These insights will help motivate agents who may need a helping hand.

New research shows that house hunters are willing to accept a smaller property as long as it has these key amenities.

Salespeople will see more success if they seek to connect with customers to discern their needs, set up a structure to keep track of lead sheets for better conversions and track all of their activity, writes Jordan French. "The only way to fully understand where your lead conversion may be faltering is by looking at every piece of the process and how many minutes are truly being utilized in a day to bring in revenue," French notes.

The use of AI makes it difficult to determine the authenticity of content for 72% of consumers, per poll results from Publicis Media and Yahoo, and 25% notice related disclosures, which boosts brand trust by 96% by those consumers. While AI is viewed positively by 77% of advertisers, only 38% of consumers feel the same.

Borrowing costs, which are rising toward 7% again, are putting a damper on the housing market.

From outdoor spaces to flea markets, interior designers share sources of inspiration. "I collect vintage design books and consider them the biggest source of inspiration," designer Ariel Okin says.

Connecticut real estate pro Maria Phillips provides care packages, educational opportunities and scholarships to kids whose parents are deployed overseas.

A recent Bankrate survey reveals that the majority of prospective homeowners view the high cost of living and inadequate incomes as significant obstacles to buying a home in the current market. Additional hurdles include the absence of financial assistance and the burden of student loan debt.

The core personal consumption expenditures price index, an inflation gauge closely watched by the Federal Reserve, increased 0.4% in January from the prior month and 2.8% from the prior year. Meanwhile, in a speech on Thursday, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee noted that interest rates "are pretty restrictive," suggesting that the economy could see more improvements in inflation this year.

How fast the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates will depend on economic data to come this week, three Fed officials have said. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins and New York's John Williams said the first cut would likely occur "later this year," and Atlanta's Raphael Bostic said he is expecting a cut in the summer.