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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| Mortgage Rates Start Week Higher | ||
| 8/17/2026 12:27 PM | ||
| After ending last week near the lowest level since July 17th, mortgage rates are moving up to start the new week. Motivations are familiar. Escalation in U.S./Iran tensions is pushing fuel prices higher and bond yields continue to correlate. Bond yields correlate with consumer interest rates with near perfection. In mortgage-specific terms, the av...Read More | ||
| Market Study, DSCR, POS, API Tools; Mortgage Rates and Capital Markets | ||
| 8/17/2026 10:41 AM | ||
| Some aren’t a fan of new federal escrow laws. Ten states have sued the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency over new federal rules that would prevent them from enforcing laws requiring national banks to pay homeowners interest on money held in mortgage escrow accounts. Some weren’t fans of 10 percent credit card caps, 50-year mortgages, portab...Read More | ||
| Under Some Pressure For Usual Reasons | ||
| 8/17/2026 8:43 AM | ||
| It"s just another day in post-Iran-war 2026. As such, bonds are taking cues from fuel price volatility which is in turn taking cues from the latest war-related headlines. In this morning"s installment, there were several headlines around 8:30am that didn"t help. The most relevant update involved Iran saying it was shifting to an offensive stra...Read More | ||
| Existing-Home Sales Ease Slightly, Remain Above Year-Ago Levels | ||
| 8/14/2026 2:10 PM | ||
| Existing-home sales remained relatively stable in July despite elevated mortgage rates, with activity declining modestly from June while remaining above year-ago levels. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, sales fell 1.7% from June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.06 million , but were 0.7% higher than in July 2025. ...Read More | ||
| As Expected, Mortgage Apps Bounce in Response to Rate Reversal | ||
| 8/14/2026 2:06 PM | ||
| Mortgage application activity rebounded last week as a moderate decline in mortgage rates provided some relief for both homebuyers and homeowners considering a refinance. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 3.6% increase in total application volume on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending August 7. Purchase applications i...Read More | ||
| Mortgage Rates Slightly Higher to End The Week | ||
| 8/14/2026 1:56 PM | ||
| First, the bad news: mortgage rates ended the day just a hair higher compared to Thursday, but the change was so small that many borrowers will see little--if any--difference in pricing. Now the good news: apart from yesterday afternoon, today"s rates would still be the lowest in 4 weeks (i.e. you"d have to go back to July 17th to see anything low...Read More | ||
| Wholesale Lender, POS, Mortgage Intelligence Tools; Non-Agency Trends: Who"s Doing What? | ||
| 8/14/2026 10:43 AM | ||
| If you think that profit per loan, or gain per unit, is based purely on size, think about this short video. “Profit” can also be a personal measure in terms of income versus expenses. Owning a home is all about having a job and spending less than you earn. Bankrate’s 2025 Wage to Inflation Index revealed that prices rose 23 percent since the start ...Read More | ||
| Good Luck Making Sense of Retail Sales Reaction | ||
| 8/14/2026 9:01 AM | ||
| Based on a few research papers that have attempted to quantify the impact of various economic reports as well as the general consensus among economic calendar purveyors, Retail Sales is allegedly a top tier market mover. In fact, a somewhat recent attempt by CME to rank econ data has in 5th place ahead of CPI, PPI, and PCE. But in our experien...Read More | ||
| Solid Data-Driven Gains | ||
| 8/13/2026 4:10 PM | ||
| Solid Data-Driven Gains Thursday was a fairly straightforward session for bonds. Yields fell modestly overnight in response to slightly lower oil prices and then more forcefully after the cooler-than-expected PPI data. Mid-day fuel price volatility caused a slight pull-back, but not enough to undo a reasona...Read More | ||
| Lowest Mortgage Rates in Nearly 4 Weeks | ||
| 8/13/2026 3:07 PM | ||
| Mortgage rates dropped noticeably on Thursday on a combination of lower oil prices and a lower inflation reading via the Producer Price Index (PPI). Rates are driven by bonds and bonds are highly responsive to the outlook for inflation and the economy. The Iran war caused inflation implications to spike and the periodic relief in fuel prices has co...Read More | ||