Finding the perfect real estate closing gift for every buyer and seller you work with isn’t easy. That said, if you get it just right, you will not only have a referral source for the next few months, but you could create an evangelist of your services for life.
The tricky part isn’t figuring out what your client wants (we include some sneaky ways to find out at the end of the article). It’s finding gifts that are personal but not too personal, that have meaning but not too much meaning, and that remind your clients not only that you care, but that you’re THE local expert they can rely on for years to come. A tall order to be sure, so here are our picks for the best real estate closing gifts for 2022:
1. A Custom House History Poster or Book
As someone who lives in a turn-of-the-century industrial space, I can relate to why so many of us put up with drafty windows, dodgy electrical systems, and plumbing from the Stone Age. For most of us, our love of historic homes is more of an addiction than a preference.
If you’re listing a historic home, then offering your buyers a custom researched and designed house history will always be a hit. Painstakingly researched and professionally designed by companies like Brownstone Detectives in Manhattan and Brooklyn and Once Upon a Home in New Orleans, house histories are the one gift your buyer will not only keep, but treasure.
Speaking of treasure, house histories are not exactly what you would call cheap. Since they are so labor-intensive to make, they start at around $750 and climb all the way to $5,000 depending on how far back you want the history to go and the production of the book or poster.
While that might be a bit too rich for many real estate agents looking for closing gifts, you can always have the book created as a marketing piece to help sell the home and chalk it up as a marketing expense!
2. A Branded Gift They Will Actually Keep
The problem with branded gifts is that most people secretly hate them. Sure, they will thank you for that cutting board with your logo on it, but let’s face it, that thing is getting shoved in a cabinet, never to be seen again.
That’s where EvaBot comes in. Using artificial intelligence (AI), EvaBot figures out what products your client really wants, then sends them a gift in a custom branded box with your logo on it. So your client receives a desirable gift (that isn’t branded)—in a branded box. No shopping, wrapping, or gift-picking stress required on your part.
To start gifting 21st century-style, visit EvaBot’s website below to claim a $25 dollar gift credit.
3. A Shaggy Swag Gift Box Subscription
Let’s face it—today’s pampered pooches live better than we did as kids! Well, maybe not, but pets have slowly become a focal point in many people’s lives, and for good reason. Taking care of a pet offers health benefits for owners, not to mention possibly saving a furry little life.
So if your client is a certified dog mommy or daddy, then they’ll absolutely love the unique and fun items they’ll get from the Shaggy Swag gift box. Instead of boring old bones, their little fur monsters get high-quality toys, treats, and essentials.
The best part of these subscriptions is that even if your client deletes your phone number right after closing, you get to feel good about keeping a little four-legged friend happy for an entire year. 😊
4. A Practical Gift That Can Generate Referrals
The best closing gifts do two things: They show your former client you actually care, and they keep you top of mind to generate referrals. While many gifts show how much you care, few keep you top of mind to generate referrals. Home Manager does both.
Their app makes it easy to schedule the crucial home maintenance tasks that so many homeowners forget about until it’s too late. Perfect for new buyers. Even better, it comes gift boxed with a practical gift of your choice, like a carbon monoxide detector, and is designed to keep you top of mind for two years.
5. An Ecovacs Deebot N79S Robotic Vacuum
A robotic vacuum will make your tech geek clients grin like little kids at Christmas. The only problem, of course, is that these things were priced like unobtanium up until now. Today, you can get a well-reviewed robotic vacuum that syncs with Amazon’s Alexa, has an app, and even charges itself when the battery runs out, all for around $140.
If your client is more of a brand snob, you can upgrade them to the original iRobot Roomba for a little under $300. Still a great bargain for a gift that ticks both the useful and neato boxes that most gifts can’t.
6. Anything From Hermès
Here’s a great suggestion from Compass Manhattan luxury team leader Philip Scheinfeld, “I usually go with something elegant like a Hermès ashtray, which is a great coffee table item. If it is a higher-end deal, I sometimes go with a Hermès blanket. Those are typically my go-to gifts. I also take my clients out to a nice dinner as well to celebrate once they move in.”
Hermès is just one of those brands that will impress (or at least satisfy) even the pickiest and wealthiest clients. Beautiful and unique enough to keep out on a coffee table or console, a gift from Hermès is a surefire way to stay top of mind. Expensive, but a big return on investment (ROI) for your closing gift budget.
