Real estate agents in California's higher-end markets, La Jolla, Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, increasingly give a custom-label wine bottle at closing as the standard closing gift. The bottle is delivered to the new home the day after closing, with a hand-tied tag, on a small wood crate. The bottle is the first thing in the buyer's new home that the agent has put there.
Brand line: the agent's family name or firm
The brand line on the closing bottle is the agent's firm name or the agent's family name. The buyer's family name does not appear on the brand line; the buyer's family is acknowledged on the back-label dedication. The bottle is the agent's gift; the bottle remains identifiably the agent's even after the wine is consumed.
The back-label dedication
FOR THE MARTINELLI FAMILY, ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR NEW HOME IN LA JOLLA. WITH BEST WISHES, ALEXANDRA REED, COMPASS REAL ESTATE. The italic serif. Soft warm ink. The buyer reads the dedication, recognizes the agent's care, and the bottle becomes a small reminder of the relationship. Referrals follow.
The economics
Closing gifts at this price point, approximately seventy-five dollars per bottle plus delivery, are tax-deductible business expenses for the agent. The cost is recovered in approximately every fortieth referral, which is well within the rate at which closing gifts drive repeat business. The program is one of the highest-ROI marketing decisions an agent at this price point can make.