Give Washington DC homeowners the perfect gift

Client gifts have always been something I strive to be creative about. For the last 14 years, I have given to clients, to real estate recruits, to brokers and beyond, and there definitely is a trend of what is appreciated and used the most.

A few things that definitely provided great satisfaction to me but did not really improve client relationships or more referrals than usual can be simple and leave a lasting impression on clients.

• Harry and David Fruit of the month club, a gift that keeps giving every month of the year
• Ice Scapers, personally delivered them with a Buffini Tag
• Subway $15.00 gift cards sent to top five clients every quarter
• Custom Cookie Boxes from Cheryl’s Cookies
• Intention booklets
• Ordered Pizza to be delivered for the move in date when buying
• Pens/notebooks
• Wine Club for a year
• Omaha Steaks Package 
• Dinner and movie tickets in a bundle
• Subscription to www.success.com for agent

Check out my top six sensational gifts for the Washington, D.C. Area that your clients may love!

The most effective gifts were the ones that were partially or fully an experience of some kind or were interactive with the client allowing them to choose their own gift from a selection.

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Gifts should be personal. They should include a significant other or children, allow the client to experience some feeling of gratitude or feeling of happiness so they will think of you with that same feeling. I find food is an OK substitute if there is nothing else you can think of, but a gift certificate to a local restaurant is even better.

Here are a few more ideas for client gifts this year:

• Positive Pins inside a hand written note card
• Dinner for two and tickets to a comedy club.
• $50 to spend on Living Social
• Hire a reliable babysitter for a night and cover a dinner for two
• Two tickets for a cruise (buy in bulk for discount rate) leaving out of Baltimore, Md.
• Two tickets to the Verizon Center sports game or concert
• Two tickets to the Kennedy Center
• A visit to their home every three to four months to check in, a genuine gift of your time
• Homemade food that you bring to their home for a five-minute “hello”
• Gift card for a fondue restaurant like The Melting Pot
• For women, Birchbox or Ipsy for a monthly delivery of hair/face/makeup product.
• For dog owners, a Barkbox subscription

Cheryl Spangler is the principal broker and co-owner of FORBZ Real Estate Group. You can follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Email Cheryl Spangler.