7. A Wishing House
What gives a lucky rabbit’s foot its sentimental value? The answer, of course, is the wishes and dreams of the person who owns it. Wishing Houses, handcrafted by Brooklyn-based jewelry designer Brauna Rosen, allows you to send your client a gift that already has sentimental value.
Here’s how it works. Your client gets an adorable cast pewter Wishing House along with a handwritten wish from you. They put the Wishing House in their own home and then send a Wishing House back to you, or send a new Wishing House on to a friend or loved one who needs some moral support—and who doesn’t these days?
Best of all, at only $24 per Wishing House and wish-shipped, they’re affordable enough to send out to all your clients during the holidays as a heartfelt personal keepsake.
8. The Nest Hello Smart Doorbell
In 2022, even doorbells are smart. The Nest Hello Smart is one of the best. Buy this as a real estate closing gift for your new homeowner and they will be able to see who’s at the door from their phone and never miss a package or visitor again.
Even better, like Nest’s namesake thermostat, it’s well-designed enough to complement pretty much any exterior decor.
9. A Small (or Large) Gift From Tiffany & Co.
Another brand that will impress pretty much any client is Tiffany & Co. While not exactly cheap, you can (and should) try to buy something special for your client no matter how small your budget.
Agent Alan Levy of Warburg Realty in Manhattan likes gifting the Tiffany crystal ice bucket, which is budget-friendly (for Manhattan) at $175. Of course, the sky’s the limit here, so if you close a giant deal, go for something nicer. “Who doesn’t like a lovely blue box from Tiffany? I usually send one of two items from Tiffany: 1. The crystal ice bucket. Fits within all decor ($175) and 2. A Tiffany key chain. Any type that you think will fit your client. Price varies depending on your choice.”
10. A Consultation With a Local Landscape Designer
If there’s one home decorating area where even a lot of design snobs are at a loss, it’s landscaping. As a result, many homeowners just skip it, not realizing just how dramatic of an effect a well-designed yard can have on their home.
That’s why an hour-long consultation with a professional landscape designer can be a great closing gift idea for new homeowners. It’s something they might not think about that can have a huge impact on how their home looks and feels. Houzz is a great place to find someone near you.
11. A Turnkey Concierge Service for the Lifecycle of the Transaction
Let’s face it: We all want to wow our buyers with 5-star service, but the amount of time, effort, and stress involved mean most agents just squeak by with a Google Doc of important local phone numbers.
Client Giant takes it a step further. With one click, they will send out a series of thoughtful touches for important milestones in your buyer’s transaction. Touches include a personal concierge, moving boxes, snacks, personalized gifts, handwritten thank-you notes, and more.
12. A Subscription to a Meal Kit Delivery Service
If your client likes to cook, then a subscription to a meal kit delivery service like Blue Apron will make a fantastic closing gift. When they end up using it—and if they like to cook they will use it—they will think of you every time they prepare a meal.
With the runaway success of companies like Blue Apron, there has been a veritable explosion of meal kit delivery services over the last few years. So instead of just one or two, you now have dozens to choose from. If you’re shopping for foodies, the more specific the kit, the better. If you’re not sure where to start, Epicurious has a buyer’s guide with 34 different kits to choose from here.
13. Décor, Sentimental Gifts, or Local Art
Still stuck? Here are a few great gift ideas from luxury Manhattan real estate agent Anna Shagalov to get your creative juices flowing.
“Décor: I once gave a developer a massive shell-covered chandelier for his double-height living room that he was renovating in SoHo.
“Sentimental gifts: I put together a huge shadow box of apartment photos and artifacts for clients who were selling their loft to move to Michigan for a job relocation that they were gutted about.
“Local art: I’ve provided a session with a local graffiti artist to design a wall in a client’s new home.
“The old faithfuls: And, of course, the basic bottles of Champagne, ABC Carpet & Home gift cards, high-design (Hermès, Chanel, and so forth) key chains, throws, Diptyque candles, and so on.”
14. A Fully Planned & Paid for Evening Out
While buying your clients an experience rather than an object is always recommended, sometimes your gift of a night out can be more of a chore than a welcome respite from moving.
Think about it. If they have kids, they need to hire a sitter. If they want to drink, they need to order an Uber. And so on and so forth.
