Thanks to reality television and the ubiquity of social media, first-time buyers often come to transactions knowing exactly what they do and don't want. But the current market—complete with high prices and slim inventory—poses new challenges for this group. Listen to Drive With NAR for new strategies when it comes to working with first-timers.

The networking, education and support that the Women's Council of REALTORS® provides are often a boon to business for active and engaged members.

Employee-recognition programs, which can help retain workers, can take many different approaches from a day off to a cash bonus, writes Murali Nethi, founder and CEO of SnapBlooms, a flower-delivery service. A reward program should be tied to stated objectives, promote the company's mission, ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate and provide choices for workers on how they wish to be recognized or rewarded, Nethi writes.

Gamification, try-before-you-buy augmented reality options and employing user-generated content within interactive experiences can help social commerce marketers boost consumer reach, engagement and sales, according to Forbes Agency Council members. Also worth considering: Use artificial intelligence tools to scale efforts, show content in-store to drive online product searches and apply a franchise model by enlisting influencer storefronts.

Perfect for twilight listing photos, these star-inspired gardens bring a new level of style to a home's exterior.

Despite challenges many first-time buyers face, there are still some markets where money can go further, such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Real estate professionals should make clients aware that conditions vary from city to city and neighborhood to neighborhood.

A recent report from Zillow reveals that home prices in tech hubs like Austin, Texas, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif., have experienced a year-over-year decrease since May 2022.

Artificial intelligence-powered ChatGPT generally lacks the prowess to detect and understand humor and craft original humorous content or jokes, according to various research reports. Matt Southern suggests brands using AI to engage audiences with nuanced humor "may not yield the desired results" and notes its "essential to understand the model's limitations and strengths."

Bank of New York Mellon is working with Black-owned fintech startup MoCaFi to improve access to banking services for underserved populations. MoCaFi's digital payment technology is being harnessed to assist BNY Mellon's outreach to consumers who have no access to traditional financial services, with an aim toward mitigating the racial wealth gap.

The Federal Reserve is expected to maintain its current benchmark rate of 5% to 5.25% at its policy meeting this week, the first time it has skipped a rate hike since March 2022. Investors will be closely watching the central bank's quarterly dot plot, which is expected to project a benchmark rate of 5.1% at the end of the year.