A recent survey revealed that the typical agent gets up to 30% of his/her real estate business from real estate referrals or repeat real estate clients. So it seems then that one of the most important skills you need to become a successful real estate agent is the ability to build and sustain long-term relationships with your customers. The established and new real estate agent can build relationships by giving gifts which will make customers feel appreciated. This could be closing gifts for buyers or closing gifts for sellers. You can also give real estate clients unexpected gifts on special occasions such as birthdays. And with Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaching, now is the best time to start thinking about showing your clients how thankful you are for their business.
However, merely sending past customers and real estate leads a few postcards and emails each year offering best wishes is not enough. You need to be more creative in your real estate agent strategies to show them that you care, thus enhancing your chances of securing a referral or repeat business. Every real estate agent must incorporate some form of gift-giving or show of appreciation into their real estate lead generation as well as their real estate marketing strategy.
Here are 11 unique and affordable client appreciation gifts to consider:
1. Throw a housewarming party
When a client is moving into a new real estate property, hosting a housewarming party is a great idea for making them feel at home immediately. You can send out printed invitations to neighbors for the event. In addition, you could get customized napkins and paper coasters. Such client appreciation events are not only affordable, but also a great opportunity to meet neighbors and find potential new clients or generate new leads in real estate.
Related: How to Reach New Real Estate Clients
However, this party shouldn’t necessarily be held in a home. You can host it on a street and invite neighbors to say goodbye to sellers and meet the new residents. A street housewarming party is ideal especially for home buyers that want privacy in their houses.
2. Buy some pizza
Moving into a new house can be very stressful for new homeowners. With all the activity involved on moving day, they often don’t have time to do grocery shopping or even think about what they will eat for lunch or dinner. Having pizza sent to your real estate clients and their moving helpers can leave a great impression.
3. Hire a cleaning crew
When a client is moving into a new home, there is usually a lot of cleaning involved. To save your real estate clients the trouble, consider hiring a cleaning crew to spruce up the home before the move-in date. Being a real estate agent is about making the move-in process as stress-free as possible.
4. Buy a few knick-knacks for the new home
Some of the best real estate closing gifts for new homeowners are things that they can use on a daily basis. For example, you can buy them plastic cups, paper plates, sponges, and paper towels that they can use in their first few days in the new residence. For the bathroom, you can buy them potpourri, hand soap or small hand towels.
5. Get them a local membership to a fun place
Once they have settled into their new home, residents will want to get familiar with their surroundings. One of the best ways of helping them explore their community is by securing them a membership to an interesting place. For a young family, you can get them a one-year membership at the children’s play park or the zoo. Membership at a local country club or a local gym would also be greatly appreciated.
Related: 20 Best Christmas Gifts for Real Estate Investors
6. Send personalized cards for special occasions
Everyone gets those generic ‘Dear customer’ thank you notes from different service providers. Such impersonal cards are not only annoying but also give the impression that the company doesn’t really care. Writing a personalized message on a gift card will only take a few minutes. Be sure to learn as much as possible about your real estate customers so you can send the right message at the right time. This way, you can send gifts for important life events such as a major award at work, a wedding or the birth of a child. Going beyond the obvious Christmas, birthday or Thanksgiving gifts will show that you really care about your real estate clients.
Related: 6 Real Estate Agent Tips for Surviving the Holiday Season
7. Refer people to your client’s business
Referrals are not just about your real estate clients telling other people about your business. You can also appreciate your real estate clients by promoting them in your networks. Whether they run a small business or work at a major company, they will really be grateful for the referrals. You can use social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to share information about their products and services. Be sure to tag them so they are aware of your promotional efforts.
Related: How to Engage More Clients on Social Media
8. Be their customer
Besides promoting their business, you should also consider being their customer. If they own a dentistry practice, go to their clinic for treatment. If they run a restaurant, take your friends there for dinner. Such thoughtful acts will go a long way in strengthening your relationships with customers and boosting your real estate agent career.
9. Buy personal real estate closing gifts
In your conversations with real estate clients, they might mention that they love certain things. If they love reading, purchase a book by their favorite author and have it delivered to their residence with a personalized note. If they love a particular sports team, buy them tickets for the next game. Any gift that means something special to them will be very memorable.
10. Meet in person
If you live near your real estate customers, consider meeting them in person once in a while. You could catch up over coffee, or go bowling or see a movie. However, the specifics and location of your meeting are not important. The main idea is to reconnect and make them feel valued as a person.
11. Get them a cool smart home product
Smart home technology is creating a buzz in the real estate industry. Some of the smart real estate closing gifts you could buy for real estate clients include:
- Smart water and plumbing monitors
- Smart garage door openers
- Smart carbon dioxide/smoke detectors
- LED fixtures and light bulbs
What are some unique ways you have shown your real estate clients you appreciate them?