Doorstep

Closing gift guide

Personalized closing gifts: a name, a logo, or their house

Most personalized closing gifts put a name on an object. Here is what that costs, what can go wrong, the two other kinds of personalized, and what is left of each a year after closing.

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  • Free framing and shipping
  • Unlimited changes
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The finished portrait of that house, framed.

The short answer

Personalized closing gifts come in three kinds: the client's name engraved on an object, your logo on a gift, or a gift about their actual house. An engraved gift is cheap, fast and useful when the name is right, and a gift about the house is the only one no other client could receive.

Whichever you choose, your own name goes in the card, not on the gift.

What personalized means on a closing gift

Search for personalized realtor closing gifts and nearly every store sells the same idea: a surname, a monogram or an address engraved on an object. Cutting boards, doormats, return-address stamps, porch signs, key chains. That is the first kind, and it is the one most agents mean.

The second kind is personalized for you, not for them: your logo or your brokerage colors on the gift or the box. The third is a gift about the one thing only this client has, which is the house.

We make the third kind: a framed portrait of the house with nothing lettered on it. The personalization is the house itself, and the names go in the card.

Custom engraved gifts, and where they go wrong

Engraved gifts earn their place. An engraved cutting board runs $40 to $90 plus shipping, and a key chain or a return-address stamp costs less. They are quick to order, so the gift can be ready for closing day. And a board, a doormat or a stamp gets used, which is more than most gifts can say.

The risks all come from putting words on an object.

  • A misspelled name. Engraving cannot be corrected, so one wrong letter means buying it again.
  • A changed name. A surname board assumes one surname. Unmarried couples, a buyer who marries next year and anyone who kept their own name make that a guess.
  • A stale address. A stamp or a sign with the street address is right only for as long as they live there.
  • A crowded kitchen. Engraved boards are a common housewarming gift, and yours may be going to a kitchen that already has three.
  • A private client. Some clients want nothing with their name on it, and you will not know until the gift is open.

None of this rules an engraved gift out. Copy the spelling from the contract, not from memory, and choose a name over an address.

Your logo on the gift

Branded gift boxes from a gifting company run $60 to $200 each, often with a setup fee or a minimum order; our guide to closing gift baskets has the full costs. What the extra buys is your logo on the sleeve, the tumbler or the board.

The client did not ask for that. A logo turns a gift into a mailer: something sent for your benefit, and they can tell. Nobody decorates with someone else's business card.

Your name belongs in the card, where it reads as a signature. If the gift is good, they will remember who sent it. Our guide to the closing gift note covers what to write.

Closing gift guide

The personalization is the house itself, and the names go in the card.

A framed house portrait in a black frame on a deep olive wall, above a slim walnut console with a tall amber glass vessel.

A gift about their actual house

A portrait of the home can come from a local artist, an Etsy seller, or a company like ours that works from a photo. Framed portraits from online sellers commonly run $80 to $200, and a local painter charges more, so ask whether the frame is included and how long it takes.

Two clients can get the same board with different surnames. They cannot get the same portrait.

It also sidesteps the engraving list. There is no name to misspell and none to change, and it suits the client who keeps their name off things. It works for sellers too, because it shows the house they are leaving. Our guide to closing gifts for sellers covers that side.

The three kinds, side by side

Most lists of creative or unique closing gifts mix all three together. If the open question is budget, see how much to spend on closing gifts.

The three kinds, side by side
Typical costEngraved name$40 to $90 plus shipping for a board, less for a key chain or a stampYour logo$60 to $200 a box, often with a setup fee or a minimumTheir house$80 to $200 framed from other sellers, $79 framed from us
What can go wrongEngraved nameA misspelled or changed name, a stale address, a third boardYour logoIt reads as a mailerTheir houseIt takes longer, and it needs a photo of the exterior
What is left in a yearEngraved nameThe object, if the name is still right and it gets usedYour logoUsually nothing on displayTheir houseA frame on the wall
Best whenEngraved nameYou know the client well and want it in hand at closingYour logoOpen houses and events, not clientsTheir houseYou want the gift to be about them, or they are private about their name

The house portrait we make

Ours is the third kind: a framed portrait of the client's house, made from the listing photo you already have or a phone photo of the front. Ink and watercolor, printed and framed in black, red oak or white, no mat, ready to hang. A framed 8 × 10 is $79 with free US shipping, to you or straight to the client.

Unlike an engraving, a proof can be corrected. The first one comes back within two business days, and a person on our team approves every portrait before you see it. Cars, signs, power lines and bins come out. Changes are free and unlimited. You pay only when you approve, and the framed portrait arrives five to seven business days after that.

The trade-off is time and fit. A portrait is the wrong gift when you need something to hand over at the closing table this week, when the only photos you have are interiors, or after a hard sale, when the client does not want that house on a wall. And if your client would love their name on something, order the board.

  • BlackThe safe pick when you have not seen the inside of the home. Reads modern and disappears on any wall color.
  • Red oakWarm, visible grain. The one we would choose for a craftsman, a farmhouse or anywhere with wood floors.
  • WhiteFor bright, coastal and new-build interiors, and for kitchens and nurseries.

$79

  • Free framing and shipping
  • Unlimited changes
  • Pay only when you approve
Get your free proof
The framed 8 × 10 portrait in a black frame, hung on a wall above a console table.

Keep reading

Everything before you commit.

What is a good personalized closing gift for a client?
One that is about them and still right in five years. An engraved board works when you are sure of the name and the kitchen. A framed portrait of the home works when you are not, because it needs neither.
Are custom cutting boards a good closing gift?
Yes, for a client who cooks. Engrave the name rather than the address, and ask the engraver for a proof before it is cut if one is offered.
What do I give a client who does not want a personalized gift?
Something with no name on it: a plant, a consumable gift, or a portrait of the house with nothing lettered on the print. When in doubt, leave the name off the gift and write it in the card.
Can you add the family name or the closing date to the portrait?
No. Nothing is lettered on the print. The card in the box says who sent it and carries your note, so names and dates belong there.
How long does a personalized closing gift take?
An engraved gift from a store that keeps stock can ship within days. A house portrait takes longer: our first proof comes back within two business days, and the framed portrait arrives five to seven business days after you approve it.
A framed house portrait in a red oak frame above a long low walnut sideboard with two ceramic vessels.

A complete framed portrait for $79

It's their house. You already know they'll love it.

Send one photo of the house and pay $79 only when you approve.

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