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Close-up view on conceptual keyboard - Digital Signature (blue key)

Four Imperatives as Lenders Evaluate eClosing Options

Shifting consumer expectations, increasing market pressures and momentum for regulatory changes may make 2019 the year the mortgage and title industries accelerate the adoption of eClosing.

It’s no secret that consumers demand a more digital, more efficient real estate closing process. At the same time, mortgage lender profits are under pressure amid a cooling housing market and rising mortgage rates. And, across the U.S., state legislation is maturing in areas of eNotarization and Remote Online Notarization. These factors, along with widely available eSignature standards, are poised to accelerate broader acceptance of fully digital eClosings in real estate transactions in 2019.

Consider also that 65 percent of lenders who expect profit margins to increase in the next three months believed technology would be the most important reason for the expected increase, according to Fannie Mae’s fourth quarter 2018 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey (http://www.fanniemae.com/resources/file/research/mlss/pdf/mortgage-lender-sentiment-survey-findings-q42018.pdf).

Settlement providers are adapting as well. First American Chief Economist Mark Fleming recently surveyed title agents and real estate professionals and found 65 percent of respondents anticipate needing software support for Remote Online Notarization and eClosing, and secure collaboration and communication portals, in the next 12 months (https://blog.firstam.com/economics/will-fintech-adoption-among-real-estate-professionals-accelerate-in-2019).

It appears that in 2019 the industry may make significant strides toward delivering a real estate transaction closing experience that aligns with the digital home search and loan application experience that has become commonplace. As with most opportunities, there are real challenges to overcome. Lenders are wise to thoroughly evaluate how to best offer eClosing options to consumers, as there are many important considerations to study and some of the industry hype around eClosings can be misleading.

Settlement providers have a unique perspective on many of these challenges given their role in closing real estate transactions. First American recently launched an eClosing solution and is engaged with multiple customers on pilot tests. In the process, we’ve gained significant experience and uncovered some important findings that, if handled appropriately, may have the ability to enhance the progress towards adoption of eClosings (https://www.firstam.com/news/2018/eclosing-solution-launch-20181015.html).

1. The Workflow Matters
Switching from a traditional paper-based signing event to an eClosing with a digital signing event requires more than the ability to eSign documents on a portal. Coordination, communication and document preparation are paramount regardless of whether the consumer signs with a pen or the click of a mouse.

In order to scale, the workflow must be more efficient than today’s paper process for both the lender and the title and settlement provider to accelerate adoption. Minimizing any additional work needed by loan processors or title and settlement agents to prepare for an eClosing versus a paper closing can facilitate greater adoption, which will help lenders more quickly reap the potential benefits of eClosings–enhanced efficiency and reduced cost to close transactions. Understanding the full signing process, including scheduling, communication, coordination, lender and title document preparation and final execution, is critical to creating an improved, digital version of the paper process.

2. Recordability is in the Eye of the County Recorder
There are thousands of county recorders in the U.S. and their views on the recordability of eSigned and native digital documents, which are used in RON and in-person eClosing transactions, can vary greatly. We’ve interviewed dozens of staff at county recorders in states that recently passed legislation supporting RON eClosings, and found varying degrees of readiness for eSigned and native digital documents. That’s important because, if documents do not adhere to state and local laws, eSigned debt obligations can be reversed in bankruptcy court, for example.

3. Build it vs. Buy it
Mortgage lenders have a variety of options on how to approach eClosing, including building their own proprietary technology, purchasing an eClosing platform from a technology vendor or working with an established settlement provider to handle digital settlement. Each mortgage lender will choose the path that best serves their customers and operations. However, for lenders who choose to bring some settlement processes in-house, it’s important to remember that doing so entails assuming the risk, control and coordination of the signing event and signing process, which many lenders and lender staff do not traditionally coordinate.

Similarly, most lenders work with many different settlement providers. So, lenders that choose to purchase or build their own eClosing platform will need to train their settlement providers on how to use the lender’s platform, including how to incorporate the title documents into the eClosing package. In a purchase market, and with typical industry turnover rates, this training process becomes an ongoing effort and expense.

