Newly built properties are not flawless. Bringing in an inspector for multiple checkups during construction can solve problems early.

Tune into an episode of NAR's "Real Estate Today" podcast to hear from NAR President Kevin Sears on the settlement agreement and what it means for the association, its members and the industry. The episode is live at facts.realtor.

If you are an NAR member, you are covered by the settlement if:

• You are an independent contractor of any brokerage other than HomeServices of America or one of its affiliates.
• You are an employee of any brokerage other than HomeServices of America or one of its affiliates or one of the defendants in the settled cases.**

If you fall into one of these categories, you are covered even if your brokerage is not.

**At World Properties, LLC; Compass, Inc.; Douglas Elliman, Inc.; Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC; eXp Realty, LLC; eXp World Holdings, Inc.; Hanna Holdings, Inc.; HomeSmart International, LLC; Howard Hanna Real Estate Services; Keller Williams Realty, Inc.; Real Broker, LLC; The Real Brokerage, Inc.; Realogy Holdings Corp.; Realty ONE Group, Inc.; Redfin Corporation; RE/MAX, LLC; United Real Estate; or Weichert, Realtors®

Learn more facts about the settlement at facts.realtor.

Improve your company's ecommerce advertising response with these custom marketing strategies. Send special offers to returning customers, target discount seekers with sale promotions, give customers the ability to send a gift with a message, offer other relevant products to customers who make a purchase, and use "predictive" software to find customers likely to purchase within a specific time.

Generation Z and Alpha members are less enthused with Instagram due to their increased preference for anonymity, among other reasons, and an algorithm that favors influencer content, writes Rachael Previti, NinetyEight social media strategist. Brands can overcome this Instagram fatigue by creating content with "soul and nuance," using more real-life images and focusing on a "product in action" over product placement.

Leaders can better connect with their teams and inspire their success by ditching hedging phrases such as "seems like" or "I believe," asking thoughtful questions and using pronouns such as "we" to build collaboration and "you" to increase engagement, says Wharton School marketing professor Jonah Berger. Using words to become a persuasive and inspiring leader is something anyone can learn, and Berger suggests recording yourself to catch verbal ticks that may be undermining your leadership.

A two-bedroom penthouse in Manhattan has hit the market for $15 million as the only residence available in this building that offers monthly rentals with high-end hospitality management. "This is a new category of ultra-high-end luxury residence for people looking for flexibility and privacy along with services and amenities," said listing agent Erin Boisson Aries, of Douglas Elliman.

This Toronto property, owned by an interior designer, underwent a complete revamp inside, while maintaining its outer aesthetic.

Virtual reality is finding a bigger place within marketers' toolboxes and is poised to more than triple in five years to more than $204 billion, per The Harris Poll. Will Johnson, The Harris Poll CEO, details three key VR trends, such as 38% of Generation Z has used VR and 38% of baby boomers and Gen X members are interested in it, though their use lags younger generations.

Idaho real estate professional Launee Wolverton packs handbags and backpacks with essential products and gives them to homeless and underprivileged women.

Create a resilient and agile workplace culture -- which can increase employee engagement and profits -- by adapting to new innovations quickly, changing people's job roles to meet new demands and treating setbacks as learning experiences, says Meghan Stettler, director at the O.C. Tanner Institute. "It's important for organizations to set the tone and send a clear message that resilience is more than just an endurance sport -- it's a cultural shift that requires the organization, leaders, and employees to each adopt nimbly resilient principles and practice behaviors that will allow them to build relationships, identify new solutions, and advance a forward-thinking perspective to change," Stettler says.

Affordable housing is often overlooked during the college application process, and high off-campus rent can derail a student's plans, forcing them to find extra work, experience homelessness or postpone their studies, writes author Sara Goldrick-Rab in this opinion piece. Options to address the issue include expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and adopting rent-free cooperative and nonprofit housing supported by public transit and utility assistance, Goldrick-Rab writes.

The US Federal Reserve should "push back" rate cuts following "disappointing" inflation data, Fed governor Christopher Waller said in a speech on Wednesday. "Shorter-term inflation measures are now telling me that progress has slowed and may have stalled," Waller said, making it "appropriate to reduce the overall number of rate cuts or push them further into the future."