Forget the bottle of champagne for a closing gift. Some real estate professionals say they want to give something more unique and personal that will make them more memorable to clients. As such, agents are giving clients everything from custom bobblehead dolls of a family to commissioned artwork or even a pet dog.
Jason Walker, a real estate pro with Douglas Elliman Real Estate in New York, rescues dogs and occasionally gives them to clients as closing gifts. He recently gifted a client a mixed-breed dog he had rescued from China and had brought back to New York. He also gave the client a full year of canine day care in the neighborhood.
Walker told
The New York Times a great closing gift not only shows clients his appreciation for their business but also helps support a cause. Walker has helped rescue nearly 50 homeless dogs in China last year alone.
“Closing gifts are a lovely gesture,” adds Pamela Liebman, the president and chief executive of the Corcoran Group. “It’s a thoughtful way to say thanks and memorialize an often daunting process. … Successful closing gifts are ones that commemorate a positive transaction and growing relationship.”
Creativity and thoughtfulness counts, agents say. For example, Jonah Katz, a Corcoran agent, had a client who was a Peanuts fan and a Snoopy collector so he had an original print of Snoopy commissioned by reaching out to the Peabody Fine Art Gallery.
“A closing gift is a very personal thing,” Katz told
The New York Times. “It should be every bit as unique, thoughtful, and original as the person you are giving it to.”
Christophe Tedjasukmana, a Citi Habitats real estate pro, says he wanted to plan a memorable event as a closing gift for his client. He threw a housewarming party for his client that included the costs of catering, alcohol, and wait staff for more than 80 guests. He spent more than $1,000 on the party.
“I wanted my client to able to focus on having fun while showing off the home I helped him find,” says Tedjasukmana said.
Source: “Brokers Who Go Big With Their Closing Gifts,” The New York Times (Dec. 22, 2017)
