At the end of the real estate transaction, many agents offer their clients a closing gift—a token of appreciation that leaves a positive, lasting impression. Gift options may seem endless: You could go for a classic, like a customized cutting board and a bottle of wine, or offer a more service-oriented present, like a house cleaning after move-in or a consultation with an interior designer or landscape architect.
“For me, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all gift,” says Jennifer Diliz, a real estate pro with Coldwell Banker Realty in Coral Gables, Fla. For example, one of her recent buyers mentioned a financial conference he wanted to attend, so Diliz gifted him a pair of tickets. “It has to be personal to create a memorable experience,” she adds. Ink Pad For Stamps
Abigail Davis, PSA, RSPS, a real estate pro with Corcoran Reverie in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., also follows this strategy. “I love to provide a closing gift that gives them a start to the lifestyle they've fallen in love with,” says Davis, who sells vacation and second homes along Florida’s Emerald Coast. Her customized gift boxes—filled with accessories, like a co-branded koozie, beach towels, custom notepads and cards decorated by a local watercolor artist—are meant to welcome clients to their new coastal lifestyle. Davis also adds a personal item to each box, like a gift for the family pet or a certificate to a local restaurant. “I’ve even thrown in redeemable experiences, like scuba diving in our local reefs.”
Need some ideas for closing gifts? Here’s a variety.
You’ll be sure to light up faces by gifting your clients their own mini-me bobblehead doll. For the last decade, Brian Morgan, a broker with The Corcoran Group in New York, has been gifting bobblehead dolls to some of his clients. He’ll have bobbleheads created to the likes of the entire family—and even their pets.“The response has always been very positive,” Morgan says. “They appreciate it because they know it took some extra time and thought to have that created.” Morgan mixes up his closing gifts with either bobblehead dolls, a bottle of wine or other gifts, depending on what he thinks the client will most enjoy. Find several options to order custom bobblehead dolls, starting at about $60, from places like Bobblegifts.com, Etsy.com or Bobbleheads.com.
“If the seller lived in the home for more than 20 years, I get a custom watercolor painting of the property,” says Christine Dupont-Patz, GRI, broker and co-owner of RE/MAX at Cherry Creek Inc. in Denver. “That home holds so many memories for the seller, and a painting is a great keepsake of a cherished location.” Several options for customized watercolor paintings are available on Etsy.com, such as My Happy Place, which offers watercolor prints that include the family’s name and the year they moved in. Portraits start at $39.95; additional options include prints, starting at $30, that feature the home’s GPS coordinates.
Let artificial intelligence lead you to the perfect gift without you having to do any of the heavy lifting. EvaBot is a “rapport-building AI.” After closing, share an EvaBot link with your clients, and an AI-generated chat bot will ask them a series of questions about their likes, preferences and lifestyle. After about four minutes, EvaBot will select a gift based on their preferences and prepare it to be shipped. EvaBot will have it packaged in your company’s own branded box along with a handwritten note. Gifts may include everything from gift certificates, wine, flowers, treats and more. Gifts range in price from $30 to $250. You also can use EvaBot to track gifts on a digital dashboard to automate future outreach or potential gift-giving opportunities, such as clients’ birthdays and home purchase anniversaries.
“My favorite closing gift is flowers,” says Aaron Walker of Coldwell Banker Shook in Lafayette, Ind. “Flowers are always a thoughtful gesture. Selecting flowers based on your clients’ preferences, favorite colors or even their new home’s aesthetics shows you’ve paid attention to them and put thought and effort into the gift. Plus, flowers add decoration for your client’s new home.” Order flowers from a local florist, or try an online vendor for local delivery. Some companies, like BloomsyBox, offer a real estate–specific floral delivery subscription of fresh flowers, plants and pet-safe blooms, starting at $59.99 per month. Choose a three-month prepaid subscription or opt for the month-to-month option; you can cancel the subscription at anytime. There’s also Postal Petals, which is a farm-to-table fresh flower delivery service that enables your clients to choose their own arrangements, starting at $89.
Help make their at-home movie nights extra cozy. Lazer Designs offers a popcorn gift set that includes a laser-engraved popcorn bowl, starting at $48. Add the family’s name to the bowl as a personal touch. Each bag of popcorn makes about seven cups. Popcorn selections include kettle corn, cheddar, toasted cinnamon and more. You can choose add-ons, including extra customized bowls or drinkware.
Consider gifting an experience, like a certificate to take a cooking class through cozymeal.com or williams-sonoma.com, or tickets to the local theatre or symphony. “I started giving ‘experiences’ to some of my clients as a closing gift, and the response has been incredible,” says Adie Kriegstein of Compass in New York. “My favorite is ‘City Climb,’ where you can actually climb up the side of a skyscraper.” Gift cards to a local restaurant near your client’s new home can also be a nice touch for a night out.
Make it easy for clients to share their new address with a self-inking address stamp. The Perfect Closing Gift’s Self-Inking Address Stamp comes in classic or monogram options and a variety of design styles. The self-inking stamps last between 5,000 to 10,000 impressions before requiring an ink refill. The stamp also can be customized with your name, photo or logo and contact information—so clients never forget who gave it to them. Prices start at $29.57 (with discounts offered for bulk purchases; a one-time $45 set-up charge applies to create the marketing information on the front of the stamp casing). “We believe this offers the best ROI for a closing gift because clients never get rid of them,” says Christy Kolbo with the Perfect Closing Gift. “Some customers keep this personal gift for the full life of the home, and that means when the client is ready to move, they have easy access to the agent’s contact information so they can use them again.”
A video doorbell can help clients feel safe and protected. Also, as prices come down, video doorbells can make for a practical, high-tech gift. The doorbells connect to a mobile app and enable homeowners to see who’s at their door, whether they’re home or away. They’ll have two-way audio, video, motion-activated alerts and app alerts. Several affordable smart doorbells start at $60 from companies like Blink Video Doorbell, Ring, Google Nest and Arlo.
A bottle of wine or champagne is a common closing gift, but add an extra touch with a special label. For example, create a custom label that says, “Home sweet home,” and includes the family’s name and the year that they moved in. Bottle Your Brand enables you to design your own wine labels using photos, images, logos and more, starting at $3.75 per label. The company also offers customizable wine hang tags that can be tied on to bottles, starting at $0.99 each.
Homeowners have been ultra-focused on making use of outdoor space. Offer up some fun outdoor ideas, as well as potential games for a housewarming party or for your clients to use to connect with their new neighbors. Outdoor yard game favorites may include a bocce ball set, cornhole boards (that could include clients’ favorite sports teams), a life-size chess board, an at-home pickleball set or other options.
Melissa Dittmann Tracey is a contributing editor for REALTOR® Magazine, editor of the Styled, Staged & Sold blog, and produces a segment called "Hot or Not?" in home design that airs on NAR’s Real Estate Today radio show. Follow Melissa on Instagram and Twitter at @housingmuse.
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