Not everyone understands or recognizes the vital role of diversity in real estate. Some even see the DEI movement overall as unfairly hostile toward people who are perceived to be privileged. This is a misguided notion—but one that real estate pros must confront in their quest to support a freer, fairer real estate market. But how? Listen to "Drive With NAR."

Real estate brokers say mentoring less experienced practitioners helps generate new ideas to keep company leadership fresh.

You probably have a story you always tell from your time in the field. Whether it's poignant, funny or a bit nerve-wracking, we want to hear about it. Submit your story and you might end up in REALTOR® Magazine!

Women's elite sports will generate more than $1 billion in revenue this year, according to a Deloitte forecast, and brands including Coca-Cola, Nike, Google and Delta Airlines are increasing their investments to promote these teams and athletes. The massive spending power of women and girls means brands will need to focus on messages of authenticity and empowerment to tap into this "girl economy," writes Jodi Bondi Norgaard, founder of Dream Big Toy Co. and the Go! Go! Sports Girls doll line.

Homeowners are growing their equity while buyers are getting sticker shock. Read more from NAR's latest quarterly report.

Boston-area real estate broker Rich Rosa helped his clients stay the course to becoming first-time homeowners after being outbid multiple times. The right property eventually came along, but patience and persistence were key, Rosa says.

Apartment landlords have been lowering rents and offering more concessions for luxury units and high-end single-family homes, and Yardi Matrix reports that U.S. rents only rose 0.3% last year. However, prices were up 2% in December on a year-over-year basis for middle- and lower-tier apartments.

Faced with a shortage of technology-oriented workers, companies increasingly are turning to upskilling, experts say. The numbers support training as an alternative to endless recruiting, in addition to goodwill generated throughout the workforce.

John Kerry, who has served as a senator, a U.S. Secretary of State, and most recently, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, says good leaders surround themselves with people with different viewpoints to see issues from every angle. "I want people who are going to offer creative, exciting, thoughtful approaches to big challenges, and then when I've made the decision, be ready to go out and be a team player and help implement it," Kerry says.

The Louisiana Housing Corporation is planning to create a nonprofit unit to expand funding to address housing shortages across the state. "We are hoping to receive nonrestrictive funding," said LHC's Marjorianna Willman, adding that different communities have their own unique housing needs.

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester has indicated that last week's better-than-expected labor market data would not affect the Fed's rate-cut plans for the year. While the labor market had proved to be "remarkably resilient," indicators pointed "to some moderation," Mester says. She expects "further moderation of wage growth," adding that "if the economy evolves as expected, I think we will gain [the confidence to cut] later this year, and then we can begin moving rates down."

Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler has expressed confidence in an ongoing decline of inflation, signaling a possibility for interest-rate reductions this year, as she emphasizes a need for sustained improvement in inflation metrics. While acknowledging potential geopolitical risk, Kugler has underscored factors such as moderated wage growth and evolving business price-setting practices as contributors to slower price increases, offering optimism for the economy's trajectory.