Affinity Group

10/22/2026

THIS WEEK'S NEWS & NOTES — EPISODE 2

Rates held at 7.40%. Almost everything else moved:
• Pending sales hit a RECORD LOW — contracts down 7.3% in September, weakest since 2001
• Builders are blinking — confidence at a 2012 low, 43% cutting prices
• Asking prices fell for the first time since March; a record 22% of listings have cut price
• No Fed rescue — a December HIKE is now expected; the MBA sees rates above 7% through 2027
• Doug Duncan at NADP: "two lock-ins and one lock-out" — plus his AI warning for agents

Bottom line: the agents who win the next two years sell strategy, not rate relief.

Full breakdown on my LinkedIn. Connect with me: Michael Zouglas · 314-501-6263 · [email protected] · www.onyx.homes

10/17/2026

STEALING A HOUSE WITH A PEN

A man pleaded guilty in federal court in St. Louis this week to stealing 14+ homes with forged deeds and fraudulent notary seals. Intended losses: $1.5M+. Three of the "owners" whose signatures he notarized were already dead.

The FBI calls property fraud one of the fastest-growing white-collar crimes in America — $1.3B in real estate fraud losses from 2019–2023.

Protect yourself — sign up for FREE Property Fraud Alert (email/text the moment anything records under your name):
St. Louis County: https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-departments/revenue/recorder-of-deeds/property-fraud-alert/
St. Louis City: https://stlouiscityrecorder.org/news/property-fraud-alert/
Or call 1-800-728-3858.

Dealing with distressed assets? My teams at REO Xpress & CRES handle asset management, REO disposition, title searches & title curative work:
Michael Zouglas · 314-501-6263 · [email protected] · www.onyx.homes

Full breakdown on my LinkedIn.

10/13/2026

PHILADELPHIA THIS WEEK.

I'm headed to the NTLA 2026 Fall Symposium — October 14–15 at The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia. It's the National Tax Lien Association's first national conference in Philadelphia in its 29-year history, and the room will be full of the country's top tax lien and tax deed investors, attorneys, lenders, and county officials.

Tax sales sit at the center of what we do. At CRES (Continental Real Estate Services), our work is the title curative and closing coordination that turns tax-sale properties into financeable, sellable assets. At REO Xpress, we manage and move distressed inventory for institutional clients every day. The lien-to-closing pipeline is where value is created or lost — and this symposium is where the people who run that pipeline compare notes.

If you're attending, I'd like to meet while I'm in town. DM me or text 314-501-6263.

— Michael Zouglas
REO Xpress · CRES

10/07/2026

🚨 THE MARKET HAS CHANGED. 🚨

It's official. U.S. home inventory just hit a 7-year high. Sales slowed for the third straight month. And supply is at its highest level in over a decade.

Here in St. Louis, nearly 1 in 5 listings cut their price in August. The homes that ARE selling? The ones priced right from day one.

I've sold 7,000+ homes over 25+ years — and I built my career in markets exactly like this one. Here's the one rule right now:

Price it right on day one — or chase the market down all fall.

Thinking about selling? DM me or text 314-501-6263. I'll tell you what your home is actually worth — not what you want to hear.

10/04/2026

Stop by 1413 Edgewood Drive and see Sheehan today from 1-3pm.

10/03/2026

Missouri agents — your license renewal (Sept 30) just passed, and year-end dues are next.

Association dues. MLS. E&O. Brokerage fees. Thousands a year just to keep your license alive.

If the business isn't paying for itself right now, you have a third option besides quitting or bleeding money: park your license at R3 Referrals.

Zero fees. Zero monthly costs. Your license stays active, you're part of a real business led by me and Rebecca Rose, and when someone you know wants to buy or sell, you refer them in and get paid.

R3 = Retain. Refer. Reward.
Retain your license. Refer your deals. Get rewarded.

Keep the license. Lose the overhead.

Comment R3 or DM me — takes five minutes to get set up.

09/27/2026

07/12/2026

Showings start today at the open house from 1-3pm!