Real Estate agents often give their clients nice gifts when they get to the closing table, and many people think the agent’s ‘gift’ is their commission, but real estate agents work their tails to the bone, and a little something extra would be nice. On the other hand, you may have a spouse who is a real estate agent. Maybe your daughter has just passed her real estate exams and signed on with a broker.
I have been a real estate agent in Washington (the state) for a few years now and here I will suggest gifts that I like for myself, and that your real estate agent will probably appreciate for your thoughtfulness and support of them in a very tough, stereotyped profession.
A Great Cell Phone with camera – Real estate agents use their cell phones every day, often ALL day, and need to have a quality cell phone, with a great plan. Believe me, as a real estate agent I use lots of minutes, sometimes 3000+ minutes, so check to see what overage minutes cost. Another consideration is network reliability in the area your real estate agent works. I have used the camera on my cell phone to quickly let clients know about homes that are just on the market, giving them a head start to purchasing their dream home, and believe me, they appreciate it! You can get a great general overview of cell phone providers and plans in your locale by entering your zip code at Lower My Bills, http://www.lowermybills.com. You can select ‘compare’ and have a side-by-side look at all available providers in the area.
Personal Protection Devices – Sitting in an Open House or meeting unknown ‘clients’ for walk-throughs can be scary, even for seasoned real estate agents. Most real estate brokers tell their new agents about personal safety, but many include horror stories. The two best personal protection devices, in my experience, are common sense and preparation, but, of course, you can’t wrap those in gift wrap. The next best personal protection devices are cell phone belt clip (your cell phone is of no use in an emergency, when you leave it in your purse or briefcase); a LOUD personal alarm (if nothing else, makes the bad guys’ ears hurt like heck!) and a belt-clip with a can of pepper spray, available at Defense Express, online at http://www.defensexpress.com.
Thomas Guide (map book) for their locale – For locating that new listing and being right on time for your appointments, almost nothing beats a Thomas Guide. Easy to understand formatting and indexing make this an invaluable tool for active real estate agents! Often available in bookstores and stationery stores, even from out of state, you can get a real estate a local issue at http://www.thomas.com.
GPS Unit – Most geocachers get into the sport to use techie tools, namely a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. I love my mid-price range GPS from Garmin, http://garmin.com. My Garmin eTrex Vista GPS has a larger screen (great for my old eyes), a very detailed basemap that really helps in my orientation to new locations, a terrific compass, and even an altimeter to tell me how far up I have climbed. It was very reasonably priced at around $275, and the sturdy case makes it a really great GPS!
Fun and Funny!
Talking Realtor Doll – Just for fun, this talking real estate doll sounds just like a Real Estate Agent eager to close on a “really big” sale. Press this doll’s belly and you hear the standard phrases of the trade…. “Do I have a house for you?”, “location, location, location!”, “The seller is motivated” and “Just needs a little TLC”. It is silly, funny and a great conversation starter for the real estate agent’s desk. 7″ high and so ugly it is cute, the real estate talking doll comes in male and female versions and is under $20 at Lawyer Jokes and Gifts, online at http://www.lawyer-jokes.us/lawyer-gifts.
Choose one or choose them all, and give the real estate agent in your life a great holiday gift, that they can use in their successful professional life for years to come!
Reference:
- Lower My Bills, www.lowermybills.com Defense Express, online at www.defensexpress.com Thomas Guides, www.thomas.com Garmin, garmin.com, Garmin eTrex Vista GPS Talking Realtor Doll, www.lawyer-jokes.us/lawyer-gifts
