Increasing mortgage rates and higher home prices are weighing on new-home sales, which decreased 8.1% in June to 590,000 units, the lowest since April 2020, according to a Commerce Department report, which comes ahead of a Federal Reserve announcement expected this week of a large rate hike. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says resilient hiring numbers suggest the economy has not yet entered a recession, but there are signs of a slowdown.

One of the brokers from Netflix's hit reality show discusses the difference between real estate on TV and in real life—and why agents should know the difference.

If you know your audience, your message and how to garner attention online, great marketing can happen whether or not a brokerage offers a suite of marketing tools.

Agents may hear concerns from sellers that go beyond money when multiple offers come in on a property. "An extra $15,000 may not be important to a seller who's poured 10 years of their life into restoring a property and simply wants it to be preserved and appreciated by the right buyer," says Christian Adams, CEO of Repair Pricer.

The tiny house and micro apartment trend brings with it demand for appliances that function in small spaces, including compact refrigerators, ranges and laundry facilities. "Their overall cost is considerably less than larger homes and they're more energy efficient, which is appealing to a broadening group of homeowners," writes Michael McPeek.

Spiking mortgage rates are weighing on consumer demand as homebuilder sentiment wanes. Data from the National Association of REALTORS®, meanwhile, points to declining sales of existing homes.

TomoCredit, a San Francisco-based financial technology company, plans to expand into home loans after securing equity and debt funding totaling $122 million from backers that include Morgan Stanley's Next Level fund and Mastercard.

To help offset housing costs for staffers of the California School for the Deaf, petitioners are asking the state to build low-cost housing for new staff members on school grounds. Many staff members struggle to afford housing near the school, which has contributed to staffing issues.

New Orleans is adding nearly 200 affordable units with the support of Finance New Orleans, which offers developers tax breaks to create affordable housing. Finance New Orleans was established in 1978 as the Finance Authority and has a long history of supporting first-time buyers and development of affordable family homes.