If you really want to impress your former clients, set up a dinner at a local restaurant and make sure you cover ALL the annoying details that make nights out an obligation rather than a treat. You should, at the very least, make a reservation and tell the restaurant to expect them, send the restaurant a custom cake or bottle of wine, arrange for a sitter, and most importantly, arrange for an Uber XL to take them to and from dinner in style.
Trust me, your clients will be singing your praises for years if you get this right!
15. A Membership to a Local Museum or Gym
If you’re leaning toward getting them an experience, then why not consider a membership to a local museum or gym? Of course, you’ll need to take the time to know your clients, but you should be doing that already.00
Agent Marilyn Blume of Warburg Realty in Manhattan tries to buy her clients experiences like museum memberships instead of traditional gifts. “As buying a home is stressful, giving an experiential gift is a way to help them relax and maybe introduce them to something new. While working with clients, I use this time to learn more about them (hobbies, values, interests) to show them properties that will be the best fit.
“For example, if someone loves art, then I can give them a membership to a nearby museum, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If they enjoy physical fitness, then maybe a membership to a nearby gym or even ClassPass so they can try a bunch of different places.”
16. A Gift Certificate to a Local Nursery
While most people like house plants and small trees, people who love them are generally pretty particular. Some plant lovers collect succulents while others prefer hanging plants or perennials. That makes picking out a nice plant as a closing gift a tricky proposition. If you want to make sure your plant-loving client is happy, a gift certificate is the way to go.
Like the other closing gift ideas on this list that come from local business owners, make sure to form a relationship with the owner before buying the gift certificate. If they’re greeted warmly by a store owner who speaks well of you, you come across as a well-connected local rather than just someone they completed a transaction with.
17. A Customized Gift for Children
Of course, if you do develop a more personal relationship with your client, then getting them something that they’ll personally resonate with might make sense. Isaac Rosenberg at Compass tries to get his clients gifts they’ll remember. “I love getting my clients a gift that they will remember forever. Preferably something they can use and keep around the house for a long time.
“My favorite gift I’ve gotten for a client moving to the U.S. for the first time was a toy train with their child’s name on it (at the time their only child). It’s not about how much it costs, but the thought and the appreciation for what’s special to the specific client.”
18. A Local Cooking Class
The perfect closing gift for your foodie clients, a gift certificate to a unique local cooking class can be a fun gift for anyone, really. Even better, if you work in a major city, you can find classes at all levels of experience and intensity. For example, a bachelor first-time homeowner might genuinely appreciate a cookery 101 course, while a die-hard foodie might get a lot out of a butchery or advanced knife skills class.
Again, knowing your client’s interests is key to great closing gift-giving! You can opt for an online cooking class with a well-known chef that your client can enjoy from the comfort of their new home.
19. A Celebratory Dinner (With You)
Greenwich Village Manhattan agent Elise Ehrlich prefers taking her clients out to a fancy dinner complete with wine (or champagne) and flowers for a true celebration. “My favorite closing gift is a dinner at a fabulous local restaurant. When at all possible, I prefer to accompany the buyers or sellers to celebrate the closing and thank them for their trust.
“I make the reservation, arrange for great wine or champagne, flowers—truly a great night for all. I believe that material gifts are so personal, and so often they are just returned. Real estate is about relationships, so a dinner for the clients with or without me always makes people happy.”
20. A Custom House Portrait That Guest Stars Your Clients & Pet
While a custom house portrait makes a generally pretty safe (and great) closing gift, why not go the extra mile and include the happy couple and their pet? This way, you can turn something that’s fairly personal into something they may even cherish for decades.
The trick is to find a talented artist who can really capture the spirit of your clients and their new home. Some artistic license (and some Facebook snooping) will ensure your closing gift is heartfelt and truly personalized.
21. A Decorative Fruit Bowl, Coffee Table Book, or Engraved Keychain
Since your goal here is to be remembered, you might also want to get them something they’ll keep and use for a long time. That’s why Broker Becki Danchik of Warburg Realty Manhattan likes to give gifts that last. “I like to give my clients a gift that is tangible, something they can use for a long time, such as a decorative fruit bowl, a coffee table book, or a keychain with their initials engraved into it.
“A gift that might remind them of me and their homebuying experience is more appreciated than something that has an expiration date, such as a gift card, tickets to a show, or wine. If their friends or family ask them where they got the cool salt-and-pepper shakers, they can say, ‘My real estate agent gave them to me.’ It leaves a long-lasting impression.”
