The August Group Inc. is your source for dependable Real Estate Appraisals in Saint Louis City and the following counties in Missouri; St. Louis, Franklin, Jefferson, Warren, Lincoln, St. Charles and St. Francois.Whether it's an older home or luxurious new construction, Jeffrey Noyes' experience and hours of study as licensed appraiser make him qualified to provide home valuations in Saint Louis City, St. Louis, Franklin, Jefferson, Warren, Lincoln, St. Charles and St. Francois County for clients ranging from national mortgage companies to local lenders or individual businesses and consumers.
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| Bombarded by Headlines, But Little-Changed | ||
| 5/18/2026 3:18 PM | ||
| Bombarded by Headlines, But Little-Changed Monday"s trading session ended up being an exercise in headline-watching, as has been the case on so many days since the start of the Iran war. Today was more active than normal in that regard. The earliest headlines (as covered in the AM commentary) were helpful u...Read More | ||
| Mortgage Rates Start Week at New 9 Month High, But Just Barely | ||
| 5/18/2026 2:34 PM | ||
| Mortgage rates hit their highest levels in more than 9 months at the end of last week. Now today, they"ve edged slightly higher yet again with the average top tier 30yr fixed rate at 6.68% versus 6.65% on Friday. This wasn"t necessarily destined to be the case today. In fact the day began with the average lender unchanged. But the underlying marke...Read More | ||
| Equity Tapping, Non-QM Hedging, AI Processing, Subservicing Tools; MBA Hallway Talk | ||
| 5/18/2026 10:43 AM | ||
| For those of you who like maps, here’s one of the states’ closing costs. And here’s something for companies who have training programs: New hires should check out the Business Glossary from MISMO. It covers business processes, events, calculations, documents, forms, regulations, AI terminology, and more. LOs of various ages tell me that people in t...Read More | ||
| Early Gains And Losses on Conflicting War Headlines | ||
| 5/18/2026 9:36 AM | ||
| Bonds began the overnight session by drifting somewhat higher in yield. The 10yr hit 4.63 before recovering modestly just before domestic trading began. Yields were still slightly higher at 7:30am but moved lower after headlines cited rumors that the U.S. agreed to lift Iran"s oil sanctions. Subsequent headlines cited a revised counter-proposal fro...Read More | ||
| Bonds Continued Drifting Weaker Throughout The Day (10yr Hit 4.6%) | ||
| 5/15/2026 4:12 PM | ||
| Bonds Continued Drifting Weaker Throughout The Day Nothing new or interesting happened during the course of the trading day. The key market movers were in place at the start of domestic trading. From an analytical standpoint, the morning commentary adequately recaps the day"s bond market motivations. Yields...Read More | ||
| April Housing Inflation Data Fills in The Dots That Went Missing During The Government Shutdown | ||
| 5/15/2026 1:12 PM | ||
| The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a highly technical research paper this week examining how the agency handled missing shelter inflation data during the October 2025 government funding lapse. The issue stemmed from the CPI’s housing survey, which was unable to collect rent data during the shutdown period. With no fresh survey results availab...Read More | ||
| Servicer Retention Fell in Q1, But Remains at Multi-Year Highs | ||
| 5/15/2026 1:04 PM | ||
| Refinance activity continued to recover in the first quarter of 2026, but mortgage servicers retained a smaller share of borrowers despite the stronger lending environment, according to the latest ICE Mortgage Monitor. ICE estimated that roughly 585,000 first-lien refinances totaling $242 billion closed during the quarter, up from a revised 5...Read More | ||
| Existing-Home Sales Flat Year Over Year Despite Inventory Gains | ||
| 5/15/2026 12:58 PM | ||
| Existing-home sales edged slightly higher in April, stabilizing after March’s decline as improving affordability and increased inventory provided modest support for buyers. Sales increased 0.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million , matching the pace seen one year ago. “Despite mixed macroeconomic signals—including a record-hi...Read More | ||
| Purchase Activity Lifts Mortgage Applications Despite Higher Rates | ||
| 5/15/2026 12:52 PM | ||
| Mortgage applications increased modestly last week, as stronger purchase activity more than offset a slight decline in refinances. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 1.7% increase in total application volume on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending May 8. The gain was driven entirely by home purchase demand, which contin...Read More | ||
| Mortgage Rates Surge Toward 8-Month Highs | ||
| 5/15/2026 11:40 AM | ||
| Mortgage rates are driven by bonds and the bond market hoped to see more evidence of shift toward peace during the 2-day Trump/Xi meeting in China. As soon as Trump got back on the plane to head home, bonds began tanking (i.e. jumping to higher yields). When bond yields spike, mortgage rates follow, and today is no exception. The average top-tier ...Read More | ||