👋 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
“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” ― Abraham Lincoln
🚀 Featured Article
🏠 Home Is Where Mom Is: 10 Home-Themed Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Mother’s Day is around the corner, and as a busy agent, you might be hunting for the perfect gift to show Mom your appreciation. The key is finding something meaningful and useful – ideally with a home-inspired twist (we do love all things home!).
🏆 Trending on Empire Learning
💐 Mother’s Day Magic (Client Appreciation)
Scrambling for a thoughtful Mother’s Day gesture for your clients? You’re not alone. With Mother’s Day around the corner, savvy agents are buzzing about small ways to show appreciation that leave a big impression – no huge budget or grand event required.
- Old-school beats digital: In an age of overflowing inboxes, a simple handwritten “Happy Mother’s Day” note can work wonders. Only about 20% of marketing emails get opened, but almost every handwritten card gets read (it’s become a novelty!), according to nar.realtor. A personal touch like this cuts through the noise.
- Try this today: Pick a few past clients (especially the moms) and send a quick, heartfelt note or a small gift card to a local coffee shop. Thank them for being awesome. This little surprise not only brightens their day, it keeps you top-of-mind – so when their friend asks if they know a good agent, guess who they’ll recommend?
🔑 Closing the Gap (Women in Real Estate)
Ever wonder if gender plays a role in real estate deals? It does, and it's a relevant issue. One trending topic this week is bridging the gender gaps in our industry and client experiences. Despite women being a driving force in real estate (both as agents and as clients), there are still some disparities to tackle – and opportunities to level the field. (We'll dive deeper into how gender bias and data gaps affect women real estate agents specifically in next week's newsletter.)
- Fact check: Single women make up roughly 20% of first-time homebuyers (second only to married couples!), yet a Yale study found they often pay ~2% more and sell for ~2% less than their male counterparts – adding up to about $1,600 in lost wealth per year, according to the study and regions.com.
- What you can do: When working with female buyers or sellers, be mindful of these stats and go the extra mile to advocate for them. Arm your client with solid market data and encourage confident pricing and negotiation. Maybe that means double-checking the comps or nudging her to counteroffer instead of settling. Little steps like these help make sure no one is leaving money on the table due to bias – and you’ll earn a reputation as the agent who truly has their back.
📝 Little Details, Big Connections (Personalized Follow-ups)
Feel like you’re forgetting something about your clients? (No, not your keys or lockbox code… think personal details!). Lately, the industry is buzzing about how remembering the “little things” can lead to big wins in client loyalty. In our tech-driven world, it’s oddly refreshing that an old-fashioned personal touch is trending: keeping notes on everything from a client’s kids’ names to their favorite sports team, and using it to build genuine connections over time.
- Relationships = remembered: Top producers swear by detailed CRM notes. Jot down the names of people your client mentions (spouse, kids, even the dog) and what’s going on in their life – it helps build real rapport, according to yeskeytraining.com. Imagine your client’s surprise when months after closing, you ask, “How’s Maggie liking her new school?” because you remembered (via your notes) that her daughter started 3rd grade. Those moments show you see clients as people, not paychecks.
- Use it: After each conversation or visit, record at least one personal tidbit in your database. Then circle back authentically: send a quick text on their home purchase anniversary, congratulate them on that new job, or even drop a note to wish them a Happy Mother’s Day if you know they’re a parent. These sincere little follow-ups make clients feel valued. Bonus – they often lead to repeat business and referrals down the line, according to yeskeytraining.com, as happy clients love to send their friends your way!
🎯 Quick CE Tip of the Week
✅ Use CE as a tool, not just a task
Continuing education is a checkbox, yes – but it’s also an opportunity to up your game. Pick courses that align with your career goals: want more investor clients? Take a course on real estate investing. Thinking about expanding into property management? There’s CE for that, too. Treat your CE like a tool, not a task, and you’ll come away with more than just hours—you’ll leave with confidence.
→ Get Ahead & Start Your CE Today
📈 Market Highlight
🔥 Did You Know? The national housing market is warming up this May, with active inventory up 30% year-over-year and new listings rising roughly 11%, giving buyers more choices than last spring. Despite mortgage rates holding near 6.8%, median home prices are still climbing—up 2.7% year-over-year to $403,700, showing that strong demand continues to support home values in many regions.
💡 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.→ Provide Feedback
Happy Learning,
— The Empire Learning Team
www.empirelearning.com