New homeowners really enjoy all the perks that come with the house. As a realtor, it is your responsibility to make them feel at home when you give them the keys. To add a level of excitement, we encourage you to include a housewarming gift basket on the escrow close date. Make it even more special with a celebratory, and personalized gift basket.
We purchased the basket, candle, champagne flutes, and ice bucket from our local Home Goods, but I have found alternatives on Amazon.
Wooden Storage Box, Large Ribbon (I tied the bow myself), Champagne flutes, Ice Bucket, Thermal Insulated Glass Coffee Mugs, Southern California Candle” Los Angeles Candle
Custom Postcards
A creative gift to give a couple who want their close friends and family to know what their new address is.
1. Grab a photo of their new home. You can take one from the listing, or drive up to it and take a photo yourself.
2. You can either order postcards from one of these sellers on Etsy, or edit your image of the house in a free photo editor like picmonkey, canva, or a paid editor such as adobe photoshop. I like to use filters to give it a painting or watercolor effect. You can also add text directly onto the image or wait until you create the postcard order on Vistaprint.
3. Visit Vistaprint to order the postcards. We ordered 50 (4″ x 6″) postcards – premium matte.
Custom Address Stamps
We ordered these from an Etsy shop called stampfresh.
The shipping was very fast and the stamps look so beautiful. A great personalized addition to the housewarming gift basket.
Home Management Binder
A home management binder is a source of all important documents, contact information, passwords, etc. During a move, it is nice to have a dedicated folder for these precious items that would otherwise get lost in a sea of boxes.
What we include in our Home Management Binder:
1. The house’s listing information
2. Pictures of the home from the listing
3. Important contacts (Escrow office, lending office, realtors, anyone else involved in the sale of the home)
4. Blank list of important contacts. Save for people they meet like neighbors, or for contractors who offer bids on work, etc.
5. Blank passwords list. Help them organize their new Wifi passwords, gate codes, and anything else they want to be secured.
6. Information about their new city/town/neighborhood including their trash pickup day, city offices, city council members & contact information, emergency contacts (sheriff & location Fire Dept), local animal & pest control, local eateries, local businesses to support, neighborhood map with nearby parks, and anything else you think would be beneficial for them to know about their new surroundings)
7. Folders to hold business cards, loose papers, etc.
8. Extra sheet protectors for anything they want to add.
9. Your business card in the front flap 😀
Bottle of Champagne
It’s time to celebrate! No housewarming gift basket would be complete without a bottle of champagne. This will be the bulk of the budget if your clients like to drink champagne. We threw in their favorite whiskey as well. Why not!
Extras
We completed the housewarming gift basket with a few extras.
– Champagne flutes – We have three in this basket because our clients have a daughter who will also be living in their new home. (All about the details)
– Ice Bucket – This is optional, but we like having a place for the champagne flutes to sit.
– Thermal Insulated Glass Coffee Mugs – Something our clients mentioned is they couldn’t wait to sit on their deck and have a cup of coffee. Well, now they can, in style.
– California Candle – Our clients were moving back to California from the east coast. We found this candle at our local Home Goods store, but you can find similar candles on Amazon. Here is a “Southern California” candle, and a “Los Angeles” candle.
Champagne Flutes in an Ice Bucket
We included three Champagne flutes in this basket because our clients have a daughter who will also be living in their new home. (All about the details)
The Ice Bucket is optional, but we like having a place for the champagne flutes to sit.
Glass Coffee Mugs
Thermal Insulated Glass Coffee Mugs are a must. Something our clients mentioned is they couldn’t wait to sit on their deck and have a cup of coffee. Well, now they can, in style.
– California Candle – Our clients were moving back to California from the east coast. We found this candle at our local Home Goods store, but you can find similar candles on Amazon. Here is a “Southern California” candle, and a “Los Angeles” candle.
Business Cards
California Candle
Our clients were moving back to California from the east coast. We found this candle at our local Home Goods store, but you can find similar candles on Amazon. Here is a Southern California candle, and a Los Angeles candle.
In Conclusion
Creating a housewarming gift basket essentially boils down to your clients. You will want to ensure it is geared toward their interest, goals, and personalities. For example, if they don’t drink alcohol, get them a bag of their favorite coffee, or a gift card. If there is a special feature of their house that they love, see if you can find a way to personalize something to fit that space. The possibilities are endless!
