What Do Realtors Really Give Their Clients at Closing?

After three decades helping folks buy homes in Northern California, I’ve given just about every type of closing gift you can imagine — TVs, kitchen appliances, Home Depot cards, and custom baskets filled with things buyers mentioned they’re obsessed with while we toured houses. I’ve never skipped a closing gift, not once, and I still keep up with a surprising number of those clients years later. If I’m being honest, most people light up the most when I hand them a gift card to Amazon or Home Depot. Practical always wins.

But that's not the whole story.
People have feelings about closing gifts. Strong ones. And when you listen long enough, you hear everything — from the heartwarming to the absurd to the "are you serious?"

So here's the street-survey version of what I've heard from buyers, friends of buyers, and clients of clients over the years. Names changed, details tweaked, but the spirit of it all? Very real.

The "Nothing. And They Vanished Into the Mist" Category

Some buyers told me their agent promised a gift, hyped it up even… then disappeared faster than an underpriced listing on a Saturday morning.

One person said their agent insisted they'd drop by for a celebratory drink, then never sent so much as a text afterward. Another told me their agent didn't even bother to show up at the house on closing day — just left the keys in a mailbox like a package nobody wanted.

And then there was the buyer whose realtor said, "I've got something special for you," and that "something special" turned out to be complete silence. No visit, no card, no call.

Here's the thing: a gift doesn't define an agent. But vanishing the minute the ink dries? That says plenty.

The "They Really Came Through" Category

Some agents absolutely nail it, and I respect that.

One client told me their agent paid for a full home warranty for the year and delivered a flower arrangement that actually matched the color scheme they'd been talking about for the new house. Thoughtful and useful. Rare combo.

Another buyer got a card with actual cash in it, plus a professional carpet cleaning scheduled before they moved a single box in. That's how you lock in referrals for life.

I heard about an agent who quietly waived several thousand dollars in company fees to keep a deal alive. That's real money out of their pocket, not a monogrammed trinket.

Then there are the heavy hitters. One buyer walked into a rental property the day after closing and found a brand-new washer and dryer set installed. Someone else got a garage floor refinish half-paid by their agent. Another showed up to their new house and discovered a big-screen TV they did not buy sitting in the living room.

That's not just gift-giving. That's commitment to the relationship.

The Food & Drink Gift Trail — Champagne, Pizza, and… Meat?

Food-related gifts are their own chaotic universe.

Some buyers got champagne. Some got very nice champagne. Some got champagne, wine, travel mugs, and pizza delivered to the house before the couch even showed up. One person told me their agent sent over pizza and a bottle of good bourbon. That's not just a gift, that's emotional support with carbs.

My favorite story in this category: a buyer moves in, opens the freezer, and finds it packed wall-to-wall with meat the agent bought. Not a couple of steaks. A freezer full. Honestly? That's legendary.

The weirdest twist? A vegan buyer getting a nice set of steak knives from their agent who somehow missed every single hint about client's food preferences. Two decades without touching meat and they get a sharpening block and serrated blades as a "welcome home." I have so many questions and exactly zero answers.

The Gift-Basket Olympics

Some agents build gift baskets like they're competing on a home-improvement game show.

One buyer told me their agent showed up with a huge reusable basket stuffed with blankets, candles, frames, and décor pieces that made the place feel lived-in from day one. It looked like a Pinterest board got delivered to their doorstep.

Another got a "move-in survival kit" loaded with paper towels, cleaning wipes, snacks, and drinks. Not glamorous, but anyone who's ever moved knows those are the first things you dig out anyway.

I heard about a buyer who had a rug delivered a week after moving in, tied to the exact style they'd mentioned to the agent months back. That plus a dinner out with their spouse on the agent's dime? That's someone playing the long game.

One of the more creative ones: a little 3D-printed model of the house itself. You can call it cute or a tiny bit creepy depending on how many windows they included, but the effort is undeniable.

And then you've got the theme-obsessed agents. One buyer came home around Halloween to find small tombstone decorations in the yard with their family name on them, plus a holiday ornament shaped like a house key. Commitment to the bit: 10 out of 10.

The "Experience Gift" Agents

Some realtors skip objects altogether and go all-in on experiences.

One took both buyer and seller to a high-end steakhouse where the appetizers alone probably cost more than my first car payment. That meal likely ran higher than the inspection bill, but everyone left full and happy.

Another agent booked a professional cleaning crew for several hours before move-in and even showed up wearing old clothes, ready to help. When your realtor is wiping baseboards next to you, that's a different level of service.

Then there was the homemade crockpot full of soup delivered on moving day. That's either incredibly thoughtful or a subtle comment about the kitchen. Still not sure which.

The "Oops… You Tried" Category

Not every gift lands the way the agent hoped.

I heard about a wooden cutting board branded with a lender's logo — big, bold, front and center. Nothing says "welcome to your new home" like corporate branding on something you're supposed to chop onions on.

Someone else got a box packed with random swag and bargain coupons. It felt less like a gift and more like a grab bag from a trade show nobody asked to attend.

A different buyer got a "Home Sweet Home" sign with the move-in year plastered across it, plus a small gift card. Not terrible, but those signs do have the subtlety of a billboard.

And yes, that vegan-with-steak-knives story firmly belongs here too. That one is going to be retold at parties for years.

The "Wait… That's It?" Category

Sometimes the gift is so small or odd that the only reasonable reaction is a slow blink.

I heard about a Taco Bell gift card given because the buyers kept joking about late-night drive-thru runs during house tours. On the one hand, it's weirdly personal and kind of funny. On the other, "congrats on your 30-year mortgage, here's a Crunchwrap on me" is a bold move.

Another family received coffee mugs plastered with a huge brokerage logo. The sort of mugs that somehow never make it into the main cabinet because they feel like employee swag.

One poor buyer said their agent was literally in Vegas partying during closing and sent nothing at all. Keys came from the title company, no call, no card, nothing. Dedication to the job? Questionable. Dedication to the open bar? Impressive.

And yes, there was a buyer who paid their agent north of $60,000 in combined commissions across a buy-and-sell… and got absolutely nothing. Not even a handwritten note. That one still makes my eye twitch.

So What's the Point of All This?

Realtors have range.

Some treat closing gifts like a small holiday. Some treat them like a competitive sport. Some apparently fall off the planet the minute the deal funds.

Why does this matter? Because the gift — or lack of one — usually lines up with how that agent treats relationships in general.

The good ones stay in your life. The bad ones vanish. The funny ones fill your freezer with meat. The confused ones hand vegans a set of steak knives.

Me? I stick with what I know works: something personal, something useful, and often a gift card to a place my buyers actually shop. No fluff, no fake sentiment, no logo mug pretending to be a present.