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We received a nice gift from our seller's agent in Florida -- a picnic backpack with a good bottle of wine. As buyers in NC, we did not receive anything from our buyer's agent. We didn't have expectations either way either time.
Last time we bought a house, we received an ice cream maker from our buyer's agent. We got nada from the seller's agent or from the listing agent that sold our other house. We're buying and selling again now -we shall see!
I think it's nice to leave something for the buyer just as a 'welcome to your new home' - I would have done so myself for the buyers of our house but we aren't in the same state.
Yes, it's good business!............you are afterall salespeople! A gesture of kindness goes a long way and if i use a salesperson and they go just a little bit further than the competition..........guess who I'm using next time?
And if i recommend you to someone else?..........i expect a huge gift!
If you recommend someone and you get a huge gift in some areas it would be illegal.
I would also think that you would be recommending because they did a good job for you and you think they would do a good job for the other person.
If you are recommending because you want a kickback you are doing no one a favor.
Yes, it's good business!............you are afterall salespeople! A gesture of kindness goes a long way and if i use a salesperson and they go just a little bit further than the competition..........guess who I'm using next time?
And if i recommend you to someone else?..........i expect a huge gift!
In Oregon an agent would lose their license for giving you a gift...It's considered a kickback.
When we bought our first house, oh, 100 years ago now it seems, our agent promised us a gift of new garbage cans.
Nice, unexpected, but a nice and generous gift since we were so young and broke that it would've made a difference in house stuff we needed to buy.
Until we got to our 4pm Friday closing and our attorney discovered a discrepancy - a $100 in our favor error.
The seller, who was almost in foreclosure, wasn't at closing - so the seller's side (2 agents + attorney) were forced to dig into their pockets to come up with the hundred bucks so the deal could go through.
We never got our garbage cans.
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Anyhow, I don't typically give a closing gift though I have when my client's happen to be friends and I would've given them a housewarming gift anyway.
My broker's viewpoint on gifts: your doctor, lawyer or mechanic doesn't give you a gift when you pay him for a service - why should real estate agents be expected to give gifts?
We've always rec'd gifts from agents but don't expect them. We had one agent go out of her way for us when our furniture hadn't arrived. We had nothing. She showed up with a set of frying pans! We went to Target to get some other things to hold us over, but I thought that was just very thoughtful!!
My favorite gift was in our very first house, there was a bottle of champagne the seller had left in the fridge. Each time we've moved since then, we've left a bottle of wine or champagne in the fridge for the new owners. Just paying it forward
When we bought our first house, oh, 100 years ago now it seems, our agent promised us a gift of new garbage cans.
Nice, unexpected, but a nice and generous gift since we were so young and broke that it would've made a difference in house stuff we needed to buy.
Until we got to our 4pm Friday closing and our attorney discovered a discrepancy - a $100 in our favor error.
The seller, who was almost in foreclosure, wasn't at closing - so the seller's side (2 agents + attorney) were forced to dig into their pockets to come up with the hundred bucks so the deal could go through.
We never got our garbage cans.
***************************************
Anyhow, I don't typically give a closing gift though I have when my client's happen to be friends and I would've given them a housewarming gift anyway.
My broker's viewpoint on gifts: your doctor, lawyer or mechanic doesn't give you a gift when you pay him for a service - why should real estate agents be expected to give gifts?
I don't know if it's "illegal" here?!..........but obviously I would only recommend someone I thought went beyond the call of duty and did an excellent job. Call me crazy but I prefer wads of cash or something useful like a free gas card than a picnic basket, wine, flowers and so on. And the agent that reneged on the "garbage cans" would not get any more biz from me...........although it makes a cute story for the porch swing.........."Hey honey, remember the garbage cans!"LOL
And doctors,lawyers and mechanics have no shortage of business.........we're lucky if we find a good one and then if they will be kind enough to grace us with their time..........real estate agents live off sales............do something that makes you stand out
Yes, it's good business!............you are afterall salespeople! A gesture of kindness goes a long way and if i use a salesperson and they go just a little bit further than the competition..........guess who I'm using next time?
And if i recommend you to someone else?..........i expect a huge gift!
It is illegal in most if not all states to pay (gift or cash) anyone who is not an active licensed realtor a referral fee, or is not a client in the transaction.
I value my license too much to break the law for a referral. From me, you would receive a hand written thank you card. You would also receive updates on how the transaction is going with the referral. You would be assured that the person you referred me to is being given the best service possible, so that person would appreciate that you referred him/her to me.
That's the best I can do.
I refer a lot of business to a certain mortgage broker becuase I know that broker will provide excellent service to the client. I do not expect any kickbacks at all, because that is also illegal. I don't expect anything but excellent service to the referred client. I do get a handwritten card in the mail each time I send a referral, and a follow up on the client.
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