4. Settlement-Driven eClosing
Some lenders may prefer their title and settlement provider handle eClosing and thus maintain the coordination and management of the signing event, along with the responsibility and risk associated with it. Each individual lender’s approach to eClosing will differ somewhat and title and settlement providers need flexibility to accommodate nuances between various approaches. This would, however, eliminate the need for lenders to own, pay for and manage the process and platforms used.

While the changes that come with bringing eClosing to the market are new, lenders and settlement providers have a long history of working in concert to complete real estate transactions with high quality. Open communication and collaboration will continue to deliver the best results for lenders, settlement providers and consumers as the real estate industry marches toward the secure, scalable adoption of eClosings.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of this author, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of this author’s employer, First American Mortgage Solutions.

(Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect policy of the Mortgage Bankers Association, nor do they connote an MBA endorsement of a specific company, product or service. MBA Insights welcomes your submissions. Inquiries can be sent to Mike Sorohan, editor, at [email protected]; or Michael Tucker, editorial manager, at [email protected].)

Source: https://www.mba.org/publications/insights/archive/mba-insights-archive/2019/four-imperatives-as-lenders-evaluate-eclosing-options

 

Sold house sign in Midwest suburban setting. Focus on sign.

Texas Home Sales Continue To Increase In 3rd Quarter

Texas home sales increased 6.4%—to 100,733 sales in the third quarter of 2019—compared to the same period last year, according to the 2019 Q3 Texas Quarterly Housing Report released today by Texas REALTORS®.

The statewide median home price for the quarter also increased to $245,000, a 4.3% increase over the third quarter of 2018. Of all sales during the third quarter of 2019, 33.4% were priced from $200,000 to $299,999. Homes priced from $100,000 to $199,999 represented 26.9% of sales for the quarter.

“Texas ended the summer selling season with continued growth in home sales and median price in most of the major markets,” said Tray Bates, chairman of Texas REALTORS®. “Our housing market remains healthy due to strong demand and steady increases in housing inventory.”

There was an increase of active listings from the previous year of 3.5% for 111,013 listings in the third quarter of 2019. Texas homes spent an average of 54 days on the market, two days longer than the same quarter last year. 

“The Texas housing market continued to spur strong demand during the third quarter,” said Jim Gaines, Ph.D., chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. “Based on sales activity, we saw prices, months of inventory, and active listings all experience significant growth in most of the markets across the state. During the remainder of the year, we expect attractive interest rates to incentivize homebuyers. In addition, new home construction will continue to pick up in markets such as Houston and Dallas, leading to an increase in housing inventory availability.”

Source: https://www.texasrealestate.com/members/posts/texas-home-sales-continue-to-increase-in-3rd-quarter/

Hailstorm on the road in a summer day

How To Stay Safe If You’re Caught On The Road In A Hailstorm

With all of the crazy weather we have in our area, here is some great suggestions on how to stay safe when you are caught on the road during a storm.

Texas is known for some severe weather.  It can cause fear in even the most seasoned of drivers, but being prepared in advance can help alleviate that fear.  If you’re caught driving in a hailstorm, you can always get to safety in short order, but there are precautionary steps you can take. Driving during one of these disastrous storms can be terrifying and has the potential of causing accidents, injury, and sometimes worse.  Be aware of your surroundings, and if you suspect that a hail storm is on its way, try to make arrangements to get off the road at your earliest and safest convenience.  If you’re unable to do so, here are some tips for staying safe on Texas roads when driving in a hailstorm:

  • Turn on your low beam headlights. reduce your speed, and maintain awareness of other vehicles.
  • If you have to continue driving until you can find safety, give yourself three times the normal distance between your vehicle and the one ahead, to avoid any rear-end collisions.
  • Pull over to the side of the road or the nearest spot with shelter and stay inside the vehicle.  However, do not park under an overpass and impeded the flow of traffic. With the high rate of speed that hail falls at, people are easily injured in its path.  This may also mitigate damage to your windshield or windows. since driving can compound the impact.  Also, if you’re on the shoulder of the road, ensure your vehicle is completely out of the line of traffic.
  • Avoid ditches due to the possibility of rising water.
  • If possible, ensure your vehicle is such that the hail hits the front of it.  With reinforced glass, windshields are able to better withstand the pelting of some hail.
  • If you’re able to, lie down in the vehicle, with your back to the windows.  And, if one is handy, cover yourself with a blanket to prevent injury from possible debris.

