the real estate/financing business for over 25years. She got her start in Portland, Maine where she firstbegan her real estate career. She received her real estate educationfrom the University of Southern Maine and was personallymentored in San Diego, California by Robert G. Allen, author ofNothing Down,Creating Wealthand The Challenge.

Onmoving back to West Tennessee in 1987, she went into business buyingand selling discounted owner-financed notes secured on real estate. In 1990 Jo went to work for a residential mortgage company and hasbeen a mortgage loan officer for over 25 years. Her goal is tooffer excellent, affordable service to her customers, tailoring theloan programs to the specific needs of her clients.

In addition to her work in the mortgagefield, McKenzie Mortgage RD Loans is the primary sponsor and founderof Talk Shoppe in Memphis. www.TalkShoppe.com McKenzie Mortgage RD Loans also host the radio show Real Estate Mortgage Shoppeairing on News Radio AM 600 WREC and iHeart Radio with podcasts andshow notes published on www.TNRDHomeLoans.com