Buyers:  Get the keys to their new home

Sellers: Get the satisfaction of their home SOLD

Everyone gets something from me; but it all depends on:

• sales price
• how good a client they were/are
• if I gave any rebates already (military,etc.)
• clients likes, interests or needs

Wow as I read the answers I'm surprised but not judging, how many do not. I think a thank you gift is appropriate and its apparently one of the things that sets some agents apart.

I stopped many many  years ago.  Back in the day I did the Jimmy Stewart (It's a wonderful life) wine, bread and salt basket.   Now I give them the opportunity to refer my services to friends and family.  Expert service is the best gift I can give.

I don't do anything except a contribution to the Children's Miracle Network and a "welcome home" card.

No longer do them because it was so difficult deciding what to get each person. I have given tool kits in the past, also home improvement guide books.

I always enjoy Kenneth J. Jones, SRES, SFR, SCGREA thoughts on this.  Gratitude is great, but when these become a marketing obligation, it just makes agents look a little desperate to buy that next referral.

Better to buy it with good professional service.

Pearls for the Soul book of over 800 positive & uplifting sayings. Both the gift giver and the receiver benefit with pleasant thoughts and feelings from a gift of this nature. Its personal yet professional too.  All this for $10.00?

FOr the Seller; sell them a new home.  For the buyer; shiny keys

We stopped giving closing gifts several years ago.  

buyer gets the keys....seller gets the money.... my builders get nice gifts with every holiday....

Will,

We started giving them and then stopped . If we were invited to an open house, we always brought a plant. or a bottle of wine.  A

I have steered away from them unless it's a special closing to me, like 1st time home buyers or retiring couples or if I became attached to my clients. It's a case by case decision now.  I no longer have a "one size fits all" gift. 

Nothing Will, I think they should be giving us a gift.

I do something special for buyers and sometimes take sellers to dinner. 

     I take them for dinner at a posh restaurant a few days after closing.  If it's a couple, my wife joins us.

Thomas J. Nelson, Realtor pretty much explained my deal.

Zilch

I seldom do a closing gift unless some exceptional reason arises

I give change of address postcards for buyers with my company advertising can be used for both buyer and seller.

I think I answered this question at least twice in the last two weeks.

I do home made baskets for buyers and sellers it depends whether they are staying in the area or leaving and what their new living conditions will be

I created a software and named it after my two children called the BellaRuby Closing Gift. It is a portal to help them run and maintain their home and includes access to all of the parties and documents, an insurance vault, access to all my trusted vendors, and a series of reminders like changing their smoke alarms batteries every 6 months that runs on autopilot. In the beta phase right now... people seem to appreciate it so far, and it keeps me in their life without having to really do anything other than create the gift right before the closing. 

My wife for her buyers and sellers has their house Professionally cleaned. I also noticed that many other agents give nothing. I have no idea if it's a good or bad idea, but I do know that my wife sells over 50 homes a year. She is currently closing on 52 and 53 this week.  Also being an Irish Lass, every St. Patrick's Day she goes door to door and hands out Irish Soda Bread. So she must be doing something right. Her clients love it! In marketing it is called "keeping your name on the your clients brain." Many buyers forget their agents name within 9 months,but will remember the company. It happens even faster in my business. 

depends on lots of factors.  It's not an automatic thing

cutco usually

I like the answer Kathleen Daniels gave. Think I will adopt it!

It depends on the client.  

I think it is a good idea to give a gift and also stay in contact after the sale.

Kathleen Daniels nailed this one!

A smooth settlement is an excellent gift.

Occasionally I give gifts (something crafted here on Kauai), but more often my clients give me a gift.

Will Hamm - the best gift I can give is a home warranty. For seller, the pencil drawing of their home and a Cd/digital photo frame with the pictures of their home.

I generally don't give closing gifts to the seller, but I the buyer. I like to give something with shelf life. Two recent buyers were given gift certificates to a local greenhouse, because they want to add some fruit trees to their yard.

How about sending something to the other agent if they did a great job? I've gotten baskets ot flowers from the Listing agent when I've represented a buyer..goes a long way in wanting to do business with them again!

I don't.  So far I've only received a thank you gift from my bodyshop.  When my dentist, lawyers, tax guy and auto mechanic does too, then I'll join in!

I sometimes give a gift basket with food for buyers or a gift card to a home improvement store.

I am looking into gifts.

I'm usually on the receiving end of the gifts.  I have two important works of art from clients, one a buyer and one a seller.  They are both precious to me.

Really depends on the client. But usually a buyer gets a Thank you card and a gift appropriate and the sellers are just so happy I got the house sold.

Will, we handle it several ways. I try to pay attendion to buyers to see if something they want to do is something I can participate in after closing. I.e., are they putting in ceiling fans, new light fixtures, etc. In that case, I can send in one of my electricians to do it for them as a gift. If they are painting, I can give them a Lowes card. With my sellers, I tend to give them gift cards to dinner. The first year of a purchase or sale, I send the clients a gift basket at the holidays.