Stay Safe!

Source: texashillcountry.com

Can Your Unlicensed Assistant Do That? – TexasRealtors.com

Along with setting rules for licensees, the Texas Real Estate Commission also governs what your unlicensed assistants can do on your behalf. The latest Texas REALTORS® legal explainer video tests your knowledge of what tasks your unlicensed assistant can handle and what you as the licensee need to take care of yourself.

Source: www.texasrealtors.com

Time Change This Weekend

Don’t forget that the time changes this weekend.  Remember to set you clocks back on hour on Saturday night. These spring and fall clock changes continue a long tradition started by Benjamin Franklin to conserve energy.

Below is a look at its history, why we have it now and some myths and interesting facts about the time change.

When does daylight saving time start and end?

Historically, daylight saving time has begun in the summer months and ended for winter, though the dates have changed over time as the U.S. government has passed new statutes, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO).  

Starting in 2007, DST begins in the United States on the second Sunday in March, when people move their clocks forward an hour at 2 a.m. local standard time (so at 2 a.m. on that day, the clocks will then read 3 a.m. local daylight time). Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in November, when clocks are moved back an hour at 2 a.m. local daylight time (so they will then read 1 a.m. local standard time).

This year, DST began on March 10 and will end on Nov. 3, 2019. You will then move your clock forward an hour on March 8, 2020, and the cycle will begin again.

How did daylight saving time start?

Benjamin Franklin takes the honor (or the blame, depending on your view of the time changes) for coming up with the idea to reset clocks in the summer months as a way to conserve energy, according to David Prerau, author of “Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time” (Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2005). By moving clocks forward, people could take advantage of the extra evening daylight rather than wasting energy on lighting. At the time, Franklin was ambassador to Paris and so wrote a witty letter to the Journal of Paris in 1784, rejoicing over his “discovery” that the sun provides light as soon as it rises.

Even so, DST didn’t officially begin until more than a century later. Germany established DST in May 1916 as a way to conserve fuel during World War I. The rest of Europe came onboard shortly thereafter. And in 1918, the United States adopted daylight saving time.

Though President Woodrow Wilson wanted to keep daylight saving time after WWI ended, the country was mostly rural at the time and farmers objected, partly because it would mean they lost an hour of morning light. (It’s a myth that DST was instituted to help farmers.) And so daylight saving time was abolished until the next war brought it back into vogue. At the start of WWII, on Feb. 9, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt re-established daylight saving time year-round, calling it “War Time.” [Learn more about the crazy history of Daylight Saving Time]

After the war, a free-for-all system in which U.S. states and towns were given the choice of whether or not to observe DST led to chaos. And in 1966, to tame such “Wild West” mayhem, Congress enacted the Uniform Time Act. That federal law meant that any state observing DST — and they didn’t have to jump on the DST bandwagon — had to follow a uniform protocol throughout the state in which daylight saving time would begin on the first Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday of October.

Then, in 2007, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 went into effect, expanding the length of daylight saving time to the present timing.

Why do we still have daylight saving time?

Fewer than 40 percent of the world’s countries observe daylight saving time, according to timeanddate.com. However, those who do observe DST take advantage of the natural daylight in the evenings. That’s because the days start to get longer as Earth moves from the winter season to spring and summer, with the longest day of the year on the summer solstice. During the summer, Earth, which revolves around its axis at an angle, is tilted directly toward the sun (at least its top half). [Read more about the science of summer.]

Regions farthest away from the equator and closer to the poles get the most benefit from the DST clock change, because there is a more dramatic change in sunlight throughout the seasons.

Research has also suggested that with more daylight in the evenings, there are fewer traffic accidents, as there are fewer cars on the road when it’s dark outside. More daylight also could mean more outdoor exercise (or exercise at all) for full-time workers.

Energy savings

The nominal reason for daylight saving time has long been to save energy. The time change was first instituted in the United States during World War I, and then reinstituted again during World War II, as a part of the war effort. During the Arab oil embargo, when Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) stopped selling petroleum to the United States, Congress even enacted a trial period of year-round daylight saving time in an attempt to save energy. 

