With Memorial Day behind us, it’s basically official: It’s summertime! While the start of summer isn’t technically until June 21, long, hot, sunny days are near (if not in your zone already). That means it’s prime time for heat-loving plants of all kinds. If you’re behind in the season and late to plant your summer picks, don’t worry! You’re not alone. There are no due dates or a final day when things have to be in the ground — it’s all an estimation. Every season is different, and every year is different. Use the Farmers’ Almanac knowledge of typical last frost/first frost dates as a starting point, and then build on that based on your own experiences. June isn’t the beginning of the planting season, but it’s not the end, either. In fact, there are lots of things you can get in the ground this month that will happily grow all summer long. Remember: While these “what to plant” guides serve as a suggested outline for gardening through the seasons, keep in mind that having and maintaining a garden isn’t always a predictable task. It requires you, the gardener, to be fluid and flexible in your practices, to explore, to learn, and to hold knowledge for a future date. It can sometimes feel like you’re being blindsided — like by a late, unexpected frost that kills your tender baby plants. But sometimes you can feel invincible, like a master of your own outdoor domain. Here, a starter guide for what to plant in your garden or containers this month. Summer-Producing Veggie and Herb Seeds I’ll admit that I was a gardener that thought you had to start all your veggie seeds indoors, and that direct sowing had to take place in the middle of spring. The truth is that a lot of quintessential summer-producing veggies tend to grow faster if they’re planted in the early summer since the soil has had a chance to get nice and warm — perfect for baby seed germination. That’s right: Even procrastinators can plant fast-growing vegetable seeds now for harvest this summer. Add some herb seeds to your shopping list, and later this summer, you’ll be able to cook and season a full meal directly from your garden. Here are some top picks to shop for: Cucumbers Beans Melons Scallions Basil Sage Colorful Annual Blooms It’s definitely not too late to plant annual flowers, either. You might have started off spring with some cool weather-friendly flowers like pansies or ranunculus; if you plant a new round of heat-tolerant (or heat-loving) flowers by mid-to-late June, you’ll have fresh color until fall’s killing frost. Make sure to choose flowers suited to how much sun your patio or garden gets. For a little color, try these beginner-friendly picks: Sunflowers Zinnias Cosmos Dianthus Marigolds Celosia Dahlias A Second Crop If you were a go-getter with your spring planting and were able to get an early cool-weather crop in the ground, late June is the time to start thinking about planting a second round of veggie crops. This is especially true if you want to stretch your available harvest into late summer and early fall. Your best bet for these plants to mature in time for a harvest is to skip seeds and go straight to small plants, which should be readily available at your local home center or nursery. Other places to look out for fun and tasty varieties include grocery stores and farmers markets. Keep your eyes peeled for these picks: Squash Sweet Potatoes Greens Corn Peppers Tomatoes One more tip: Don’t forget to think ahead. If you want to do more planting in late summer or early fall, be sure to leave room in your garden for those picks. Setting aside some space for these plants now will prevent you having to undo any work later this year. It’s also worth keeping some plants on your radar for end-of-summer and early fall gardening, so you can get a jump on purchasing when those plants are easy to find. Foxglove, pansies, delphiniums, and grasses will all thrive if planted next season (some immediately, some next spring or summer). It’s never too early to think ahead!

4 Home Improvements That Don’t Pay (and 4 Better Options) It’s nice to live in a home that’s designed just the way you like, even if you have to spend money on remodeling. But when it comes to increasing a home’s value, some pricey home improvements won’t come close to matching the amount of money you invest. If you don’t plan on moving in the near future, recouping money may not be as important as knowing you’ll enjoy the remodeled space. But if your plan is to increase the value of your home, you may want to avoid projects that don’t offer a good return. Here are four home improvements that usually don’t recoup costs, along with alternatives that offer a better bargain. 1. Bathroom remodel Add up the cost of a new tub, sink, toilet, tile and labor, and it’s easy to see how a major bathroom remodel can run close to $18,000, as reported by Remodeling magazine. The finished product may resemble a luxury spa, but homeowners shouldn’t expect the value of their homes to increase by the full amount they spent on the upgrade. Homeowners typically recoup less than 66% in terms of increased value, according to the most recent Cost vs. Value Report from the magazine. Better bargain: Instead of overhauling the entire bathroom, focus on smaller but highly visible upgrades, such as new sink fixtures and showerheads. Even if you don’t recoup 100% of the money you spend, at least you won’t be out thousands of dollars. 2. Room addition Building an extra room can set you back anywhere from $40,000 (to add a new bathroom) to more than $115,000 (for a master suite). You’ll gain square footage, but you probably won’t gain as much value when it comes to the selling price, especially if your home’s size before the addition was in line with other houses in your neighborhood. Most room additions recoup around 65% of their cost in terms of added home value, according to the report. Better bargain: Hire an architect or interior designer to find ways to maximize your existing space. For example, you may be able to knock down some walls or eliminate a closet to get more usable space. These alternatives are usually much less costly than a room addition. If those solutions don’t work and your family needs more space, it may be a good idea to sell your home and find a bigger one. 3. Major kitchen upgrade A major kitchen remodel can include new appliances, flooring, custom lighting, countertops and an island. But the kind of features you see in dream home magazines are expensive. The average major kitchen remodel costs close to $60,000, and homeowners usually recoup only about 65% of that in added home value. Better bargain: Consider a minor kitchen remodel. Instead of replacing entire cabinets, you could change the cabinet fronts and hardware. And instead of replacing countertops and appliances, you could add a fresh coat of paint on the walls for a new look. A minor kitchen remodel is one of the best home improvements to recoup your money. The cost is usually less than half that of a major upgrade, but it returns about 83% of the value on average. 4. In-ground swimming pool The cost to build an in-ground pool can top $20,000, though the price can go much higher if you want options such as heating, a concrete lining and an attached hot tub. Pools also require a lot of upkeep: cleaning, adding chemicals, changing filters and installing a cover in the off-season. So even after you pay off the installation, you’ll still spend time and money to maintain it. The value a pool adds to a house varies widely by region, often running higher in warmer areas where people can enjoy pools year-round. But if there aren’t a lot of homes on your street with in-ground pools, don’t expect your home’s worth to skyrocket after you install one. In some places, homeowners could recoup as little as 30% of the cost of installation. Some buyers may even see a pool as a negative, because it requires so much work to maintain and could be a safety issue. Better bargain: If you want a water feature in your backyard, consider installing a small pond instead of a pool. An eco-friendly pond may blend better with its natural surroundings and require less upkeep. The typical price to install a small pond is $3,000, so it’s much less costly than a pool. Completing certain remodeling projects can make your home look great, but you may not get your money’s worth when it comes to overall home value. To get the most value, consider skipping these four money-losing upgrades, and go for the better bargain home improvements instead. This article originally appeared on NerdWallet.

