Despite housing affordability and economic challenges, real estate firms are showing resilience, leaning into repeat clients and referrals, training and technology and even expanding into add-on services, according to NAR's 2025 Profile of Real Estate Firms, a survey of more than 4,500 real estate executives. And more than one-third expect their profitability to rise by year's end.

Kerri Hartnett, principal broker at Premiere Property Group in Astoria, Ore., shares how she keeps the referral pipeline on full-blast. Networking with neighbors, local business owners, and other agents and brokers is central to her success.

Invitation Homes CEO Dallas Tanner weighs in on the state of the housing market, noting that lower mortgage rates and more clarity about the cost of capital could encourage activity. Meanwhile, "it feels like the housing consumer might be a little bit stuck, [and] not sure what to do," Tanner says. "By and large, there is just not the velocity you'd like to see in the housing system right now."

U.S. construction spending unexpectedly rose 0.2% in August, with home renovations likely being a key factor, according to the Commerce Department. Spending on private construction increased 0.3%, with residential construction up 0.8%. Spending on multifamily housing units gained 0.2%.

A historic home in Port Jefferson, N.Y., has been listed for $785,000. Built in 1835, the four-bedroom house has been meticulously maintained and updated, retaining original features such as the staircase while incorporating modern amenities like central air and natural gas heating. The listing agent is Lynn Sabatelle of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty.

Commercial real estate brokerages are ramping up mergers and acquisitions as the market shows signs of recovery, with debt becoming cheaper and dealmaking increasing. Major transactions include Compass' $1.6 billion purchase of Anywhere Real Estate and CBRE's $1.2 billion acquisition of Pearce Services.

Google Assistant has received the Mashable Readers' Choice Award for its performance as a smart home hub, excelling in smart home controls, voice recognition and programmable actions. Users highlight its reliability and integration with various devices.

The practice of charging excessive rates or denying coverage for affordable housing developments is worsening the affordable housing crisis, according to a New York Housing Conference analysis, which found that insurance costs for such housing in New York City have risen 103% in the past four years, now representing 22% of rent for a one-bedroom unit. This practice, often based on unproven stereotypes about low-income tenants, forces providers to accept higher deductibles, defer maintenance or even sell properties, potentially reducing the availability of affordable housing.