The Market

How to thank your real estate broker

Teri Rogers Headshot - Floral
By Teri Karush Rogers  |
May 16, 2011 - 1:35PM
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You're so moved by the services rendered by your real estate agent that you want to seal the experience with a gift, above and beyond the commission your agent will collect.

But what to give?

The hive mind at StreetEasy.com has a few thoughts....

Buyers/sellers suggest:

  • I hosted a happy hour (i.e. open bar, free food) for my team (broker, lawyer, and relevant staff) after I closed. I also sent a Shari's Berries gift box to their respective back office staff and to my lender's back office staff because I had a very weird closing and I felt as though they all really hustled to see my deal through. I'm not saying this is obligatory, but I thought it was the classy thing to do.
  • I once gave a gift - an expensive chocolate basket from a local shop - to a buyer's agent who was great. He actually advised me not to buy the property I bought, spent a lot of time counseling me to make sure I knew what I was getting into....I recommend this guy to EVERYONE in the area and have probably netted his firm half a million dollars in commission, which is (let's face it) the best gift you can give to a broker. 
  • The best "thank you" is a referral....If somebody goes above and beyond the call of duty, especially if you have a difficult transaction, a small gift (along with a nice handwritten note) is very classy. If you don't know what to get the person, what I usually do is ask one of the people's co-workers. So that they have an idea of what you want to spend, I often say something like "I was thinking of getting __________ a ____________. Do you think he/she would like that or is there something else you think he/she would like better". You don't want to buy a bottle of wine for somebody who doesn't drink wine, or worse, doesn't drink at all. Another nice idea is a note to the person's boss/owner of the company about what a great job the person did.
  • If anything, the BROKERS should be the ones giving the thank-you gifts!

Brokers say:

  • I feel like I get small thank-you gifts of the bottle of Dom/fancy chocolate/restaurant meals variety nearly half the time. Note that if you're thinking of giving a big thank-you gift (yes, some people tip fair amounts of cash, usually when you've saved them from a train wreck and put them in a good situation instead) it can't go straight to an agent, as that's a licensing violation, so it needs to go through the firm.
  • I think just a really nice card with a personal note is great. If the sale closes, the broker is richly rewarded financially, so just a nice note of "Job well done" is quite satisfying.
  • I agree that the best 'gift' a client can give is a referral to a friend or family member about the broker's service quality, etc.. All the gifts I ever got were referrals and verbal thank yous and maybe a drink night out to keep in touch after closing. Not that a gift isnt nice or anything, but a 'thank you' note on how I helped the client is really more than enough.

(StreetEasy.com)

Teri Rogers Headshot - Floral

Teri Karush Rogers

Founder & Publisher

Founder and publisher Teri Karush Rogers launched Brick Underground in 2009. As a freelance journalist, she had previously covered New York City real estate for The New York Times. Teri has been featured as an expert on New York City residential real estate by The New York Times, New York Daily News, amNew York, NBC Nightly News, The Real Deal, Business Insider, the Huffington Post, and NY1 News, among others. Teri earned a BA in journalism and a law degree from New York University.

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