Guide · 5 min read · Updated October 2026
Year-End Client Gifts for Realtors: 25 Ideas, and How to Remember Who Gets What
The best year-end gifts for real estate clients are useful, tied to their home, and come with a handwritten note. Spend more on the clients who closed this year and the people who referred you, and keep a simple list of who gets what. The IRS lets you deduct up to $25 per person per year for business gifts.
Who should get a gift
Sort your list into three groups before you buy anything.
| Group | Who | Typical gift |
|---|---|---|
| Top tier | Clients who closed this year and anyone who sent you a referral | A gift tied to their home, $25 and up |
| Middle tier | Past clients from earlier years | A small useful gift, under $25 |
| Everyone else | Your sphere and people you'd like to work with | A personal text or a card |
Gifts under $25
Small gifts work when they're useful and arrive with a note.
- A custom address stamp for their new house.
- A good olive oil and a handwritten recipe.
- A local coffee roaster's holiday blend.
- A cutting board engraved with their street name.
- A seasonal candle from a local maker.
- A box of cookies from their favorite neighborhood bakery.
- A smoke detector battery kit with a note about the house.
- Seed packets for the yard, sent in a card.
Gifts for top clients
For clients who closed this year, a gift tied to the house is the one they'll keep.
- A framed sketch or watercolor of their home.
- A doormat with their last name.
- A gift card to a restaurant in their new neighborhood.
- A nice tool set for the first-time buyer.
- A local winery or brewery gift box.
- A pie delivery the week before Thanksgiving.
- A plant or small tree for the yard, delivered.
- A home maintenance visit, like gutter cleaning, paid for once.
- A family photo session at the new house.
Gifts for people who sent you referrals
Referral partners should get a gift that feels like a thank-you, not a bribe.
- A dinner for two at a local favorite.
- Tickets to a local game or show.
- A donation in their name to a cause they care about.
- A handwritten thank-you that names the person they sent you.
- A gift basket from local businesses, which also helps your community.
- A coffee or lunch on you in January, scheduled now.
- A personalized book on something you know they love.
- A good bottle of their favorite, if you know it.
What the IRS lets you deduct
The IRS caps business gift deductions at $25 per person per year.
Incidental costs like engraving, packaging and shipping usually don't count toward the $25, per the IRS rules for business gifts in Publication 463. Gifts to a company meant for one person count against that person's $25.
Event tickets can be treated as entertainment rather than a gift, which has its own rules. Ask your accountant how this applies to you.
How to remember who gets what
The gift list is only as good as what you remember about each client.
Most agents build the list in December from memory and miss someone who sent them a referral in May. Keep a running note for each client with their tier, what they got last year and one personal detail, and the list takes ten minutes instead of a weekend.
Where Sifta fits
Sifta keeps the details about every client, so your gift list and your follow-ups build themselves.
Sifta is a personal AI assistant for realtors. It runs the busywork of your business, so you can spend your time with clients.
It takes notes on the deals you do over text, keeps the follow-ups going with leads and past clients, and drafts messages for you to approve. It works at any brokerage, with the tools you already use.
Sources
1 source
Checked on October 22, 2026. This page is general information, not tax advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a realtor spend on client gifts?
Most agents spend more on clients who closed that year and people who sent referrals, and keep past-client gifts under $25, which is also the IRS limit for deducting a business gift per person per year.
Can realtors deduct client gifts?
Yes, up to $25 per person per year under IRS rules for business gifts. Incidental costs like engraving and shipping usually don't count toward the $25. Ask your accountant about your situation.
When should realtors send year-end gifts?
Early December, so they arrive before the holiday rush. Thanksgiving gifts like a pie delivery go out the week before Thanksgiving.
What's a good closing gift for first-time buyers?
Something for the house they'll use, like a tool set, a custom address stamp, a doormat with their name, or a gift card to a restaurant in the new neighborhood.
Should I give gifts to people who referred me?
Yes. A thank-you gift and a handwritten note that names the person they sent you is one of the best ways to get the next referral.
Related reading
Three ways in
Remember every client without the spreadsheet.
The Week-One Guarantee. Try Sifta free for 7 days, and if it doesn't catch something worth more than the price, you won't pay a thing. You can cancel with one text.
Try Sifta free for 7 days