How to Know You’re Mortgage Preapproval Worthy It’s the biggest hack to homeownership, and probably the most misunderstood: a home loan preapproval. How do you know when you’re financially set to get preapproved? Here’s what lenders look for and what you need to do if you’re not quite there. What you need for a mortgage preapproval Unlike a mortgage pre-qualification, a preapproval is more than just a conversation with a lender. You’ll have to submit quite a bit of paperwork, including employment verification and checking, savings and investment records. The lender will pull a credit report on you. The elements lenders look for in mortgage preapproval are the same industrywide: A minimum two-year employment history in the same job or field. A credit score of 620 or higher (in most cases). A savings track record. Financial asset records. Proof of down payment (3% to 20% of the home price, depending on the loan program). An “all-in” debt-to-income ratio of 43% or less. Usually, there’s no charge to apply for a mortgage and gain a preapproval, though some lenders will seek reimbursement for the fee to pull your credit. Job and credit history The two-year employment history rule has a little leeway; for example, if you are a recent graduate and have proof of future income from your employer. However, transitioning from a W-2 pay stub job to self-employment — without a two-year track record for your new business — is a “definite hard stop in today’s mortgage world,” Don Bleuenstein, national sales director of retail home lending with Flagstar Bank in Troy, Michigan, tells NerdWallet. He says a credit score of at least 620 is a “fairly hard rule.” But your credit score, which you can often obtain free of charge from a credit card company or bank, may not tell the whole story. While it’s hard to crack the code of all the different credit score models, Bleuenstein says that, in his experience, credit scores used for mortgages are tougher than the consumer credit FICO scores that have become readily available. This may be because for mortgage credit scores, it is your middle score that counts among the three providers, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. Also, you probably can’t count on your spouse’s or partner’s pristine credit score if the home will be in both your names. With two or more borrowers, the worst scoring party’s middle score is used, Bleuenstein says. . Assets and down payment “The ability to budget and save shows financial discipline,” says Staci Titsworth, regional manager for PNC Mortgage in Pittsburgh. “Sometimes clients receive gift money, and that’s fine, or they get a big bonus, and that’s great. We just have to show the underwriter the source of where those monies came from and that the monies were not borrowed.” However, lenders know we don’t live in an ideal world, she says. “Let’s face it, nobody’s perfect,” Titsworth says. “Life is not perfect. There are bumps in the road. People lose jobs; people experience job changes. People have unexpected expenses that they have to dip into their savings for. With that, it’s all about the documentation. It’s all about presenting their information to the underwriter that explains the financial ability to repay the mortgage.” Debt and income As for debt and income, Bleuenstein says lenders are looking for a debt-to-income ratio of 43% or less. That amount, called a back-end DTI, includes your mortgage payment. “So if you make $10,000 a month gross [before taxes], $4,300 is what all of your debt on your credit report needs to be under,” he says, including your future house payment, monthly property taxes and homeowners’ insurance as well as your credit card, student loan and/or car payments. But the numbers have a little wiggle room. Say your DTI is a bit high, perhaps 46%, but you’ve got a good credit score — for example, somewhere around 700 — and you have a 5% down payment in the bank; in that case you probably would get mortgage preapproval, Bleuenstein says. When to start the mortgage preapproval process Seeking a preapproval long before you start house hunting will accomplish one important goal: alerting you to any qualifying issues you may not be aware of. “What’s prudent is: Get preapproved now if you think you’re going to buy in the next year,” so you have time to fix any glitches, Titsworth says. Although preapprovals are usually valid for only 60 to 90 days, a lender will extend them if you update information about your current financial condition. And once you get mortgage preapproval, you can confidently shop for a home. The article How to Know You’re Mortgage Preapproval Worthy originally appeared on NerdWallet.