Weekly Roundup | Real Estate Road Trips

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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

“Ah, summer — when the days are long, the deals are hot, and your laptop ends up on the patio.”
― Empire Learning Original

🚀 Featured Article

Real Estate Road Trips - Lessons from Summer Travels

Picture this... You’re cruising down a sun-drenched highway with the windows down, taking in new sights on a much-needed summer road trip. But along with the beach selfies and roadside diner stops, you might also be collecting something surprising: real estate wisdom. Yes, your vacation can double as inspiration for your vocation.

A cross-country road trip isn’t just good for the soul – it can actually make you a savvier real estate agent back home. How? By opening your eyes to regional design trends, recharging your sales mojo, and reminding you why you fell in love with homes in the first place. It’s part travel diary, part business insight, proving that what happens on vacation can fuel your success at work.

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☀️ 20% Off Just Because

Just a little sunshine in your inbox. Take 20% off all real estate continuing education courses at Empire Learning this week. Use code JUNE at checkout and soak up the savings while earning those credit hours.

🌼 Browse CE Courses

Offer valid through June 22. Use promo code JUNE at checkout.

🏆 Trending on Empire Learning

😅 Selling Sunset Syndrome - When Reality TV Warps Reality

Thanks to glitzy real estate reality shows, a wave of clients now expect every deal to look like a Netflix drama. You know the type: they’ve binged Selling Sunset and think buying a home means champagne open houses, perfectly staged rooms 24/7, and deals wrapped up with a bow – all accompanied by a musical montage. Real-life buyers, however, soon learn there’s no background soundtrack when a bidding war breaks out, and not every open house comes with cocktails. In fact, 68% of Realtors say their buyers have felt let down by how real homes compare to TV’s glossy version.

• The result? Agents are finding themselves doing a bit of a reality check with clients. It often falls on us to gently remind buyers and sellers that HDTV magic is heavily edited.
• One Florida Realtors report noted over half of agents said TV design shows give buyers unrealistic expectations about how homes should look.
• Agents are combatting “Selling Sunset Syndrome” by educating clients early. Some will show before-and-after staging photos to demonstrate the work that goes into those picture-perfect listings.
• Others share stories: “Yes, the couple on that show toured 3 houses and chose one – but behind the scenes, 30 homes were visited and months of edits made it look seamless.”
• Managing those expectations has become part of the modern agent’s job description. “Your home search might not feature a swimsuit-clad showing or a camera crew,” we tell clients, “but we promise it’ll be real – and real estate is pretty darn rewarding without the Hollywood edits.” 🥂📺

📷 Avatar Agents (AI-Generated Headshots)

Professional headshots are so last year; 2025 is all about AI-polished profile pics. Scroll through Realtor Instagram or the “Our Team” page on any brokerage site, and you might think you’ve stumbled into a video game or The Sims. Suddenly, every agent’s photo has perfect lighting, no wrinkles, and an almost-too-flawless smile. These AI-generated headshots are flooding the industry. It’s like everyone leveled up their avatar to “Ideal Realtor” mode – but it raises the question: Is that really what you look like?

• This trend has sparked a minor identity crisis in real estate circles. Many agents love that AI tools can dress them in a sharp suit, smooth out a bad hair day, and basically produce a glamour shot for the price of a lunch.
• In fact, professionals in various fields report feeling more confident with AI-assisted photos – it’s you, “but the you that gets 8 hours of sleep, drinks water, and understands skincare,” as one LinkedIn poster joked.
• But there’s a downside: Too much polish and clients might do a double-take when they meet you IRL (cue the awkward “Oh, you don’t have neon-blue eyes and a chiseled jaw in person…” moment). There’s a fine line between enhancing and outright misrepresenting.
• Using AI for subtle improvements – like adjusting lighting or removing a zit – is generally seen as acceptable, much like old-school airbrushing. However, creating a photo that looks like a different person entirely might cross an ethical line.
• The debate around AI headshots boils down to authenticity vs. marketing. Many in the industry are asking: Are these AI headshots the new little white lie on a resume, or just savvy personal branding?
• A recent discussion among professionals highlighted that while AI can make you look “flawless,” it should still look real. One recruiting expert noted that some job candidates have started using AI photos, only to alarm employers when the person in front of them doesn’t match the polished picture.
• The same principle applies to real estate agents: a slightly optimized photo is fine (we all used filters, right?), but if your AI-generated avatar shaves off 20 years or adds 6 inches of height, you might be overdoing it.

🟢 Green is Gold

Solar panels, electric vehicle chargers, backyard veggie gardens – what used to be “crunchy granola” features are now the hottest real estate darlings. Green is officially gold in the housing market. Lately, it seems every other listing boasts about its energy-efficient appliances or boasts a LEED certification. And many house-hunters are not just okay with that – they’re actively seeking it out. In fact, a growing share of buyers are willing to pony up extra cash for eco-friendly homes and sustainable features. One industry survey found that over a quarter of home buyers would pay more for green upgrades and technology in their house, and other studies suggest even one in three buyers might pay a premium for a home with the right eco-friendly features.

• What’s driving the eco-home buzz? For starters, energy savings. A home with solar panels, high-efficiency HVAC, and thick insulation can dramatically cut monthly utility bills. One report noted some Americans are willing to spend up to $50,000 extra for an eco-home that slashes energy costs.
• Real estate agents are wise to this trend and are swapping stories of “green wins.” Got a home with an ENERGY STAR kitchen, a smart thermostat, and native drought-tolerant landscaping? You market the heck out of that.
• According to the National Association of Realtors, over half of real estate pros now see value in promoting energy efficiency in listings, and many MLS systems even have “green feature” fields to fill in.
• That said, it’s not universal yet. Some buyers are still might shrug at a gray water recycling system. And there’s the question of how much more people will pay. Some research shows buyers are willing to pay a premium of only a few percent for green features, while others, as mentioned, seem willing to go much higher.
• Market location matters too – eco-conscious attitudes tend to be stronger in certain regions (looking at you, West Coast and Pacific Northwest!) than elsewhere.
• But across the board, awareness is rising. A large majority of buyers like green features even if they won’t pay much extra, and very few actively oppose them.

🎯 Quick CE Tip of the Week

✅ Choose Your Adventure – Whenever possible, pick CE courses that actually interest you or help your business. Love social media? Do a Facebook marketing CE. Commercial real estate curiosity? There’s a class for that. Believe it or not, some CE options can be downright cool – there are even associations offering golf course CE and roller derby CE for credits. The more you tailor your continuing ed to your passions (or at least your niche), the less it feels like torture and the more it feels like self-improvement. ☝️🤔

→ "Choose Your Adventure" Today!

📈 Market Highlight: The High-Dive Plateau

🔥 Did You Know? Even as the summer sun sizzles, the housing market is chilling out – in a good way. Mid-2025 is serving up a more balanced scene that we haven’t enjoyed in years. After the rollercoaster of the 2020-2022 boom (and the cooldown that followed), we’re finally finding a Goldilocks vibe in many areas – not too hot, not too cold. Higher interest rates and a long-awaited boost in housing supply have taken some of the frenzy out of the market, giving buyers and sellers a chance to catch their breath. Let’s break down the highlights of this “heat wave, cool market” trend.

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💡 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