22. A Gift That Disappears Quickly …
Another strategy Manhattan Broker Sheila Trichter of Warburg Realty uses are not gifts that last forever. Her rationale is that most people (especially the Manhattan 1%!) have enough stuff and would be more likely to enjoy an experience.
“My general strategy is to give a gift that disappears quickly. Most people have enough stuff, so I like to give gifts that they can enjoy and not need to keep. In that vein, I often give a case of wine or good Champagne. A wonderful food basket is generally appreciated, as are theater tickets and gift cards to great restaurants. In most cases, I take my clients to a wonderful closing dinner.”
23. A Well-curated Case of Wine
While wine of the month clubs are a dime a dozen these days, they tend to be a little bit overpriced, and getting a FedEx box with wine once a month is pretty impersonal. Instead, work with a local wine shop to curate a sampling of wine for many different occasions. If you work with the right shop, they will happily provide you with in-depth descriptions of the origin, tasting notes, and pairing for each bottle they sell.
Once again, the point here is not to prove your oenophile bona fides, but to show your client that you’re a local expert who is a fixture in the local community. The owner of the wine store will love you and so will your client. What more could you ask for?
24. A Local Experience They’ll Never Forget
If your clients are a bit on the daring side, why not treat them to a heart-racing local experience they’ll never forget? Depending on where you work, you might be able to get them skydiving lessons, horseback riding lessons, parasailing lessons, or something even more unique.
25. A Gift Card to a Local Coffee Shop or Tab at a Local Pub
A gift card to a well-reviewed local coffee shop or bar can be a great way to give your buyers a nudge into becoming locals. First, if you have a relationship with the owners, you can make sure they are warmly welcomed, which anyone brand-new to a neighborhood will appreciate.
Second, you give them an easy way to start a routine and meet new friends in the neighborhood. Just make sure to get to know your clients well before buying them something like this. A teetotaler will not take kindly to getting a tab at a bar as a closing gift.
26. A Dyson Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
OK, I know what you’re thinking—a vacuum cleaner is up there with a gym membership as an insulting gift. If we’re taking normal vacuums, I agree with you. 100%. But the Dyson cordless vacuums have now become something of a status symbol along with Peletons. They’re also expensive. For most people, they cross over the line between household necessity into luxury splurge. That’s what makes them a great gift!
The number one rule of gift giving is to buy them something that they want, but probably wouldn’t buy for themselves. So, when you’re making small talk in the car, ask them if they have a Dyson or another cordless vacuum cleaner.
27. A Gift Certificate to a Local Antique Store
If your clients are moving into a vintage home, then a gift certificate to a local antique shop is a no-brainer. Even if they don’t find that perfect piece right away, they’ll likely form a relationship with the owners that will ensure pleasant browsing for years to come.
This is a win/win in anyone’s book. You get your local shop owner a potential lifetime customer, and you show your client that you really understand what they really value.
28. Something to Make a Transplant Feel Welcome
Let’s face it—moving to a new city across the country or even around the world can be intimidating. You don’t know anyone and feeling truly at home isn’t easy for a lot of people. If you’re dealing with transplant clients, one of the best closing gifts you can get them is a local experience that helps them feel at home.
For example, if your client just moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, then get them surfing lessons. If they moved from India to Cape Cod, then a day of whale watching will help your client get excited about the unique spirit of their new home.
Just remember that closing gifts like this don’t have to be super-serious. They can be lighthearted or even corny. The idea is to provide a unique local experience that will turn your clients into instant evangelists for your services!
29. A Gift Certificate to a Local Florist
If your client loves fresh flowers, then a gift certificate to a local florist can make a great closing gift. As a rule of thumb, go for a florist that’s a little more high-end than your clients may normally buy from. This way, your gift will be seen as a treat rather than something they might have bought on their own anyway.
30. A Consultation With a Local (or Online) Interior Designer
If there is one luxury that even relatively wealthy people skip out on, it’s hiring an interior designer. After all, it just seems so decadent. Of course, interior designers work in all flavors and at most price points. They can also actually save you money because they can arrange or rearrange furniture you may already own to work better.
In many ways, that makes an interior designer the perfect closing gift. It’s something useful, decadent, and something most people wouldn’t dream of hiring themselves.
If you want to go local, then Yelp would be a good place to start looking. Or, you can prebook time with an online interior design consultant using a service like Havenly.