But the evidence for energy savings is slim. Brighter evenings may save on electric lighting, said Stanton Hadley, a senior researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory who helped prepare a report to Congress on extended daylight saving time in 2007. But lights have become increasingly efficient, Hadley said, so lighting is responsible for a smaller chunk of total energy consumption than it was a few decades ago. Heating and cooling probably matter more, and some places may need air-conditioning for the longer, hotter evenings of summer daylight saving time.

Hadley and his colleagues found that the four weeks of extra daylight saving time that went into effect in the United States in 2007 did save some energy, about half of a percent of what would have otherwise been used on each of those days. However, Hadley said, the effect of the entire months-long stretch of daylight saving could very well have the opposite effect. A 1998 study in Indiana before and after implementation of daylight saving time in some counties found a small increase in residential energy usage. Temporary changes in Australia’s daylight saving timing for the summer Olympics of 2000 also failed to save any energy, a 2007 study found.

Part of the trouble with estimating the effect of daylight saving time on energy consumption is that there are so few changes to the policy, making before-and-after comparisons tricky, Hadley told Live Science. The 2007 extension of daylight saving time allowed for a before-and-after comparison of only a few weeks’ time. The changes in Indiana and Australia were geographically limited.

Ultimately, Hadley said, the energy question probably isn’t the real reason the United States sticks with daylight saving time, anyway.    

“In the vast scheme of things, the energy saving is not the big driver,” he said. “It’s people wanting to take advantage of that light time in the evening.” 

Who observes daylight saving time? (And who doesn’t?)

Most of the United States and Canada observe DST on the same dates. But of course, there are exceptions. Hawaii and Arizona are the two U.S. states that don’t observe daylight saving time, though Navajo Nation, in northeastern Arizona, does follow DST, according to NASA.

And, every year there are bills put forth to get rid of DST in various states, as not everyone is keen on turning their clocks forward an hour. In 2018, Florida’s Senate and House passed legislation called the Sunshine Protection Act (a PDF of the legislation) that would ask the U.S. Congress to exempt the state from the federal 1966 Uniform Time Act. If approved, Florida would remain in DST year-round. In order to allow Florida’s year-round DST, however, the U.S. Congress would have to amend the Uniform Time Act (15 U.S.C. s. 260a) to authorize states this allowance, according to The New York Times.

In the fall of 2018, California voted in favor of Proposition 7 that would attempt to repeal the annual clock changes. Next, the state legislature needs to vote on the proposition, followed by the Congress, according to an article on Vox.

Other states have also proposed exemptions from the federal time act. For instance, Sen. Ryan Osmundson, R-Buffalo, introduced Senate Bill 206 into the Senate State Administration Committee in February 2017, which would exempt Montana from daylight saving time, keeping the state on standard time year-round, according to the bill. Three bills put forth in 2017 in Texas aimed to abolish DST for good: House Bill 2400, Senate Bill 238 and House Bill 95, according to the broadcast company kxan. Nebraskans may be off the hook for clock changes as well. In January 2017, state Sen. Lydia Brasch, a Republican of Bancroft, proposed a bill called LB309 to eliminate daylight saving time in the state, according to the bill.

Some regions of British Columbia and Saskatchewan don’t change their clocks. These include the following areas in British Columbia: Charlie Lake, Creston (East Kootenays), Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, and Taylor; In Saskatchewan, only Creighton and Denare Beach observe DST, according to NASA.

Most of Europe currently observes daylight saving time, called “summer time,” which begins at 1 a.m. GMT on the last Sunday in March and ends (winter time) at 1 a.m. GMT on the last Sunday in October. However, even the European Union may propose an end to clock changes, as a recent poll found that 84 percent of 4.6 million people surveyed said they wanted to nix them, the Wall Street Journal reported.

If the lawmakers and member states agree, the EU members could decide to keep the EU in summer time or winter time, according to the WSJ.

The United Kingdom moved their clocks forward on March 31, 2019, and will move them back again to standard time on Oct. 27, according to the U.K. government. 

The DST-observing countries in the Southern Hemisphere — in Australia, New Zealand, South America and southern Africa — set their clocks an hour forward sometime during September through November and move them back to standard time during the March-April timeframe.

