Nope. Not another debate about whether or not to gift your clients at closing. Just a polite plea to change up what you’re gifting.
You’ll find what seems like endless advice online about closing gifts. The most popular suggestions include cutting boards (right?), gift cards, welcome mats and knives.
I think we can all agree that anything with your logo, face or other branding is a giant “no way!” Those are gifts that end up in the trash, the closet or at the local thrift shop.
So, what’s a modern, thoughtful closing gift?
“That’s going to depend a lot on the price point of the listing and your relationship with your clients,” according to Emile L’Eplattenier at TheClose.com.
And, we might add, your budget.
You’ve just spent at least 30 days getting to know these people, so we’re hoping you have some sort of clue as to what they like, need or want when they move into their new place.
If you’re stuck, read on — we rounded up some gifts that agents are giving at closing that we think are both memorable and trendy.
Get them on the road to a smart home
There are so many cool and useful smart home gadgets on the market now. From the basics, like an Amazon Echo or Google Assistant to a smart thermostat, doorbell or door lock, any would please the new homeowner.
Get ideas by checking out Amazon’s most popular smart home tech:
- Echo Dot (3rd generation)
- Smart home cameras with night vision
- Indoor security cameras
- Ring doorbell
- Nest Learning Thermostat
- Smart light switch
- Smart sprinkler system controller
- Smart meat thermometer
For the cash-strapped agent – Give a home management app
Billed as “The All-In-One Home Management App,” the folks at Centriq have nailed the gifting decision process for those agents on a tight budget.
This app promises to help your clients “… troubleshoot, operate and maintain …” their homes. The process sounds easy as well.
“Just snap a picture of the appliances, electronics, and tools in your home. We’ll add the user manuals, warranties, how-to-videos and more.”
For $7.95 per client, annually, the app will display your branding and it offers a “dedicated management dashboard,” among other goodies.
Check out the agent plan at mycentriq.com.
Bling for the newly-minted luxury homebuyer
The luxury home client’s gift may not look anything like that you purchase for the starter home client. And, luxury homebuyers can be further divided by newly-wealthy or old money when it comes time to choose a closing gift.
“Those who are new to wealth tend to flaunt it,” according to Winston Chesterfield, the founder of Barton Consulting. The old-money types prefer “experiential gifts,” according to the editors at RobbReport.com.
How about something to hold the keys to the new home, like a key ring from Tiffany & Co.?
Old monied client? Consider gifting him/her with a book
When billionaires gift their billionaire friends, they usually choose an “experiential gift,” according to Harry Cheadle at Vice.com. Agents with deep pockets may get some ideas by reading Cheadle’s blog post.
Agents on a budget can’t go wrong with the careful selection of a book as a closing gift, according to Cheadle. Especially if that book is the biography of a successful person.
No, books aren’t particularly trendy, but Steve Seibold, author of “How Rich People Think,” says that one of the first things we’ll notice when we enter a wealthy person’s home is “an extensive library of books they’ve used to educate themselves on how to become more successful.”
“As long as that book is not attacking them and their way of life, they would value that gift and they would see that gift for an intelligent gift,” according to Chesterfield.
Some clients are a cinch to buy for while others may take some thought. Hopefully, these ideas will set you on the path to finding that just-right closing gift.
Send the Thank You: Big as a House postcard from the Customer Appreciation Series to your past clients.
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