Talk on the economy kicks off REALTORS® Legislative Meetings, with panelists saying the debt ceiling must and will be raised—but Congress also needs to come to grips with ballooning debt.

Cash-strapped clients need guidance on choosing a loan that meets their needs. Know the different types they'll likely be interested in.

Proper documentation can help appraisers evaluate high-performance home features.

Businesses with a positive reputation benefit in recruiting top talent and overall financial health, say authors of USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations' "2023 Global Communications Report." PRSA was among the organizations that helped produce the report, which notes that earning a positive reputation "may be easier if you rely on data instead of stereotypes, and insights instead of instincts."

This two-bedroom bungalow outside Toronto sold in just three days, with only eight visitors before the offer came. "The reason it sold so quickly was the fact it was only 13 years old, but it's in one of our oldest and most established, central neighborhoods," agent Sharyn Hessin said.

Philadelphia-based Republic First Bancorp said it plans to shut down its mortgage business due to high costs. As part of the process, job cuts are underway in the bank's credit and lending teams in New York.

"Toxic ambiguity" can be a spreading, lethal form of "organizational rot," wasting time and leaving people unsure of what you mean, writes Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei. Signs that clarity is lacking in your company include fuzzy strategy, fuzzy communication, fuzzy accountability and fuzzy feedback.

NAR Treasurer Greg Hrabcak shares the Finance Committee's 2024 budget proposal, which is headed to the NAR Board of Directors on May 11.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development says that homelessness in most states rose between 2019 and 2022, with some seeing the number of homeless more than double. "The complexity of homelessness is often lost on people. It's not just housing or a certain kind of housing that's going to solve everything," said Mark Swann, executive director of Maine nonprofit Preble Street.

There were 253,000 jobs added to the nation's nonfarm payrolls in April, and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.4%. The numbers were stronger than economists had expected, and they have ramifications for many aspects of the economy, including how the Federal Reserve chooses to proceed with its mission to tame inflation.

There aren't any good ways for the country to avert "calamity" if lawmakers fail to raise the debt ceiling in time, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. Top lawmakers are set to meet with President Joe Biden this week, but Democrats and Republicans continue to disagree about the course forward. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said Senate Republicans are backing the legislation passed in the House, which calls for spending cuts along with raising the debt ceiling.