This time last year, houses sold almost as soon as they hit the market, even in more expensive markets. Now, as buyers retreat, selling a home in those same places will require more than throwing a listing into the MLS.

For green, vibrant grass, it is essential for homeowners to learn about aerating, seeding and watering their lawns to keep the curb appeal intact.

Millennials and Generation Z are increasingly tapping social platforms for purchase advice and insights while they're also poised to have more buying power, writes Hawthorne Advertising CEO Jessica Hawthorne-Castro. Performance marketers can appeal to these demographics by speeding up efforts to engage a fast-paced audience, supporting social issues, avoiding overpolished efforts and by knowing which platforms work best to reach audiences.

Real estate agents Julie and Lee Bernick have become popular with regulars at the Kazoku sushi restaurant in Minnetonka, Minn., due to the couple's weekly stint as bartenders there. The couple agreed to work just for tips as a way to support a former client and take a break from their daily routine.

Social seating, corner lighting and green veining are among "under the radar" interior design trends coming next year, according to Livingetc. Textured whites and curio cabinets will also be in style.

Increasing mortgage rates and slowing home price appreciation are leaving homeowners with less equity, with Black Knight Data & Analytics finding that "tappable equity" may have reached its highest point in May. "Annual home price appreciation still came in at over 14%, but in a market characterized by as much volatility and rapid change as today's, such backward-looking metrics can be misleading as they can mask more current, pressing realities," notes Ben Graboske, president of Black Knight.

Citigroup has reportedly terminated as many as 100 positions in its mortgage operation division, as have several rivals, due to the faltering mortgage market. In the year's first half, Citi's U.S. retail bank originated $7.2 billion in mortgages, a 15% year-on-year decline.

Startup Arrived Homes is adding short-term vacation rentals to its investing platform. The company established its platform by enabling investors to buy shares of single-family properties.

Climate change is intensifying weather patterns, and a major event can cause you to lose your business and many of your listings. What do you do next?

Work is underway on the transformation of a former American Red Cross building into workforce housing, a project supported by nonprofit Opportunity Alabama in Birmingham. "People's lives change when they attain safe, secure, affordable housing near the workplace," said Ed Ticheli, who purchased the building two years ago.

The Federal Reserve's Beige Book survey said the economy remained "unchanged, on balance," compared with early July and price increases have eased somewhat in nine of 12 Fed regions. However, the Fed found that most businesses still expect price increases and are raising wages to compete in the tight labor market, creating a "generally weak" outlook on the economy over the next year.