The real estate market has seen steady and consecutive growth for the past five months. Though instead of growing the streak to six, June saw a lapse in the number of signed contracts for home buyers. The drop in June, 1.8 percent on the pending home sales index, brings it to 110.3 overall. Still, an improvement over the last 12 months where we saw a jump of 8.2 percent overall.

Pending sales act as a barometer for future purchases because of the lag, generally a month or two, which exists between contract and a completed sale. Does this decline indicate a peak in the steady growth we have over the last year or is this just a small hiccup in even bigger growth to come?

Healthy employees equal happy, productive employees and this year businesses across the country are making changes to ensure their employees have the best opportunities for health.

In fact, “93 percent of employers say that employee health is important to the bottom line; however, only 22 percent of small firms offer wellness programs,” according to one report commissioned by the National Small Business Association and Humana Inc.

The construction market is shifting at all times. Like other industries, construction firms merge and divest as industry growth ebbs and flows. The decision to associate with other partners can be crucial for success if based on the right business factors.

Construction firms need a lot of capital to be successful. In the case of homebuilding, the homeowner will pay only a small deposit with regular progress payments, but the homebuilder must buy all of the materials in advance and must pay laborers weekly. Thus, they are fronting a significant amount of capital before they, themselves, are paid. If deadlines slip or issues arise, this can strain their finances. When mergers and other activities impact their capital, they must take notice.

Ever go to a website and find so much information that it’s overwhelming? Or worse, you find so little information that you can’t get the answer you’re looking for? In either case, you likely left the site after only a short time.

Drawing customers in with content is a skill increasingly limited to social media and web savvy companies, as marketing organizations shift their platforms in pursuit of today’s digital-savvy consumers. Creating good content for the web might not seem easy, but it is often a necessity in today’s sales cycle and generally a great suggestion for any business.

Do a quick Google search on the term “rent prices” and you’ll see headlines like “The middle class is struggling to make the rent” and “Rent inflation shows no signs of letting up.” At the same time, the headlines on home buying read “Home Sales Surge as Prices Pick Up.”

So let’s get this straight, rent prices are up and unaffordable, but home prices are also increasing – what’s a person to do? If you’re trying to decide whether to renew the lease at your rental or sign up for that 30-year mortgage – read on to help you make that decision.