Weekly Roundup | The Broker Public Portal (BPP)

By Empire Learning 6 min read

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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

“The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit."

― Milton Friedman (American Economist & Statistician)

🚀 Featured Article

Relaunch of the Broker Public Portal (BPP)

Imagine a home search website created by the real estate industry (brokerages & MLSs), for the real estate industry – one where your listings generate free leads directly to you, and not to a competing agent. That’s the vision behind the Broker Public Portal (BPP).

In this article, we’ll break down what the BPP is, how it came to be, why it matters for agents, and how it differs from third-party portals like Zillow or Realtor.com.

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🔍 License to Judge – Why Clients "Stalk" Agents Before Choosing One

Prospective clients are scoping you out long before that first handshake. In the era of Google and Instagram, buyers can (and will) dig up everything from your Zillow ratings to that old LinkedIn article you wrote. And they’re not shy about it. Nearly all homebuyers now check online reviews before making a decision (97%!), and 71% say they gravitate toward agents with a strong social media presence. In other words, your digital footprint has become as important as your footprint on the neighborhood farm lot.

  • Agents are feeling this shift. One agent joked that new clients often greet her like old friends – turns out they’ve already “met” her via YouTube home tours and Facebook posts. It’s a bit like online dating: buyers scroll and swipe, hunting for red flags and good vibes. Did you volunteer locally? Do you share market tips on LinkedIn? All that feeds into their choice. This trend shows up in modern transactions when a client references your blog or asks about that award you posted on Instagram – they’ve done their homework.
  • How are agents adapting? By leaning in. Smart agents are curating their online personas, sharing industry expertise (with a side of personality) and encouraging happy customers to drop glowing reviews. Some brokerages even offer media training so agents can shine on camera and Zoom. The idea is to build trust before you ever meet the client.
  • Today’s clients have a license to judge – they’re vetting agents like detectives. Agents should embrace it, making sure their online presence is professional, authentic, and up-to-date. After all, if nearly every buyer is stalking – ahem, researching – you online, you might as well give them something great to find.

⛲ Home Features That Sound Fancy But Don’t Sell Homes

Not all that glitters is gold in real estate. Sellers love to flaunt “fancy” features – the Italian marble foyer, the $10k smart fridge that plays Spotify – assuming buyers will swoon. The reality? Many high-end extras earn a polite shrug from today’s buyers (or worse, a grimace). Some even backfire: a chic all-white kitchen, for instance, can hurt a sale price by over $600, and that dream walk-in closet might shave about 0.5% off a home’s value if it means sacrificing a bedroom. Talk about irony – the “upgrade” may actually downgrade the appeal.

  • We see it in modern transactions: one agent in Denver recalls a seller proud of their elaborate koi pond and fountain showpiece. Come showing time, buyers saw a maintenance headache, not a selling point. (As one veteran said, ponds and fountains tend to get “green and gross” and require constant upkeep, yet don’t add much value.) Similarly, built-in espresso machines or vast wine cellars sound luxurious, but many mid-range buyers see dollar signs in maintenance or unused space. In 2025’s pragmatic market, energy-efficient windows might impress more people than an outdated home theater with 12 remotes.
  • So, how are agents responding? By re-focusing the spotlight. Listing agents gently coach sellers to emphasize what does sell – fresh HVAC systems, updated kitchens (with broadly appealing style), ample storage, and good-old location highlights. Fancy frills get repackaged or downplayed: that “state-of-the-art” 2008 media room might be simply billed as a “multi-purpose family room.” Agents back up their advice with data and buyer feedback, helping sellers understand that today’s buyers value practicality over peacocking.
  • Those features that sound extravagant often don’t move the needle on the sale. A home loaded with niche luxuries can linger while a simpler, well-maintained home gets snapped up. The winning formula for agents...manage seller expectations, market the fundamentals that buyers actually want, and save the fancy adjectives for features that truly earn them.

🚪Trap Door to Nowhere – Weird Features Agents Can’t Explain

On the flipside, to some buyers, weird is no longer a deal-killer – it might just be a selling strategy. Every seasoned agent has a mysterious story: the hidden room behind a bookcase, the staircase that leads into a ceiling, or the infamous listing with a trap door that literally went nowhere. In the age of viral listings, these oddball features can be marketing gold (or at least attention-grabbing). Case in point...the social media phenomenon “Zillow Gone Wild,” which has amassed over 4 million followers (& even turned into a TV show) by showcasing the wildest, weirdest homes. Suddenly, that bizarre Hobbit-sized door or neon-colored dungeon in your listing could be tomorrow’s social media post heard ’round the world.

  • This trend shows up in real estate transactions as a double-edged sword. On one hand, weird features can widen your exposure. Homes with ordinary curb appeal but crazy interiors, like a suburban split-level hiding a full pirate-ship-themed DJ booth or a Barbiecore-pink living room, are drawing huge eyeballs online.
  • One moment you’re scratching your head at a medieval knight statue guarding the foyer, the next moment that listing is being shared thousands of times and tour requests are rolling in from curiosity-seekers (and a few genuine buyers).
  • Some agents even quietly hope for a Zillow Gone Wild shout-out; it’s free publicity, after all. In fact, agents have started submitting their own odd listings to the ZGW curator, angling for that viral boost.
  • On the other hand, explaining a trap door to nowhere to a serious buyer in person? Awkward.... The key for agents is to control the narrative. Many now lean into the uniqueness: marketing a weird feature as a “conversation piece” or “collector’s delight” rather than a flaw.
  • We’ve seen agents host themed open houses (yes, costumes and all) to match a home’s eccentric vibe. And when features are just too off-putting? Savvy agents have a contractor on speed dial to brainstorm conversions (that creepy extra basement room might become a wine cellar in waiting).
  • The best agents roll with the oddities, using creativity and even humor to connect the right buyer with that one-of-a-kind home. Because if you can’t explain the trap door to nowhere, you might as well turn it into the grand tour’s punchline – and a memorable selling point.

🎯 Quick CE Tip of the Week

✅ Teach it to Sell it – If you can explain dual agency (if it's even allowed) to your clients in 60 seconds or less, you really know it. Use your CE coursework as a cheat code — take confusing topics and practice explaining them like you're on TikTok. Clients trust agents who make complex things sound simple. 🧑‍🏫 📔

→ Start Learning (So You Can Teach Clients) Today!

📈 Market Highlight: Smart Market

🔥 Did You Know? The first full week of July finds the U.S. residential real estate market showing more signs of balance. Conditions are gradually tilting in buyers’ favor as inventory grows and mortgage rates ease. However, affordability challenges persist, and consumer sentiment – while improved – remains cautious. This article is a national overview of current trends in inventory, mortgage rates, home prices, buyer/seller activity, and consumer mood, with insights on what real estate agents should watch and communicate to clients this week.

→ 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.
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Happy Learning,

— The Empire Learning Team
www.empirelearning.com