With summer around the corner, many homeowners would rather enjoy the sunshine than mow the lawn. These technologies can help save time and keep the home secure.

NAR's proposed settlement agreement allows compensation to remain a choice for consumers when buying or selling a home. NAR continues to believe that offers of compensation help make professional representation more accessible, decrease costs for home buyers to secure these services, increase fair housing opportunities and increase the potential buyer pool for sellers.

The settlement does not change the ethical duties that NAR members owe their clients. REALTORS® are always required to protect and promote the interests of their clients and treat all parties in a transaction honestly (Article 1, COE). NAR members will continue to use their skill, care and diligence to protect the interests of their clients. Get more facts about NAR's proposed settlement agreement at facts.realtor.

Starting Aug. 17, the MLS will no longer be a platform for communicating offers of compensation. Here are other methods you can use.

Effective sales teams include hunters who chase new opportunities and farmers who cultivate relationships, writes sales expert Trey Morris. "By understanding their strengths, providing tailored training, fostering collaboration, setting clear goals, and recognizing their achievements, you create an environment where both types of salespeople can thrive," Morris writes.

The trend of transforming outdoor spaces into distinct "rooms" maximizes square footage with areas to cook, dine, relax, garden and be active.

Christophe Choo is the listing agent for this Los Angeles mansion, a restored 13,000-square-foot compound that dates to the 1920s. The property features 10 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms.

It's not too early to start thinking about upcoming federal regulations that will step up reporting requirements for cyberincidents and ransom payments. Sinan Pismisoglu of the Bradley Arant Boult Cummings law firm outlines the law's journey through the rule-making stage and how the Department of Homeland Security will establish a sub-agency to handle the reporting.

Talking with frontline workers at Yum! Brands restaurants helped David Novak, the co-founder and former CEO and chairman of the company, identify better processes and recipes, but first, he had to recognize his prejudgment that the workers wouldn't have anything of value to add to the company. "The more you make the effort to learn about diverse ideas and worldviews from more diverse people, the deeper and more robust your learning will be, and the more effective action you'll be able to take with it," Novak writes.

Higher interest rates and construction costs, along with tighter financing, have led some apartment developers to scrap or delay projects. "We certainly are seeing a decline in construction," said Robert Dietz, the National Association of Home Builders' chief economist. "Deals and financing have dried up."

Amid a booming economy, U.S. households are enjoying record levels of investment income, with figures reaching about $3.7 trillion from interest and dividends in the first quarter. This financial growth, alongside rising household wealth and employment, continues to drive consumer spending despite inflation concerns. The increase in asset values and investment income, however, poses challenges for the Federal Reserve's inflation targets.