Australia, being such a big country (the sixth-largest in the world), doesn’t follow DST uniformly: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory follow daylight saving, while Queensland, the Northern Territory (Western Australia) do not, according to the Australian government. Clocks in the observing areas spring forward an hour at 2 a.m. local time on the first Sunday in October and push back an hour at 3 a.m. local daylight time on the first Sunday in April.

Russia instituted year-round daylight saving time in 2011, or permanent “summer time,” which seemed dandy at first. But in the depths of winter, sunrise occurred at 10 a.m. in Moscow and 11 a.m. in St. Petersburg, Prerau, author of “Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time,” said. This meant Russians had to start their days in the cold, pitch-dark. The permanent summer is coming to an end, however, as now Russian president Vladimir Putin abolished DST in 2014, according to BBC News. As such, the country will remain in “winter time” forever, or until another law is passed.

Myths and interesting facts

  • Turns out, people tend to have more heart attacks on the Monday following the “spring forward” switch to daylight saving time. Researchers reporting in 2014 in the journal Open Heart, found that heart attacks increased 24 percent on that Monday, compared with the daily average number for the weeks surrounding the start of DST.
  • Before the Uniform Time Act was passed in the United States, there was a period in which anyplace could or could not observe DST, leading to chaos. For instance, if one took a 35-mile bus ride from Moundsville, West Virginia, to Steubenville, Ohio, he or she would pass through no fewer than seven time changes, according to Prerau. At some point, Minneapolis and St. Paul were on different clocks.
  • A study published in 2009 in the Journal of Applied Psychology showed that during the week following the “spring forward” into DST, mine workers got 40 minutes less sleep and had 5.7 percent more workplace injuries than they did during any other days of the year.
  • Pets notice the time change, as well. Since humans set the routines for their fluffy loved ones, dogs and cats living indoors and even cows are disrupted when, say, you bring their food an hour late or come to milk them later than usual, according to Alison Holdhus-Small, a research assistant at CSIRO Livestock Industries, an Australia-based research and development organization.
  • The fact that the time changes at 2 a.m. at least in the U.S., may have to do with practicality. For instance, it’s late enough that most people are home from outings and setting the clock back an hour won’t switch the date to “yesterday.” In addition, it’s early enough not to affect early shift workers and early churchgoers, according to the WebExhibits, an online museum.

Source: https://www.livescience.com/amp/56048-daylight-saving-time-guide.html

 

 

Close-up Of A Person's Hand Stamping With Approved Stamp On Document At Desk

MISMO Unveils Remote Online Notarization Standards

Close-up Of A Person's Hand Stamping With Approved Stamp On Document At Desk

MISMO has announced the release of its Remote Online Notarization (RON) standards, which will enable the use of audio-visual communication devices to notarize documents in a virtual online environment. 

MISMO’s RON standards were updated to include language to preclude the storage of personally identifiable information. The standards support model legislation that was developed by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and the American Land Title Association (ALTA), which multiple U.S. states are now using to enact RON laws in their jurisdictions. MISMO noted that some states with RON legislation have already utilized draft versions of the MISMO RON standards to implement their state law. 

MISMO released the standards for a public comment period that runs through Aug. 12, at which point the standards will be moved to Candidate Recommendation status if substantive comments are received in the comment period. The Candidate Recommendation status means the RON standards are ready for broad use across the entire residential mortgage industry. 

“With states across the country enacting remote online notarization laws, MISMO’s standards will support greater consistency as the volume of remote online notarial transactions increases,” said Eddie Oddo, Vice President of Corporate Business Solutions at First American Title Insurance Company, and co-chair of MISMO’s Remote Online Notarization Workgroup. “We’re excited about this next stage in the standards process and look forward to seeing lenders, title companies, software vendors, and notaries leverage RON standards to offer borrowers a more secure and efficient closing process.” 

MISMO’s announcement was also welcomed by David Burner, Strategic Planning and Partnership Manager at Notarize, a Boston-based platform for legal online notarization. 

“We are really excited that MISMO put together the standards for the industry,” said Burner. “There is so much talk about online notarization that sometimes it can be confusing. This was a collaborative effort among different stakeholders, and without MISMO this would not have happened.”

