Inman

6 housewarming gifts buyers will actually use

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Your clients just bought a new home and couldn’t be happier. What better way to congratulate them than to give them a great housewarming gift? Selecting something they’ll actually like isn’t always easy though, especially if you don’t know them well.

When you’re having trouble deciding on what to give your buyer client once the deal is done, get them a gift card.

According to a 2015 survey by the National Retail Federation, 58.8 percent of consumers want gift cards over other types of gifts, making gift cards the most-requested gift for nine years consecutively.

By opting for a gift card as a housewarming gift, you’re more likely to get your client something they’ll use and appreciate. Further increase the odds that your client will love your housewarming gift by selecting from any of the following popular gift cards:

1. An Amazon gift card

Who doesn’t like Amazon these days? Besides, your buyer knows what their new home needs are more than anyone else. An Amazon gift card will surely be put to good use.

Also, unlike most gift cards, including the other gift cards in this list, an Amazon gift card can be used to buy almost anything.

2. A Home Depot gift card 

Is your buyers’ new home a fixer-upper? When this is the case, you know your buyers will be shopping at Home Depot in the near future.

Get them a Home Depot gift card, and help make their upcoming DIY projects a success. If you leave a few words of encouragement on the card, they’ll think of you again as they’re preparing to work on their home.

3. A gift card for a local restaurant

Help your buyers get to know their new neighborhood with a gift card for a nearby restaurant.

Here’s a tip: take a quick glance at Yelp to find a place with positive reviews instead of selecting a restaurant at random.

4. Costco membership

This might sound like an exaggeration, but it’s true: managing a household is so much easier with Costco membership.

Buy your clients a one-year membership at Costco, and you’ll save them cash and time shopping for items that should be bought in bulk.

5. A Best Buy gift card

Is your buyer into the latest electronics? Although you might be tempted to equip a good buyer client with a high-dollar item from Best Buy, you shouldn’t. Most electronics enthusiasts are very particular about their home entertainment items.

Get your buyers a Best Buy gift card instead of a specific electronics item; they’ll appreciate it more and will be able to select exactly what they want for their new home theater setup.

6. An Ikea gift card

When making a move, it’s not always practical to bring every item to the new place. Some items, like furniture, are often sold and replaced to make moving a little easier.

If your buyer client will be needing new furniture and has an Ikea located near their new home, an Ikea gift card will make an excellent housewarming gift.

Of course, gift cards aren’t always the best choice as housewarming gifts for buyer clients.

If you have a very close relationship with a buyer, for instance, getting them a housewarming gift that’s a bit more personal is probably a better option. However, when you just aren’t sure what to get for clients, a good gift card is always a safe bet.

Pat Hiban is the author of the NYT bestselling book “6 steps to 7 figures: A Real Estate Professional’s Guide to Building Wealth and Creating Your Destiny,” the founder of online real estate sales training site Rebus University, and the host of Pat Hiban Interviews Real Estate Rockstars, an agent-to-agent real estate podcast with Hiban Digital in Baltimore, Maryland. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

Email Pat Hiban