Weekly Roundup | Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

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🗣️ Quote of the Week

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

― Maya Angelou (Author & Civil Rights Activist)

🚀 Featured Article

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) — The Secret Superpower

Real estate is a people business. If you’ve ever felt like part agent, part therapist, you’re not alone. Buying or selling a home is an emotional journey for clients, filled with excitement, anxiety, hope, and sometimes fear. The ability to navigate those emotions (and your own) is what we call emotional intelligence, or EQ. In this week's article, we’ll explore what EQ really means, how it works, and why it’s a game-changer for your day-to-day life as a real estate professional. This is meant to be a friendly guide to tapping into your “secret superpower” to build better client relationships, close more deals, and reduce stress along the way.

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🧹 Open House Overkill – Perfect Staging Is Starting to Backfire

Home staging used to be all about perfection – every pillow plumped and cookie scented just so – but now some buyers find over-styled homes fake or even suspicious. The tricks of the trade (like tiny furniture to make rooms seem larger, constant fresh-baked cookie aromas, and elevator music in every room) are becoming too obvious. Well-researched buyers know when they’re being “sold” a lifestyle and may roll their eyes instead of feeling at home. In fact, going overboard can backfire. “Trying too hard can backfire. Fake fruit pyramids, artificial ivy, or mismatched trendy items distract and cheapen the feel,” one agent advises. Every obviously staged or fake element (i.e., plastic bread in the oven) just reminds buyers that “this is not real… not their new home,” as one staging expert notes.

Artificial Vibes Turn Off Buyers. Overbearing scents or sounds meant to enchant can have the opposite effect. For example, overpowering air fresheners or too much potpourri might make buyers wonder what odor you’re trying to mask, so it’s best to stick to subtle, natural aromas. Similarly, leaving mood music playing during showings is likely to backfire, since you can’t predict a buyer’s taste, and it may come off as manipulation. A quiet house beats one awkwardly blasting smooth jazz in every room.
Creepy Gimmicks = Distracted Buyers. Some over-the-top staging gimmicks have even veered into the ridiculous. Swapping family photos for pictures of models or celebrities, or setting a dining table with fake food and champagne as if a perfect dinner party is in progress, tends to make people laugh or feel uneasy. One staging professional noted that nobody lives like that – buyers are there to see the house, not star in a reality show. In short, buyers aren’t fooled by ultra-polished scenes. They’d rather see a home that feels authentic and livable.
Honesty Is the New Staging. None of this is to say staging is dead – just that it works best in moderation. Clean, declutter, and highlight real features, but don’t create a dollhouse. Buyers appreciate when a home looks neat and welcoming, yet still real. The goal is to let them envision their life there, not to impress them with a magazine-style fantasy. You’re staging to invite buyers in, not to bowl them over. So skip the tiny toy furniture and fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie charade, and focus on genuine warmth and proper scale. In an age where 43.5% of people in one survey even called staging “misleading”, simplicity is becoming the winning strategy.

🧳 Goodbye Guest Room – Buyers Want Income, Not Visitors

That dusty guest bedroom that gets used two times a year? It’s becoming an endangered species. Today’s homebuyers are eyeing that extra room and thinking “cash flow or bust.” Rather than reserving prime square footage for the occasional visiting grandparent, many prefer to transform spare rooms (or even build additions) into home offices, hobby studios, or especially income-generating spaces. Why let a room sit idle when it could help pay the mortgage? This mindset is summed up by a telling phrase... younger buyers believe “Every room needs to earn its keep.”

From Guest Suite to Rentable Suite. The rise of ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) – like backyard cottages, basement apartments, “granny flats” – is no coincidence. Gen Z and Millennial buyers love ADUs as a way to offset high housing costs; you can live in one part of the property and rent out the other for extra income. Why have a guest crash for free in the spare room when you can have a paying tenant in a nicely outfitted studio? It’s essentially house-hacking gone mainstream. Even when not formally separate units, spare bedrooms are being listed as “income potential” (for short-term rentals like Airbnb or long-term roommates). Earning a few hundred dollars a month beats storing grandma’s quilt collection in an unused room.
The Home Office Boom. Of course, not everyone is comfortable renting space to strangers – but they still don’t want a wasted guest room. Enter the dual-purpose home office or flex space. With remote and hybrid work likely here to stay, a functional home office is golden. Many buyers would rather see a built-in desk and Zoom-ready backdrop than a barely-used bedroom set. In design, we now hear of the “guest room that isn’t just for guests.” Stage it as a combo room – like a daybed that doubles as a sofa or a desk in the corner – so buyers see it can be an office and a guest space when needed. Calling it a “bonus room” or “studio” instead of just a guest room changes the game.
No More Wasted Space. The data backs up this cultural shift. U.S. homes have reached an all-time high in “excess” bedrooms sitting empty – nearly 32 million spare bedrooms nationwide in 2023, about 8.8% of all bedrooms (compared to 2.7% in 1970). That’s a lot of real estate essentially doing nothing! Builders have been routinely cranking out four-bedroom houses even as family sizes shrank. Now there’s talk of rethinking this practice, designing more flexible layouts so that square footage is always in use. In the meantime, agents report that a room labeled “guest room” can feel like wasted space to modern buyers unless it’s repurposed intelligently.

