Introduction
Carter Long is a Mortgage Loan Originator with Union Home Mortgage Corp. and a St. Pete native whose family has been in the real estate industry for generations. Carter has turned her passion for real estate and storytelling into a captivating social media presence that’s igniting new avenues of success. Finding Floridians, Carter’s TikTok, Instagram and Facebook brand, started as a simple way to meet new people, tour unique homes and show the more down-to-earth side of Florida’s everyday people (outside the all-too-familiar #FloridaMan). As her online presence continues to expand, Carter is not only breaking down barriers in the digital sphere but also unlocking exciting new opportunities to connect with clients, partners, and professionals alike. Editors' note: This transcription is an edited version of the much longer recorded conversation, which you can hear by pressing the play triangle.
Years in real estate
I’ve been a mortgage loan originator for about a year and a half, but I come from a long line of mortgage professionals. My whole family’s been in real estate, so I’ve been involved with it my whole life.
Why St. Pete?
This is where I’m from. I do also do loans across the state of Florida, but St. Pete is special just because that’s where I live. It’s nice to be driving down the road and be like, ‘Oh, I was part of that transaction on that house.’ So it really just brings it to all together.
What’s your speciality or favorite kind of transaction to be involved in?
I love first-time homebuyers. I think it’s very rewarding to be able to help someone through the process. A lot of times, the process seems so overwhelming, and it really does matter, the people that you have in your corner. Choosing the right people to be there with you is so important, to make sure you’re not feeling like you’re burdened through the process, and explain the process to you in a way that you can really understand and grasp it.
What’s a unique perspective you have on real estate that others may not have?
Being someone who really grew up in the real estate world is a unique perspective. My dad owned his first house when he was 18 years old and basically grew a real estate portfolio using what he learned from his dad. So I think being a part of a family that understands the importance of real estate and how you really can grow wealth through real estate. That’s something that I feel like people are starting to understand a little bit, but a lot of people don’t realize just how much real estate really is a great investment. You really can grow generational wealth from it, and I’ve seen it firsthand. My grandfather literally came from nothing and has grown a lot of his wealth that way, the majority of his wealth that way, so real estate really does affect generations to come and I see the fruit of that even in my life.
What is one piece of insight - a book, methodology or practice that you would share with our readers?
I think the methodology of using real estate to build generational wealth as someone who’s young, someone who’s a millennial. You know, millennials really are in that age of the purchasing process. So 33 is typically about the average age of a first-time homebuyer, so that’s a way that you can really start growing. You don’t have to buy your dream home as your first home. Buying a starter home is perfectly acceptable and perfectly OK. And what you can do is actually utilize that as a way to get into the home that you really are desiring. So that’s one thing I would say is an insight or a methodology, as a way of really being able to start that generational wealth. That’s one method that a lot of people have had success with.
What is one thing you wish you knew about your work 3 years ago?
With my social media presence, I’ve learned a lot about video editing. A few years ago, I was not really into all that, but my editing skills have come a long way. The nice thing about some of these platforms, especially TikTok, is that it doesn’t need to be professional and super-slick to be entertaining.
What’s one thing you wish buyers or sellers knew in advance, to optimize their real estate experience?
You are typically not set in a loan for 30 years. Unless you have a 2% interest rate, then yes, you probably are going to own that loan for 30 years. But if you have a higher interest rate and, say, interest rates come back down from the 7% they’re at now, then you always have the option to refinance. I know multiple people who have refinanced three, four times in the life of their loan because interest rates get better.
What’s next?
I want to continue growing my social media presence. My channel is called Finding Floridians, and it’s on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. Finding Floridians is all about finding people who live in Florida, interviewing them, talking with them, experiencing their lifestyle, and obviously, a big part of your life is your home. So I really wanted to encompass not only what they’re doing on a day-to-day basis in terms of that interview, what they do for work and different aspects of their life; really showcasing what it looks like to live here. Next, I really want to partner with different developers in the area and show how St. Pete and Tampa are growing and being developed. I really want to showcase all of the different aspects of living here.
