The growing adoption of voice assistants in smart home technology raises privacy and data security concerns. Many devices, particularly those from major tech companies like Amazon and Google, collect and monetize consumer data without fully disclosing to the end user how that data is utilized. Share these tips to help clients protect themselves.

Some brokerages are reaching a crossroads. "Our margins have nearly evaporated," says Ben Schachter, GRI, president of The Signature Real Estate Companies in Boca Raton, Fla. Though it's always been important, brokers are finding that creating additional revenue streams and reducing expenses are more important than ever. Here are some of their strategies.

Consumer preferences are shifting toward digital marketing when selecting financial advisors, with younger demographics leading the change. The study by Ficomm Partners reveals that only 17% of consumers under 44 require a referral, while 57% prefer digital marketing methods. This trend underscores a growing demand for transparency and convenience, with digital platforms providing the means for advisors to meet these evolving expectations.

More people use Facebook than any other social media platform to find and research products, Bazaarvoice reports in its Shopper Experience Index. YouTube followed closely, with 53% of respondents using it compared to Facebook's 54%, and social media enabled 82% more purchases in 2024 than in 2021.

Color, texture and patterns make for more playful backgrounds in unique, cozy spaces. In home staging, you can still embrace this hot trend, even without getting too wild. Here's how.

Home buyers are gaining leverage as bidding wars decline, with some sellers now willing to lower prices or offer incentives to close deals. The trend is driven by an increase in housing inventory, with Redfin reporting that new listings were up nearly 5% in January from the prior year, as well as softening buyer demand. However, competition may remain fierce for move-in ready homes in desirable areas.

Some multifamily REIT executives foresee the potential for rents to rise as new apartment construction declines and elevated costs continue to affect the housing market. Concerns about too much apartment supply have subsided, particularly in areas such as the West Coast, Northeast and Midwest.

Devices such as Amazon Alexa, Apple's Siri and Google Assistant are integral to smart home functionality, and users can enhance this by creating custom voice commands. This guide explains how to set up routines and shortcuts for each assistant, enabling personalized automation such as adjusting lights and playing music with a single command.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young proposed a guaranteed-income program during a housing summit to address challenges in the affordable housing market, where investors often compete with first-time buyers for starter homes.

Inflation is rising again as central banks in wealthy countries lower interest rates, with figures showing increases in the U.S., U.K., Poland and Germany. Central banks are reducing interest rates despite inflation not yet reaching target levels, and this preemptive easing has led to concerns about rising inflation as economic growth has not significantly slowed, prompting questions about the timing of these rate cuts.