Weekly Roundup | HOA Warranty

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Let’s make your week a little easier. The Empire Weekly Roundup newsletter brings you real estate tips, market know-how, and CE updates—all in one quick email.

🗣️ Quote of the Week

“If I had my way, I’d remove January from the calendar altogether and have an extra July instead."

― Roald Dahl (Author)

🚀 Featured Article

HOA Warranty — A New Safety Net for Deals in HOA Communities

As a real estate agent, you might have witnessed a promising deal nearly fall apart due to one pesky factor: the homeowners association (HOA). Imagine you’re selling a condo in an older building with only a few thousand dollars in its reserve fund. The buyers love the property, but they’re nervous – what if the roof needs replacing next year or the elevator breaks down? With the HOA’s savings so low, any big repair would mean a special assessment, i.e. an unexpected bill that each owner has to pay. That fear of a surprise HOA fee can send buyers running or lead them to demand hefty concessions from the seller. Sellers, on the other hand, understandably hate the idea of slashing their price or holding thousands in escrow for a “just in case” scenario. This standoff over HOA uncertainties is more common than you’d think, and it can derail otherwise solid transactions. In this article, we'll cover a promising new startup offering "HOA Insurance" during transaction closings.

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🏆 Trending on Empire Learning

🏘️ The Neighbor Test – When Clients Care More About the Block Than the House

“Is that a trampoline across the street? That dog barked twice.” These might sound like trivial observations, but many house-hunters are hyper-focused on neighbors, noise, and neighborhood vibes. In fact, an industry survey found 88% of people say the neighborhood is more important than the house itself when choosing a home. Buyers today often scrutinize everything from how well the neighbors maintain their yards to the sounds and sights on the block at all hours.

• Why Neighbors Matter So Much... No one wants to inherit problematic neighbors or a noisy street. Common neighbor issues like unkempt yards, loud pets, or constant noise can instantly turn off buyers, since “no one wants to inherit troublesome neighbors”. A messy home next door or junk in the yard drags down curb appeal, and any barking dog or blaring music likely won’t go unnoticed by a buyer.
• Buyers will even “go out of their way to know what the neighbors are like,” driving by at odd hours or combing community forums for red flags. This hyper-local due diligence is the modern “neighbor test” – if the block fails, the buyer walks, even if the house itself is great.
• Top agents have become detectives and diplomats when neighborhood concerns arise. They often encourage clients to visit the area at different times of day to get a full picture of noise levels and activity. Some agents even suggest chatting with nearby residents before closing a deal – a casual sidewalk conversation can uncover community quirks or comfort buyers with friendly introductions.
• If a specific neighbor issue threatens to derail a sale, agents may get creative. For example, arranging showings when the loud neighbor is typically out, or highlighting sound-insulating features of the home. Ultimately, agents try to reframe minor “drama” in context – every neighborhood has its characters, but also its charms.
• Providing data (like crime rates or community ratings) and emphasizing the positives (strong community ties can even boost home values) helps buyers weigh the block fairly against the house.

📦 Garages – Why Parking Space Can Be a Dealbreaker

Buyers rarely put “must have a garage” at the top of their wishlists – until they see a house without one. Then, the absence of that parking space suddenly becomes a dealbreaker. In a recent survey, almost one-third of homebuyers said “no garage” means no deal. It turns out a garage is the classic “nice-to-have” that’s secretly a must-have for many Americans. Considering that only about 63% of U.S. homes even have garages, this can derail a lot of potential sales. A garage delivers practical benefits that homeowners may take for granted until they’re gone. Some of the biggest reasons a garage matters are:

• Security & Protection - Storing vehicles in a garage keeps them safer from theft, vandalism, and weather damage. It provides peace of mind and can even lower car insurance premiums. Nobody relishes scraping ice off the windshield on winter mornings or getting into a boiling-hot car in summer – a garage eliminates weather hassles and protects your ride year-round.
• Storage & Hobbies - The garage often doubles as storage for tools, bikes, seasonal decor, and more. Without it, buyers worry where they’ll stow the lawnmower, camping gear, or that bulk Costco haul. Yes, a shed can help, but building one takes time and money (and many HOAs frown on extra structures). For a lot of folks, the garage is a requirement for keeping life organized.
• Future Resale Value - Even if a particular buyer could live without a garage, they know many future buyers won’t. A home without a garage tends to take longer to sell and often sells for less. Savvy house-hunters think ahead – they don’t want to be stuck years later with a hard-to-sell property because it lacks this feature. As one real estate guide bluntly notes, “prospective buyers could immediately rule it out if it lacks a garage,” or you might have to price it lower than similar homes with garages.
• Everyday Convenience - For anyone who drives, a garage is simply convenient – stepping right into your car indoors beats lugging groceries through the rain. It’s also a workspace for DIY projects or a place to tinker on a motorcycle, which appeals to many.