Source: https://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news/71822/mismo-unveils-remote-online-notarization-standards

DFW Area Haunted Houses

It is that spooky time of year!  So if you dare, here are some of our areas best haunted houses.

The Parker House

8550 W University Drive, Denton, Texas
Price: $25 general admission and $40 for Fast Scare Pass. Tickets can be purchased online or onsite (cash only)
Dates: Fridays-Saturdays in October, with extended dates near Halloween

Reindeer Manor

410 Houston School Road, Red Oak, Texas
Price: Starting at $35, with various combo and family options available
Dates: Fridays-Saturdays in October, with extended dates near Halloween

Six Flags Fright Fest

2201 E Road to Six Flags Street, Arlington, Texas
Price: Daily GA tickets start at $82.99; haunted house passes are $29.99
Dates: Thursdays-Sundays in October, with extended dates near Halloween

Screams

2511 FM 66, Waxahachie, Texas
Price: GA tickets start at $32 plus fees and $20 extra for fast passes; group discount tickets are $30 each
Dates: Fridays-Saturdays through October; open 7:30pm-1:30am

Moxley Manor

510 Harwood Road, Bedford, Texas
Price: GA starts at $25; $40 for Fast Passes
Dates: Fridays-Sundays in October, plus extended dates around Halloween

Hangman’s House of Horrors

4400 Blue Mound Road, Fort Worth, Texas
Price: GA tickets start at $24 with various packages available
Dates: Fridays-Sundays in October, with extended dates closer to Halloween

Dark Hour

701 Taylor Drive, Plano, Texas
Price: GA tickets start at $30, with various packages available
Dates: Fridays-Saturdays in October, with extended dates closer to Halloween

Cutting Edge Haunted House

1701 E Lancaster Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas
Price: GA tickets start at $34.99
Dates: Fridays-Sundays in October with extended hours the week of Halloween. Open times are either 7pm or 8pm depending on the date

Source: https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/dallas/haunted-houses-in-dallas

Republic Title Lakewood Hosts 11th Annual Pink Party Benefiting The Bridge Breast Network

On October 3rd, Republic Title Lakewood hosted their 11th annual Pink Party for a Cause with all proceeds benefiting The Bridge Breast Network, an East Dallas organization providing healthcare to breast cancer patients.

“Republic Title is a big supporter of the Bridge Breast Network and the work they do in our community,” said Republic Title’s Cindy Maya, “We are thrilled that our Pink Party for a Cause benefits such a worthy cause and couldn’t have done it without our generous customers and donors. This is our 11th year of hosting the event and it has been so exciting to watch it grow with this year’s event raising over $12,000!”.

All proceeds raised at Republic Title’s Pink Party for a Cause benefit The Bridge Breast Network, whose mission is to save lives by providing access to diagnostic and treatment services for breast cancer to low income, uninsured and underinsured individuals.

“It truly takes a village for a program like Bridge Breast Network to achieve our mission. The $12,000 raised at the Republic Title Pink Party will provide lifesaving mammograms for 80 women. Early detection is the key to survival. Together our two organizations are building bridges of hope by providing mammograms for uninsured women.” said Terry Wilson-Gray, Executive Director of the Bridge Breast Network.

For more information on The Bridge Breast Network, visit www.bridgebreast.org.

Click here to view pictures from Republic Title’s Pink Party.

Pile of fall leaves with fan rake on lawn

7 Fall Lawn Care Musts For Your Yard

As the temperatures start to get cooler, it is the perfect time to get your lawn ready for the winter months.

Among turf care experts, it’s a well-known fact that the best way to ensure a thick, green, and healthy lawn in the spring is to give it some well-timed care in the fall—in other words, right now. But according to Scott Frith, CEO of Lawn Doctor, a lawn care company with more than 200 franchises around the country, many homeowners make the same basic mistakes before grass goes dormant, and then wonder why their grass isn’t doing better the following year. Wonder no more. Here is Frith’s seven-step program to getting a beautiful lawn next year.

1. Remove the leaves.
A carpet of colorful autumn leaves may look nice and be fun to play in, but they’re no good for grass. They block the light and trap moisture, potentially fatal knockout punches for the unlucky turf underneath. So when the leaves are falling, blow or rake them away as often as you can. Even after the trees are bare, continue raking out the corners where the wind piles leaves up. If you don’t, come spring the grass under that soggy, decaying mat will be dead.

