by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
The holiday season is here, which means Realtors are looking for creative client gift ideas.
Calendars are a popular choice with the approaching New Year, but Realtors also are coming up with other ideas, from plants and peanuts to wine and gift cards.
“My favorite gift is the calendar with the magnet,” said Kathy White of Re/Max Professional Group. “It reminds people all year round that I am in the business. I even have some faithful recipients who will call me in October to remind me to keep them on my mail-out list for the following year!”
Bonnie Siecker of Century 21 Dames Point Realty Inc. also gives out calendars.
“I have been giving calendars now for 28 years and when they are not out on time, I get calls from customers,” said Siecker. “Having my name, phone number and email address is always handy for them and good for me!”
For Realtors who have customers moving into a new home, the following unique gifts are sure to be appreciated.
“I received a Home Depot gift card from my Realtor four years ago when I bought my house,” said Debbie Dermody, the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors beaches area manager. “I thought that was a very useful gift because everybody has a need for home improvement things when they purchase a house.”
Another idea is a maid service.
“It’s nice to give them a full house cleaning before the holiday decorations go up and again after they come down,” said Jeff Kern of Embassy Realty. “The cleaning service does it at a reduced cost to me in effort to pick up the homeowner as a client.”
Josie Deal of Coldwell Banker Jasinsky and Associates said she likes to give poinsettias to her clients during the holiday season.
“Poinsettias are great to give, and give them early,” said Deal. “It starts off the season right for your customers. Also, a personal call to wish a great holiday season helps you stay in touch!”
Over the years, Realtors learn which gifts are a hit and which ones aren’t. The key is to give something that will help the customer remember you and keep in touch.
“With just about 13 years of selling real estate here in St. Augustine, I have given and still give everything including calendars, pens, key chains, but what receives most ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ are trees, including fruit, flowering shrubs, and miniature herb gardens,” said Susanne Murphy of Consolidated Realty Group Inc. “I sold a house three times and the grapefruit are still producing. These gifts keep on giving. They can be planted in the yard, a patio container or the kitchen window and my folks always call me with update on how their plants are doing.”
Because entertaining is big during the holiday season, Reiss Tatum of RTR Associates Inc. suggested giving a bottle of good wine with your company’s name and logo on a custom label.
Another gift that is almost always welcomed is food.
“I’ve been using Hubbs peanuts as Christmas gifts for many years,” said Steve Sheffield of Sellstate Performance Realty Network. “Since Mrs. Hubbs’ passing, they now call themselves ‘The Virginia Company.’ You can order them online at www.thevirginiacompany.com. They have gifts of all prices and will deliver to your whole list in just a few days. They also have subscriptions to get a can of peanuts each month. I get a case shipped to my house for giving out personally. They come in real handy to take to a party or for someone you forgot about.
Many Realtors keep the whole family in mind, not just the family members who pay the bills, when selecting a gift.
“Costco has a great gift that I like for customers with children,” said Carol Burns of Berry & Co. Real Estate. “It is in the shape of a house and called Santa’s Workshop. It is about 12 inches tall and 9 inches wide. It is filled with Gingerbread Men cookies dipped in white chocolate. For the rest of my customers, I like Costco’s set of three gourmet dipping olive oils in a chrome stand. The flavors are garlic oil, basil oil and sun-dried tomato and Parmesan oil.”
Overall, when selecting gifts for clients, Realtors say to make them useful, unique and memorable.