In higher-end markets, agents note that buyers expect upgraded garages – showroom floors, built-in storage, maybe even a charging station for the EV – and not having those touches can underwhelm.

At the end of the day, whether simple or deluxe, a garage provides utility and confidence that often makes the difference between “I like this house” and “I love this house – let’s put in an offer.”

🛁 “Where’s the Tub?” – Certain Demographics Still Want Bathtubs

Walk into a beautifully renovated bathroom boasting a luxe walk-in shower, rainhead fixture, and subway tile… and hear a buyer gasp, “Wait, there’s no tub?!” In the era of trendy curbless showers, many homebuyers still have surprisingly strong feelings about bathtubs. In fact, removing a tub can send some buyers into a quiet panic – this is the feature war you didn’t see coming. One appraisal expert put it plainly: at least one bathtub is pretty much non-negotiable if you want to “appeal to more people” when selling. Real estate wisdom holds that a bathtub can make or break your home’s sale, and that keeping at least one tub is a “solid bet for resale value.”

• Yet, there’s a great divide here. Bathroom design trends in recent years have leaned toward supersized showers and spa-like wet rooms. A 2019 remodeling study found half of renovated master bathrooms had no tub at all. And according to the National Association of Home Builders, a whopping 91% of buyers said they preferred a big walk-in shower (with no tub) in the primary bathroom. Clearly, long soaks are less common, and many homeowners are fine trading tubs for sleek showers.
• So if 91% of buyers don't care for a tub, why even think about it? The key is buyer demographics and expectations. Certain groups of buyers absolutely insist on having at least one bathtub in the home – and they will walk away if a house is tub-less. Those who most often consider a missing tub a dealbreaker include the following.
• Young Families & First-Time Buyers - Think of parents with small children – bathing a toddler or baby is much easier in a tub than a shower. It’s no surprise that first-time buyers (average age early 30s) rank a shower-tub combo as a top desired feature. In one survey, 30% of first-time buyers called a tub in the primary bath “essential”. Millennials (currently the largest buying group) are most likely to have young kids at home, so they often require a tub in whatever house they buy. No tub, no deal – they simply can’t picture bedtime without that rubber ducky floating around.
• Luxury & High-End Home Shoppers - In upscale homes, buyers expect at least one elegant tub for soaking. Luxury new builds almost always include a freestanding tub as a showpiece. As one appraiser noted, if a home is in a higher-end community or only a few years old, not having a tub can be seen as a design flaw. These buyers aren’t necessarily using a tub every day, but they view it as a mark of a fully equipped luxury bath (and indeed, many luxury homes have space for both a large tub and multiple showers).
• Empty Nesters with Grandkids & Multigenerational Households - In 55+ communities or homes where grandparents anticipate visits from young grandchildren, a bathtub can be a must-have for practical reasons. Even older adults who prefer showers for themselves like the flexibility of a tub for bathing grandkids or even pets. It’s a similar story for any households combining generations – one size doesn’t fit all, so having one tub in the home covers all ages.

🎯 Quick CE Tip of the Week

✅ Make Your Future Self Proud – Picture this: it’s 8:59 p.m. on the last day before your license renewal deadline. Your shirt is half-buttoned, hair in chaos, caffeine in hand, clicking through a CE quiz at 2x speed while praying your Wi-Fi doesn’t cut out. Sound familiar? If it doesn’t yet… just wait. Now picture the alternative: your CE is done with weeks to spare. Your certificate PDFs are tucked neatly into a folder. You’ve actually learned something useful. And most importantly, your future self is breathing easy — maybe even sipping a margarita instead of melting down in front of your laptop. That future self? They’re counting on you. ⏩ 🍸

→ Start Today! (And Make Your Future Self Proud)

📈 Market Highlight: Calm-ish Conditions with a Side of Caution

🔥 Did You Know? The U.S. residential real estate market is showing a mix of familiar challenges and encouraging trends. After the frenzied, seller-dominated markets of the pandemic years, the summer 2025 housing scene feels more balanced than it has in a while. Inventory is finally climbing, giving buyers a bit more breathing room, but mortgage rates remain high, keeping affordability front-and-center. Here, we'll break down the key national trends in inventory, interest rates, home prices, buyer/seller activity, and how consumers are feeling about it all.

→ View Full Market Highlight

💡 Feedback Welcome!

We'd love your feedback. The lifeblood of any good business is figuring out what their customers truly care about — the best agents also learn this about their clients.

If you have any thoughts, ranging from what topic should be discussed in next week's newsletter to more in-depth ideas on how the CE experience can be the best it can be, please reach out via the email link below — we're truly all ears.

Happy Learning,

— The Empire Learning Team
www.empirelearning.com