2. Keep cutting, but to the correct height.
Don’t put that mower away yet. Grass continues to grown up to the first hard frost, and so will need regular cuts to keep it at an ideal 2½- to 3-inch height. If you let it get too long, it will mat and be vulnerable to fungi like snow mold. Cutting grass too short is just as bad, because it curtails the root system—root depth is proportional to cutting height—and impedes the lawn’s ability to withstand winter cold and dryness. Regular mowing also gets rid of those pesky leaves, chopping them up and leaving behind a soil-enhancing mulch.

3. Continue watering.
Frith says that people tend to let up on watering in the fall as the weather gets cooler. “They figure that nature will take care of things for them,” he says. While it’s true that there’s more rain, more dew, and less evaporation at this time of year, that may not be enough to keep the grass roots well hydrated and healthy going into the winter. If your lawn isn’t getting at least an inch of water a week—a simple rain gauge is a useful way to keep track—then keep the sprinklers or irrigation system running until the end of October. By that time, you’ll want to disconnect hoses and flush the irrigation system to avoid frozen pipes and spigots.

4. Loosen the soil.
Regular aeration—once every couple of years, according to Frith—prevents soil from becoming compacted and covered with thatch, a thick layer of roots, stems, and debris that blocks water, oxygen, and nutrients from reaching the soil. A core aerator corrects both problems by punching holes through that thatch and pulling up plugs of soil. “It’s a good idea to aerate a lawn right before fertilizing,” Frith says. “All those holes in your turf will let the fertilizer reach right to the roots, where it can do the most good.”

5. Add fertilizer.
Just as grass roots need water to last the winter, they also benefit from a shot of the plant sugars that protect roots from freezing and give the entire plant the energy to bounce back in the spring. Those sugars are produced by chlorophyll, which grass produces in abundance when there’s enough nitrogen. That’s why Frith recommends a late-fall application of a slow-release granular 24-0-10 fertilizer. The numbers indicate the percentage by weight of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively. Potassium is also important at this time because it aids in root growth, disease protection, drought tolerance, and cold resistance. (A soil test can tell you how much of each nutrient your lawn actually needs.) Frith cautions against spreading fertilizer close to waterways, however; they are vulnerable to contamination from runoff. Lawn Doctor’s company policy is to maintain a 5-foot buffer wherever water is present.

6. Spread seed.
“A dense lawn also is good protection against weeds,” Frith says, which is why it’s important to overseed existing turf. Not only does that fill in thin spots or bare patches, it allows you to introduce the latest in resilient, drought-tolerant grasses. Fall is the best time to overseed because the ground is still warm, moisture is more plentiful, nights are cool, and the sun is not as hot during the day. But even then, “overseeding is one of the most challenging lawn-care chores,” Frith says. You can’t simply broadcast seeds over an established lawn and expect them to take hold. They need to be in full contact with the soil, kept moist until they germinate, and be well enough established before it gets too cold. Renting a slit seeder is a better option than broadcasting, but those machines are notorious for tearing up turf and leaving your lawn looking like a harrowed field. Frith says that Lawn Doctor’s proprietary Turf Tamer power seeder, which sows seeds by injecting them into the soil, is a less-damaging option.

7. Stay on schedule.
Each of the steps above has to be done at the right time for best results. Otherwise, it’s wasted effort. For instance, overseed too late and the seedlings will be too tender to survive. Fertilize too early and the grass will send up tender blades that will get hammered by the cold. Fertilize too late and the grass roots won’t be able to absorb all those nutrients you’re feeding them. Thinking about aerating in the spring because you can’t get around to it this fall? Don’t bother. Spring aeration just makes it easier for weed seeds to get established.

If sticking to the schedule during the fall is proving too difficult, a lawn care service can handle the jobs that aren’t getting done. Most often, those are the ones that require renting heavy machinery like core aerators and slit seeders, which are hard to transport, a bear to operate, and often in short supply at the rental yards at this time of year. Delegating one or two of those chores to a pro during this busy season will ensure the work gets done when it should—and that you will be enjoying a thick carpet of green grass next year.

Source: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/7-lawn-care-musts-your-fall-yard

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