NAR's advocacy leaders discuss the most pressing issues the association is working to address with Congress, including incentivizing state and local governments to relax zoning regulations and encourage more home construction. Watch the newest installment of the "Level Up" video series.

If you or your clients own rental property, consider these financial strategies to bridge your income during economic uncertainty.

Rachel Karten, a social media consultant, talks about working with brands such as West Elm and Cava and how it's now harder to stand out organically on social media. Karten discusses the importance of sharing "universal truths" to engage audiences via short-form video on TikTok and Reels, and about how being "mindful" in consuming social content is crucial to identify trends.

The unpredictable nature of consumers' lives, which have most recently been affected by factors such as pandemics, weather occurrences and artificial intelligence, has yielded "the new customer," according to a report from leadership network World 50. Consumers now want interactions that combine in-person and digital elements and a higher level of personalization and seek to "collect experiences instead of more stuff."

Existing-home sales are up and down—falling most recently in April, according to NAR data—as tight inventory and mortgage rates create uncertainty.

Baby boomers and millennials are finding themselves vying to purchase the same properties, fueling home sales even as the overall market cools. "Boomers are not downsizing and millennials—first-time buyers in particular—are buying later in life. This puts both generations of buyers in head-to-head competition for similarly sized properties," according to Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist and vice president of research at the National Association of REALTORS®.

VideoAmp is integrating with Google's Ads Data Hub clean room to help brands measure frequency and deduplicated reach across YouTube on linear and connected TV, desktop and mobile devices. The service is slated to launch at the end of this quarter and closely follows YouTube's recent iSpot.tv integration.

Firehouse Square, a 66-unit affordable housing development in Belmont, Calif., recently held its grand opening. "Living in Firehouse Square has been the biggest impact on my life, and I want to be a good example for my daughter, and having an affordable and permanent home that's ours is helping so much to change our lives," said resident Alexandria Simpson, a single mother.

NAR's president made the case in Capitol Hill testimony on Wednesday against unnecessary fees on home buyers at a challenging time for affordability.

With negotiators continuing to discuss the debt ceiling, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., have struck an upbeat tone. Biden said he was "confident" the country will avoid default.