15 Last-Minute Gifts for Real Estate Clients

One minute you’re scooping jack-o’-lantern seeds, and the next you’re dispensing eggnog. You always plan to acknowledge and thank your clients, but somehow the holidays sneak up on you. Fear not: Even though you’re down to the wire, you can recover quickly with a thoughtful gift — and your clients will think you planned it well in advance.

Here are 15 last-minute gifts for your real estate clients.

Welcome them home

1. Greet your home buyer clients at the door with a welcome mat, which can also serve as a reminder of who helped them find their new digs.
2. Help them stay informed about their neighborhood — or indulge their interests — with a newspaper or magazine subscription.
3. Let clients know you care about their safety with a fully stocked first-aid kit.

Want to get fancy?

1. Book an aerial or limousine tour of their new neighborhood

Buy local

1. Encourage your clients to support local businesses — and provide them with hours of entertainment — by giving them tickets to the local movie theater, playhouse or museum.
2. Show your clients how invested you are in the prosperity of the neighborhood with gift cards or gift certificates to local eateries, shops and services. If your client has a business as well, it’s a great way to help them meet other entrepreneurs and perhaps start sharing referrals!

Want to get fancy?

1. Book clients for an overnight stay at a local hotel or bed and breakfast.

Fete the foodies

1. Deliver a pizza right to the door of clients who are in the middle of a move; they would probably appreciate a hot, convenient meal.
2. Give them a party in a box with mini bottles of champagne, a selection of luxurious chocolates and a pint of fresh organic berries.

Want to get fancy?

1. Arrange a basket containing a selection of local delicacies that your city or region is known for. Even if they've lived in the area for years, your clients might discover something new (and delectable) about it.

Get cozy

1. Books and music are always appreciated, and you can present them in a variety of ways: on good old fashioned paper and CD, as a digital download, or through a gift card to an online retailer where they can pick exactly what they like.
2. Make your clients’ homes feel warm and fuzzy with candles. Wrap three rustic tapers together with a bit of burlap and twine or place some votive candles into a clear cellophane bag and tie with a festive ribbon. Go for the wow factor by filling a large hurricane vase with handfuls of star anise or nutmegs, then nestle a vanilla pillar candle into the center.
3. Create a fire-starter kit for the fireplace that won their hearts during the showing. It can be a camp survival version from the hardware store, or a simple rendition you assemble yourself that includes a butane candle lighter, starter log or kindling, and a supply of s’mores ingredients.

Want to get fancy?

1. Does your client like coffee? Instantly email them a $5 Starbucks gift card that they can redeem right through their smart phone.

Pay it forward

1. If you know of any causes that your clients support, make a charitable donation in their name. If you only know that they’re generally philanthropic, present them with a charity gift card in any amount. The cards are 100 percent tax deductible for you, and your client can help out any of the 1,000 major charitable causes — hundreds of which are local — that are listed on the site.

It’s easy to delight your real estate clients with a last-minute gift. Even if you don’t have an actual present to hand them, make a spontaneous date for coffee or sandwiches and chat about anything other than buying or selling real estate. Or let them know you’re thinking about them with a simple handwritten note on your personal stationary. Any sincere gesture on your part — big or small — will let a client know how much you truly appreciate them.