A townhome project in Charleston, dreamed up by local practitioners, "is a testament to what we can do when local governments, nonprofits and the real estate industry all come together," proponents say.

Relationship selling will always be in fashion, writes sales expert Colleen Francis, but it should go beyond superficial relationships and coffee dates. Francis recommends that salespeople should be willing to make their customers uncomfortable by "teaching them something new that maybe they didn't know, or pushing them to think differently about a challenge that they might be facing."

This food-centric episode of Entrepreneur's "Elevator Pitch" highlights the essential elements of a successful pitch: clarity, problem-solving and financial acumen. Three business insiders rate entrepreneur elevator pitches and detail the effective aspects of a pitch. Crucially, remember to make the ask at the end of the pitch.

The Federal Reserve signals a possible rate cut could come in September. Could that cause rates to drop even lower?

Investors are presented with a "great entry point" into commercial real estate in the current environment, says Chad Tredway, managing director and head of real estate Americas at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Fundamentals are strong, but investors can access appealing discounts. Tredway also discusses public and private real estate valuations and opportunities in the REIT space.

In her book Threshold: How Smart Homes Change Us Inside and Out, Heather Suzanne Woods explores the impact of smart-home technologies on our lives, suggesting that while marketed as utopian solutions for convenience and safety, they can sometimes complicate home management.

New Jersey real estate pro Michael Sclafani becomes a major fundraiser for families affected by the deadly disease after learning his buyer's story.

A short-term rental listing for a three-bedroom home in a historically Black neighborhood in Charlottesville, Va., included a controversial warning about its proximity to a low-income area, opening questions about a possible violation of federal fair housing policies. The listing was later amended.

The U.S. economy added 114,000 jobs in July, falling below expectations as the labor market continues to cool. Economists had forecast a gain of 175,000 nonfarm payrolls added. The unemployment rate also rose to 4.3%, above expectations of an unchanged 4.1%.

Half of central banks in developed economies have begun cutting interest rates, and the Federal Reserve looks set to do so in September. The Swiss National Bank, Bank of Canada, Sweden's Riksbank, European Central Bank, and Bank of England have all implemented rate cuts, while the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the Reserve Bank of Australia are anticipated to cut rates later this year.