Some prospective clients may be nervous to work with an agent who doesn't have a proven sales record. Learn what you can do to overcome their objections and earn their trust. Listen to Drive With NAR.

Agent Melyssa Hollister helped her clients attract multiple bids for this four-bedroom home in Toronto. "It was a good home—it showed beautifully with a lot of staging and updating," Hollister said.

Volunteer work as a team activity can prevent burnout since it encourages time away from the typical workday, HR executive Deb LaMere writes. Whether leaders organize a companywide day of service or provide paid time off for volunteering, these acts demonstrate the company's values, create in-person connections and broaden employee skills, LaMere notes.

Uncommon sales results require uncommon sales approaches, such as pitching to struggling companies and employing "quad tap" outreach that uses multiple channels, writes Nate Nasralla, founder of business-to-business sales software firm Fluint. Nasralla's roundup of unconventional but fruitful sales tactics also includes "popcorn pricing" and communicating about tense topics.

See this eerily bold design style, which includes wrought-iron statement light fixtures paired with black accents and ultra-glamorous wallcoverings.

Freddie Mac says mortgage rates will continue to be an important lever for homebuying demand, noting a recent drop in rates and concurrent increase in the number of buyers. "While mortgage rates have resumed their decline, the market remains hypersensitive to rate movements, with purchase demand experiencing large swings relative to small changes in rates," Chief Economist Sam Khater said.

Entryways mark the first impression inside homes and designers say that planning, decluttering and efficient storage can help make them look great.

Oklahoma City, Birmingham, Ala., and St. Louis are among the cities with the lowest rents, according to Kiplinger.

If you're a young pro who's killing it in sales and customer service, stand up and be counted among the industry's brightest rising stars. NAR members under the age of 30 (as of May 31, 2023) have until noon CT Wednesday to apply for REALTOR® Magazine's 2023 class of 30 Under 30.

Residents are moving out of Biddeford, Maine, due to rising housing costs, prompting the local government to look for ways to address the problem. "We're trying to help stop long-term residents from being priced out," said City Council member Doris Ortiz.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has told Congress the U.S. likely will reached its debt ceiling Thursday and urged prompt action from lawmakers to remediate the situation, also noting that the Treasury will take "extraordinary measures" to stave off default. The issue is expected to prompt contentious debate and some resistance in Congress, but Yellen said, "Failure to meet the government's obligations would cause irreparable harm to the U.S. economy, the livelihoods of all Americans and global financial stability."