President Kevin Sears announced Monday that Nykia Wright has been appointed as the permanent CEO of the National Association of REALTORS®, effective immediately. Wright has been serving as interim CEO since November 2023, guiding NAR through a period of significant transition. Her background in driving organizational transformation, fostering inclusivity and managing change makes her well suited to lead NAR into its next chapter.

If you've noticed one of your agents spinning their wheels without making any progress, it might be time to intervene. Here's how.

Mark Penn, CEO of Stagwell, explains why AI will not replace marketers or creativity, taking a look back at how advertising and technology have been interlinked throughout history. "Technology and AI will satisfy the simple cases, but they won't eliminate creativity, interpretation, insight and analysis -- all of which marketing encompasses," Stagwell writes.

He adds, "Creativity will continue to thrive; it goes hand in hand with new technology as it always has since the invention of the coin."

Cakes Body, Duolingo and Zenni Optical are using TikTok to boost awareness and sales in different ways. Affiliate marketing, memes, trend jumping and tips are among the strategies being used on the platform.

Here are six tips to ease possible tension with sellers when staging their home.

A Malibu, Calif., home with Hollywood connections, inspired by modern architect Le Corbusier, is on the market for $7.25 million. The 3,092-square-foot estate, featured in the film "The Canyons," is being listed by Tony Mark of Compass.

The Canadian smart-home market is experiencing strong growth, driven by the adoption of home automation devices from companies like Samsung, LG, Amazon, and Google. In Ottawa, real estate has shown resilience with a significant increase in sales, particularly in the condominium market, where smart-home technology is becoming a key selling point.

If you're celebrating your staff for coming in under budget, or conversely for hitting big numbers or for putting in long hours, you could be doing irreparable harm to your company culture, writes Scott Cochrane. Long hours, not spending an entire budget and celebrating big numbers outside of their context could be encouraging burnout, discouraging investment in critical areas of growth or masking a more significant downward financial trend, Cochrane notes.

Despite a recent decrease in Austin, Texas, rental prices, the city continues to face challenges in providing affordable housing. The reduction in rents has not significantly alleviated the struggles of many residents, especially as demand for affordable units remains high and new developments are often unaffordable for low-income families.

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee noted that there is no certainty that the Federal Reserve will reduce interest rates in September, but he also highlighted the risk of waiting too long to take action. "If you keep too tight for too long, you will have a problem on the employment side of the Fed's mandate," Goolsbee said.