How to make a stellar closing gift out of a homeowner resource

“Black and Decker Home Planner and Logbook” was written by Chris Peterson, an expert in home design, repair and renovation and an avid cook. He’s the author of “Manskills,” “When Duct Tape Just Isn’t Enough: Quick Fixes for Everyday Disasters,” and several other books for the Black and Decker Home Maintenance and Improvement Series.

We are going to discuss how this book in particular is a great resource for agents to give homebuyers, but these strategies could be applicable to other tools as well.

A peek inside

The book itself  is a flexible journal with a pebbled faux leather cover, and it’s filled with simple explanations about home care and maintenance for the average homeowner.

My favorite quote from the introduction of the book is: “A home is a living structure in constant transition and evolution, static no more than a few weeks or months at a time, even in the best of times.”

This full-color guide is divided into four sections:

• Understanding your home (exterior and interior structural features) 
• Understanding the systems in your home (water, electrical, heating and cooling)
• Appliances (care and maintenance)
• Logbook

The logbook is wonderful. It walks the homeowner through what types of information to keep track of in renovations for each room. There is plenty of space to record paint colors, repair dates, vendor contact information and so much more.

Plus imagine how much a future owner of the property would appreciate all of these notes in one convenient place.

Here’s a breakdown of what readers can find in the book:

• Safety issues and potential hazards
• Energy saving/money saving tips and tricks (some were really helpful, and others were painfully obvious, but let’s be honest, you cannot be too careful with safety)
• Two rear pockets for organizing invoices and receipts

A quick example of a Logbook entry.

How to turn this log planner into an excellent gift and marketing piece

1. The front cover is an excellent place to add a custom book plate with your marketing information. You can also ask fellow vendors if they would like to order these with you and incorporate their contact information. This will help keep costs down if you are planning to buy in bulk.
2. Provide the starter information for the book from the listing MLS sheet. This way the new homeowner can start to fill in the core facts.
3. Write a nice letter or card to go with the planner explaining how this can be a valuable tool for resale. Future buyers would love to be handed this, especially if it has been lovingly filled out with updates.
4. This would also make a great end-of-year gift for clients to thank them for referrals or just to help them get organized for tax season.
   

“Black and Decker Home Planner and Logbook” retails for $19.99 and can be found online and in stores. You can buy the book directly from the publisher here. This book was sent to us by the publisher, but I was not paid for this review. My opinions are my own. 

By day, Rachael Hite helps agents develop their business. By night, she’s tweeting for listingdepot.com.

Email Rachael Hite.