31. An Apple iPad
While generally viewed as important oxygen itself for many real estate agents, there are still a lot of people out there who see iPads and tablets in general as luxury items. Now that doesn’t mean they don’t want one—far from it. It just means that even extremely successful people hold off on what they consider personal luxuries.
Luckily for real estate agents trying to buy closing gifts for their clients, though, a high-end tablet can be a great gift. It’s useful, fun, luxurious, and something many people just won’t buy for themselves.
If you’re leaning toward a tech gift like an Apple iPad, drop some hints during your showing to see if they already have one and gauge their interest in owning one. If they don’t have one and think they’re the bee’s knees, then you have yourself a pretty sweet closing gift.
32. A Luxury Key Ring or Key Chain
Here’s another gift where getting to know the person you’re buying for is crucial. For the right kind of buyer, presenting their new house keys on a luxury key ring, like this example from Tiffany & Co., will make a lasting impression.
Yes, they’re expensive for such a small and inconsequential item, but they help give your buyer a sense of occasion at the closing table. Just make sure that if you do decide to spend a few hundred bucks on a key ring, you know that your buyer knows what it is and has a ballpark idea of what it costs. Otherwise, they might not even notice or think they just lucked out and got a shiny key chain!
33. A Luxury Pen
Even though a luxury pen might come across as a little impersonal, you can easily make it personal by having it engraved, or including a clever card with the pen presented in a nice gift box. You could get a little bold and write something like “for our next deal” on the card, or just go traditional and have the pen engraved with their name, or maybe something like “home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling.”
You can get a beautiful luxury pen starting at around $50 with a gift box from companies like Parker or Cross. If you want to go big, Montblancs start at around $300.
How to Find Out What Your Clients Really Want
Five-star Zillow reviews are great and all, but your goal as an agent is to build a referral network that will eventually eclipse your lead generation efforts. That means you need to really get to know your clients. Not easy, of course, but putting in the effort can have a huge return on investment (ROI) and can even be fun.
Here’s how to (strategically) figure out the best closing gift for your buyer or seller client.
Stalk Their Social Media Accounts
OK, I know. You feel a little creepy snooping around on your client’s social media to figure out what gift they will respond to best. Don’t! First of all, it’s 2022 and everyone from grandmothers to school teachers check people out on social media. Second, your client will be much happier if you get them something they actually want!
Have the Gift in Mind, Then Ask Strategic Questions to See If It Will Fit
Getting to know your clients personally is great and all, but remember the goal here is to figure out how well they will respond to a specific gift. For example, you might get your client talking about how nervous they are to move to your city. That means a gift of a unique local experience might be ideal to help them get acclimated and become part of the local community.
From there you can drill down further and see what their hobbies and interests are to get even more specific with your gift. If you’re thinking of buying them a skydiving package, then it would help to know that they’re afraid of heights!
Ask One of Their Coworkers on LinkedIn
This strategy can kill two birds with one stone. First, you can find out what they want from someone they know, and second, you showed one of their coworkers that you’re actually putting thought into their gift.
What to Write on the Card (You Did Remember the Card, Right?) 👀
As most of us learned in elementary school, every thoughtful gift comes with a thoughtful card. When I was a child, my grandfather would send me a gift certificate for McDonald’s every year for my birthday. While that was nice, since my parents didn’t let me eat there very often, the handwritten card he included was what made the gift heartwarming. “For Mickey D’s! Love, Grandpa.”
So yes, you do need to include a card or at least a note with your closing gift. Here’s how to write one without sounding too impersonal, or too sappy. Here are some ideas to get you started:
May your new address be truly blessed. Congratulations!
Whew! We made it! Congratulations!
It’s been a true pleasure working with you. Congratulations!
Seeing your smiles at the closing table makes me love my job. Congratulations!
Congratulations on your new home!
Wishing you and yours many happy years in your beautiful new home.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
Congrats on planting new roots!
Congratulations on your new home. May it always be filled with laughter and love.
Wishing your family all the best in your new home
Congrats on your lovely new home. You deserve it!
Congratulations on becoming a brand-new homeowner!
Our Take on Great Real Estate Closing Gifts
Great closing gifts are personal, thoughtful, and remind your client that you are the local real estate expert they can rely on for years to come. Choose carefully by getting to know your clients well, and you just might help create an evangelist for life!
Tell us about you so we know what to send.
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