🛝 Trampolines, Cold Plunges, and Turf Turf Turf

Welcome to the new battleground of home one-upmanship... the backyard. As people spend more time at home, the once-humble yard is now a blank slate for all sorts of wild upgrades. Examples include trampolines sunk into the ground, custom putting greens, splash pads for the kids, faux grass that’s always green, and even trendy cold plunge pools for the wellness enthusiasts. It’s an all-out “backyard arms race”, and in some cases, deals are being won or lost based on who has the coolest outdoor setup. Post-pandemic, outdoor space is practically a necessity, and buyers are willing to pay a premium for a tricked-out yard.

Outdoor Features = Selling Power. Real estate research shows that many top features that boost a home’s value or speed of sale are now outdoor amenities. Homes with outdoor entertainment upgrades (like built-in TVs on the patio, outdoor kitchens, or even outdoor showers) can sell for 3%+ more than expected. Six of the ten features correlating with higher sale prices are related to the backyard or outdoor space. Buyers want an “outdoor living room” where they can host friends, relax, and play. This means that a plain lawn might feel underwhelming if the neighbor’s house for sale down the street offers a fire pit lounge, grilling station, and kids’ playset included.
Family Fun is a Must. Especially for families, a big yard alone isn’t enough. It needs to be fun. We’re seeing playground sets, treehouses, and sunken trampolines becoming major selling points (and sources of envy). In suburban backyards, it’s almost a flex now to have the coolest play equipment on the block. Some parents joke that they’ve invested more in the swing set, sandbox, and splash pad than in their indoor décor. A house that already has a safe trampoline or a mini water park for little ones can stand out to young families. (Just watch those HOA rules and insurance riders. Trampolines and pools can be an adventure in more ways than one!)
Wellness & Leisure at Home. It’s not all for the kids... adults are in the backyard game too. The rise of the home “wellness retreat” means features like saunas, hot tubs, and cold plunge tubs are increasingly sought after. During 2020’s lockdowns, hot tub and trampoline sales skyrocketed as people created staycation spaces. That trend planted a seed. Now, a listing that touts a “backyard wellness zone with a plunge pool and meditation deck” will turn heads. Even simpler additions like a yoga corner on the deck or a bocce ball court can make a property more memorable. And let’s not forget the golfers... installing a putting green with synthetic turf is a popular way to wow buyers (no mowing required for that perfect green!). In drought-prone areas, swapping thirsty lawns for realistic artificial turf is both economical and visually appealing... a green yard year-round with no sprinklers.
Multi-Functional Yards. Ultimately, the best backyards now are multi-purpose. Covered patios that serve as second living rooms, sheds converted into art studios or home offices, gardens that double as learning spots for kids... all these creative uses are trendingt. One survey found the top reasons homeowners upgraded outdoor spaces were to improve looks (51%), entertain (37%), and extend living space (33%). Buyers, too, are expecting the outside of a home to deliver lifestyle benefits. So sellers are investing accordingly, knowing a house that offers a whole package – indoors and outdoors – has the edge. It’s truly an arms race out there, and the winner has a backyard that makes you say, “wow, I could live out here!”

🎯 Quick CE Tip of the Week

✅ Take the Weird Elective... It Might Be Your Niche – You know the ones... the CE electives buried beneath the classics. Topics like “Mobile Home Communities,” “Probate Sales,” “Green Certified Homes,” or “Agricultural Easements.” You scroll past them thinking, “Cool, but when would I ever need that?” But that “weird” course might be your next competitive edge. Specialization in real estate is common among many top producers. It’s not about serving everyone — it’s about becoming the go-to agent for someone. And the fewer agents who understand a niche? The more valuable it becomes. One elective on probate could land you a referral chain from an estate attorney. One CE credit on ADUs could position you as the local “casita expert” when everyone suddenly wants to house-hack their backyard. 🧠

→ Start Today! (And Find Your Niche)

📈 Market Highlight: What’s Moving (and What’s Not)

🔥 Did You Know? The U.S. residential real estate market is showing signs of a slow but steady rebalance. Mortgage rates remain elevated (hovering around the high-6% range for a 30-year fixed loan), which continues to challenge affordability for many buyers. However, housing inventory is finally improving from the record lows of the past few years, giving buyers more options than they’ve had in recent memory. Home price growth has essentially leveled off nationally, and homes are taking a bit longer to sell. This week’s Market Highlight will overview key national trends in mortgage rates, home prices, inventory, buyer/seller activity, and consumer sentiment, with an eye on the latest changes, challenges, and opportunities for real estate professionals.

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Happy Learning,

— The Empire Learning Team
www.empirelearning.com