One in five reported reducing their prices in the past month to increase sales and limit contract cancellations. But a better outlook may be on the horizon, says NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

A blog is a great way to present yourself as a subject matter expert, bring useful content to your audience and grow your following as a real estate agent. Getting started can be the hard part, though. There are some important questions you want to ask before you get started.

More than half of small-business owners are being proactive in addressing future business risks, according to a recent Bank of America survey, writes Sharon Miller, president of small business and head of specialty banking and lending. Miller recommends small-business owners do a SWOT -- strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats -- analysis of their business, do what they can to retain loyal customers, find financing if needed and look for new revenue streams.

While a broad slowdown is hitting residential real estate, not all markets will experience a downturn, with many areas still positioned for price appreciation. Moody's Analytics anticipates that prices will rise the most in Albany, Ga.; New Bern, N.C.; Augusta, Ga.; and Hartford, Conn.

Home Depot saw record sales last quarter, a positive sign amid broader news of a slowdown in housing. "We expect consumer demand to shift towards smaller scale remodeling projects, as individuals see their homes as stable investments during economic uncertainty," analyst Shoggi Ezeizat says.

Ruffles and chintz are seen as a rebellion against the minimalist aesthetic and "gray-washing" of interior spaces. "There's a lot more joy and interest to be found in a more maximal interior," says Anna Marcum, an architectural historian.

Anna Cheniuntai, CEO of Apis Cor, provides leadership insights as a woman running a company that uses 3D printing technology and robots to construct buildings. "With technology that is portable and mobile, construction becomes a viable career opportunity for women, retirees and anyone else who wrote off the industry due to the physical hard work needed," Cheniuntai writes.

Racially segregated neighborhoods experience more challenges when it comes to affordable housing, as well as crime and lower ratings for schools and public services, according to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Harvard and National Public Radio. "To me, it says a lot about the impact of poverty—and what do we need to do to increase incomes so that people are able to achieve a higher quality of life?" says Katherine Hempstead, a senior policy adviser at the foundation.

Commercial buildings are seeing more restrictive insurance terms for older roofs and for buildings in areas where there are wildfires, windstorms and severe convective storms, such as parts of Florida, according to experts. In some cases, insurers are limiting payouts to actual cash value on roofs constructed five years ago, says Jeff Buyze of USI Insurance Services.