Weekly Roundup | The Big Beautiful Bill

By Empire Learning 5 min read

👋 Welcome!

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

“The politician's promises of yesterday are the taxes of today."

― William Lyon Mackenzie King (Former Prime Minister of Canada)

🚀 Featured Article

The Big Beautiful Bill - A New Tax Shake-Up

If you’ve been skimming the news lately, you might have heard about a sweeping new legislative package nicknamed the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Officially called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), this is a massive tax and budget bill lead by President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress.

It just cleared a major hurdle in Washington: the Senate narrowly passed the bill on July 1, 2025, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting a tie-breaking vote. (The House of Representatives had already approved a version in May, so final approval and President Trump’s signature are likely to happen.) In short, this bill is poised to become law, bringing with it some of the biggest tax changes and policy shifts since 2017.

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🇺🇸 30% Off For You

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Happy 4th of July! Take 30% off all real estate continuing education courses at Empire Learning this week. Use code 4th at checkout and soak up the savings while earning those credit hours.

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Offer valid through July 6. Use promo code 4th at checkout.

🏦 "Zillow Said It Was Worth More"

"Zillow said my home is worth more!" Sound familiar? Many agents have heard this refrain from clients who treat the Zestimate like gospel. The obsession is real – homeowners refreshing Zillow’s app like it’s a stock ticker, cheering when their home’s value ticks up. But reality check: Zillow’s own site admits off-market Zestimates have a median error of around 7%, and studies show these estimates are only within 5% of the actual sale price about 55% of the time. In other words, that “$500,000” could easily be off by tens of thousands.

  • Even Zillow has been humbled by its algorithm. Case in point: their former CEO famously sold his home for far less than its Zestimate (rumored ~40% under).
  • And remember Zillow’s big house-flipping venture? It flopped – Zillow lost over $300 million and had to offload thousands of homes when their pricing AI overshot reality. If Big Z can get it wrong, imagine your average homeowner’s interpretation.
  • So, how are savvy agents handling the “Zestimate conversation”? Some tackle it head-on with data: bringing printouts of Zillow’s own accuracy disclaimers or local comps to gently counter unrealistic expectations. Others use it as a teaching moment (one appraiser calls the Zillow debate “free marketing” – a golden chance to show off expert pricing skills). The key is to stay cool and factual.
  • Don’t let a Zestimate kill the deal vibe. Acknowledge it, then reframe the discussion to real market data and professional expertise. In the end, a Zestimate is just a machine’s guess – it’s the human agent who deciphers the true value.

🌞 Buyers Obsessed with Natural Light

If a room feels like a cave, today’s buyers will notice – and bolt. House hunters in 2025 are absolutely fixated on natural light. In fact, 68% of buyers say natural light is one of the first things they scrutinize in a home, and nearly three-quarters won’t even consider a property they deem too dark. We’re talking serious sun worship: one survey found “lacking natural light” was among the top dealbreakers for recent buyers – and not a single respondent was willing to compromise on that point.

  • Sure, the classic must-haves like a washer/dryer hookup (77% of buyers) and a garage (59%) still rank high on wish lists. But good lighting has become the ultimate non-negotiable vibe. Clients walk in and immediately gravitate to the windows (“Look at that light!”) or recoil if the space feels dim.
  • Agents are adapting: scheduling showings for when sun floods through the living room, urging sellers to trim back hedges, install skylights, or at least swap out heavy drapes for sheer curtains. An unremarkable room can transform into a show-stopper if the sun hits just right – and savvy agents know it.
  • On the flip side, some buyers now have unrealistic expectations (“I want an open floor plan, 10-foot windows, and sunlight in my basement”). Part of an agent’s job is managing these wishlists with reality.
  • You can change paint colors or add lamps, but you can’t move the sun. Highlight a home’s natural brightness – and be ready to get creative for those sun-seeking clients. In this market, nobody falls in love in the dark.

📒 The HOA Reality Check

Nothing sours the post-closing glow like a surprise HOA violation letter. “What do you mean I can’t park my work truck in the driveway?!” If your client didn’t read those 100 pages of covenants and bylaws, they might be in for a rough welcome to the neighborhood. HOAs are everywhere (an estimated 85% of Americans live in communities governed by one), but about 70% of homeowners would prefer to live without an HOA. In fact, 63% say they wouldn’t recommend buying a home with an HOA at all after experiencing the hoops and headaches.

  • Why the regret? For starters, many communities come with a barrage of rules – and enforcement can be, shall we say, zealous. Over half of HOA members have run into regulations they flat-out disagreed with. Maybe the board banned your client’s pet rooster, or mandated an exact shade of taupe for every front door on the block.
  • Landscaping mandates top the list of annoying HOA rules (33% cite them), followed by pet restrictions and nitpicky architectural controls. We’ve all heard of buyers who missed that fine print about “no fences above 4 feet” or “no holiday decorations after January 5” – until they get the violation notice.
  • Smart agents give their buyers a serious reality check during the option/contingency period: read the documents now, not after the move-in party. Some even provide a bulleted cheat-sheet of the most important (or bizarre) restrictions to save clients from future shock.
  • Don’t let your clients learn about their HOA’s quirks the hard way. Encourage them to read (or at least skim) those CC&Rs upfront. A few hours of fine-print pain can prevent years of complaint.

🎯 Quick CE Tip of the Week

✅ CE is Content—The CE-to-Client Hack – When you learn something new in CE, immediately ask: Which of my clients could use this right now? A course on flood zones? Email it to the buyers eyeing that lakeside fixer. A tip about carbon monoxide laws? Forward it to last year’s buyer with young kids. CE becomes way more valuable when it helps you serve. 🌊 ☠️

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📈 Market Highlight: Midyear Market With Room to Move

🔥 Did You Know? The U.S. housing market is easing into a more balanced rhythm as of the week of July 1, with rising inventory, steady prices, and slightly lower mortgage rates giving buyers more room to breathe. Homes are sitting longer, sellers are adjusting expectations, and affordability remains tight.

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💡 Feedback Welcome!

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Happy Learning,

— The Empire Learning Team
www.empirelearning.com