Along with differentiating your brokerage, top notch training will facilitate your agents'—and firm's—success. Here's the lowdown on what, when and how to teach your team.

Workplace "alphas" are often portrayed as "competent jerks," but David Sinkinson, the cofounder of AppArmor, writes that in the animal kingdom, alpha leaders work collaboratively within their community, express empathy and lead by example, something human leaders should emulate. "Don't buy into toxic alpha behavior because you think it's necessary for business," Sinkinson writes.

Red Website Design's infographic highlights 10 common content marketing mistakes and offers solutions to avoid them. The infographic covers issues such as inconsistent posting, ignoring analytics and poor audience targeting, providing actionable steps for marketers to improve their strategies.

While solar panels and tankless toilets offer immediate appeal, real estate pros can highlight other green home features to help close the deal. Educating buyers on the benefits of energy-efficient basements can help boost your listing's appeal.

With rising inventory and the expectation of continued Fed rate cuts, increased sales can't be far behind.

Single-family rents increased by 2.4% year over year in August, marking the slowest annual growth since fall 2023, according to CoreLogic. However, rent growth was higher in certain metro areas, including the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett region in Washington and New York-Jersey City-White Plains.

Smart technology is transforming home security, and a recent ranking highlights the best systems for 2024 based on features and integrations. Abode and ADT offer integration with existing platforms, while SimpliSafe and Frontpoint are highlighted for accessibility.

Voters across the U.S. will decide on numerous housing-related ballot measures this November, including California's Proposition 33, which would lift limits on rent control. Other local measures in California and elsewhere could also have an impact on multifamily housing, landlord-tenant relationships and affordable housing.

Banks are extending commercial real estate mortgages to avoid recognizing losses, potentially increasing risks to the financial system, according to a paper by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. "Banks 'extended-and-pretended' their impaired CRE mortgages in the post-pandemic period to avoid writing off their capital, leading to credit misallocation and a buildup of financial fragility," according to the paper. While the situation has not yet caused widespread problems, it could lead to significant issues in the near future, particularly for weakly capitalized banks, the paper said.

The Federal Reserve's Beige Book indicates that U.S. economic activity remained steady from September through early October, with a slight increase in hiring but declining profit margins due to input prices rising faster than selling prices. Inflation pressures have moderated, the survey showed, and businesses are cautious amid uncertainty surrounding the upcoming presidential election.