47 Pop By Gift Ideas for Realtors in 2024

Pop bys are small gifts real estate agents share with past clients and their sphere in order to stay top of mind and generate referrals.

The most important lead generation strategy for Realtors is earning referrals from their “met” database. Working with warm leads from friends and acquaintances is so much more enjoyable than cold Zillow leads or calling expired listings.

Pop bys should be inexpensive but frequent enough to keep your folks engaged.

Real estate coach Brian Buffini is particularly well known as an advocate of pop by gifts.

Pop By Gift Ideas

Funny Taglines

I’m not sure I’m a fan of cutesy taglines that solicit referrals. It feels too salesy to me, and might be funny to us but cheesy and self-serving to clients? But I’d guess I’m in the minority on that view.

Instead, maybe a funny quip thanking them for their business, the current holiday, or even commenting on the hot market?

Other Pop By Ideas

• I’ve hit the Jackpot having you as a client! (lottery tickets)
• Have your Peeps call my Peeps! (Peeps)
• I just wanted to ketchup and let you know I relish your referrals. From your Realtor who cuts the mustard. (the classic Buffini pop by)
• I’m thrilled to pieces to have your referrals. (Reese’s Pieces)
• We’re always willing to carve out time for you and your referrals. (pumpkin)
• Mani thanks for your business! (nail polish)
• I’m your seasoned professional for all your real estate needs. (seasoning)
• When the urge to move hits you, call us. (prunes)
• Don’t hook up with the wrong realtor! (fuzzy handcuffs – this one is a joke, don’t actually do this)
• Wishing you a bright future! (fortune cookies)
• Have you outgrown your love nest? Maybe it’s time to fly the coop and find the home of your dreams! (bird feeder)

Christmas and Holiday Pop By Gift Ideas

Other Seasonal Pop By Ideas

• Merry Kissmas and a Chappy New Year! (chapstick)
• Wishing you a holiday season of merri-mint! (candy canes)
• We’re snow thankful for your business! (Christmas ornaments)

Pop By Text Script

Ideally, text ahead of time so that you know you are catching people when home and expecting you. Here’s an idea.

hey I am doing some client visits this weekend and I have a little gift I’d like to drop off while you’re home. I am going to be in your area Saturday afternoon between 1-4 if that would work?

For homes that you don’t meet with them and just leave behind the gift, be sure to snap a photo of it at their door and text it to them, letting them know you stopped by!

Pop By Gift Best Practices

• Price Point. You want to keep it cheap so that you can afford to do it both regularly and to as many people in your database as possible. $3 – $10 per item. Buy in bulk whenever possible!
• Frequency. You can try to reach all your A clients quarterly. Or perhaps keep it manageable and just try to get to 20x per month.
• Plan ahead. Create a pop by calendar at the beginning of the year. That way you can budget the full year and be sure you aren’t overextending yourself.
• Text first. Don’t pop by unexpectedly. Let people know first and be sure they’re home. You don’t want them returning from their month long vacation to spoiled cookies hanging from their doorknob.
• Don’t Let Yourself Get Invited Inside! Unless you have the time, that is. You might schedule 20 popups, but only get to 3 if you go inside each time.
• Handwritten notes. Pair your pop bys with personalized notes.
• Stalk them on Facebook first. What have they been up to since you last spoke? Doing a little social media sleuthing can help you reconnect quickly with someone you’ve been out of touch with.
• When no one is home. Leave it by the door and text them a picture of it, thanking them and asking if they know anyone looking to buy or sell!
• Prioritize your SOI. You probably can’t do pop-bys to your entire database. Instead, focus on your A level in your SOI.
• Supercharge it with social media. Share your pop bys on social media. Maybe a selfie during your visit. Even better is when your folks share their gifts organically themselves! You can post and share their own posts as social proof to your own audience.
• Plan on 45 minutes per home. Depending on drive time in your area, the time will likely be comparable to how long it takes you to show the same number of homes. Driving, plus 5-30 minutes per home if there is conversation.
• Include a call to action. “Do you know anyone looking to buy or sell?” Make it clear that you’re available and interested in business!
• Don’t put stuff in the mailbox. That’s illegal.
• Keep it branded. Stick with your business branding when possible, including your colors, fonts, logos, and taglines.
• Partner with a local business. Consider working with a local business. The connection will be a great referral source themselves, plus they can maybe assist with the cost of your promotion. The local bakery, brewers, confectionary, etc.

Reverse Pop By – Pie Day

Another strategy is the “reverse” pop-by, meaning you invite past clients to pop by your office or another location!

This can be a huge time saver, versus travelling to dozens of homes yourself which can take days.

One of the most popular reverse pop by strategies is Pie day. Get a bunch of pumpkin pies in the autumn and invited past clients to the office to pick up a free one!

Pop By Ingredients

For an easy way to get started, consider using these very affordable door hanger bags for your pop bys.

Also is a template you can download from Etsy with a house business card holder that makes the ideal bag tag!

Pop By Marketing Companies

I did indeed steal some of my above ideas from these folks, and they have tons more and are worth checking out!

• MarketDwellings. This is an Etsy company out of Omaha, Nebraska that features a nearly endless list of pop-by gift tag products to pair with your gifts.
• Peggy Urieff. “The Pop By Queen”, Peggy doesn’t sell anything as best I can tell, but does have a very helpful site with pop by ideas updated monthly!
• The Pop By Co. This is a subscription service that allows both one time orders and regular mailings. They send it pre-packaged, assembled, or even just mail it to your list for you for the ultimately hands-free experience!

Relatedly, you may want to consider referral marketing companies designed to keep you in contact with your database long after the transaction.

Two companies in particular stand out in the gifting strategy, both with very different approaches to gift giving.

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Client Giant

$9.99/mo. Client Giant is a gifting service designed specifically for corporate gifting with an emphasis on real estate professionals. It is one of the best ways to automate staying top of mind with your database. They offer closing gifts, employee gifting, as well as year-round gifting.

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Evabot

~$30+/package. Evabot offers the Eva Gifting Assistant, a tool that allows you to match clients with a particular gift package tailored to their tastes and needs. The tool includes a client interface where they share their interests. It’s designed to make the closing gift experience interesting and easy. The gift boxes can be branded with your company.

Conclusion

Pop by gifts for Realtors are an excellent component to a successful real estate business built on referrals and relationships. These leads have some of the highest ROIs of any lead source and represent approximately 40% of all real estate transactions.

Hopefully these are some fun ways to keep connected to your database!

Updated April 1, 2024; Originally published December 4, 2021