Housewarming Gift Ideas from an Experienced Realtor

Having been a Realtor for many years, I am often asked for recommendations for good housewarming gifts for new homeowners. For clients, whom I have helped purchase a home, I try to tailor my gifts to their specific interests and needs. This approach helps to accentuate what a good fit that I think their new residence will be for them, and to help them quickly feel comfortable in their new home.

That said, here are a few specific suggestions for housewarming gifts that have worked well for me throughout the years. You can try some of these gift ideas for the holiday season and other events throughout the year, as well.

Food Basket with Cutting Board

Besides the traditional bottle of champagne, wine or preferred beverage, I often give a cutting board with a variety of cheeses, fruits and desserts. I will also gift a baguette, local honey and artisanal sea salt. Bread, salt and honey are long standing European housewarming traditions. Bread symbolizes the abundance of food and well-being. Salt is said to ensure a life full of flavor, while honey brings sweetness into the home.

Time permitting, I prefer to make a custom purchase from a local gourmet grocer, but many quality food shops will have premade gift baskets ready for purchase. If your schedule or proximity limits your ability to shop locally, here are few exceptional online options to consider.

Collection of Housewarming Gift Baskets (GourmentGiftBaskets.com)
A collection of over 70 pre-selected gift baskets, all appropriate as housewarming gifts.

California Delicious Housewarming Food Gift Box

California Delicious Food Gift Baskets (Amazon)
A small collection of gift baskets from California Delicious for avid Amazon shoppers.

All Occasion Gift Baskets from Harry & David
A collection of over 60 pre-selected gift baskets, filled with gourmet fruit, snacks, sweets, and more.

Goldbelly New York Brunch Bagels and Lox

Goldbelly
With Goldbelly, you can order local foods to be delivered across the US. It’s a fun way to introduce a local favorite, if your gift receiver has moved to a new location.

Knack Movie Night Housewarming Gift Package

Knack
This creative and passionate gift giving site allows you to create your gift basket a la carte, especially helpful if you know the tastes of whom you are gifting.

Personalized Housewarming Gifts

If I happen to know that a client of mine is an avid fan of a certain Major League Baseball team, I will customize chic whiskey glasses with a map and logo of their team’s ballpark. These are available from an uncommonly creative website aptly named UncommonGoods.com. For beer or latte drinkers, they also carry pint glasses.

Baseball Park Map Whiskey Glasses – Set of 2 (UncommonGoods)

This website has a slew of other wonderful housewarming gift ideas, if you know enough about your gift receiver’s interests and tastes. Here are just a few fun and interesting examples:

Guitar Amp Doormat for the Electric Guitar Playing Homeowner (UncommonGoods)

Musical Instrument Cheese Board (Guitar, Violin, or Piano) (UncommonGoods)

Housewarming Gift Collection (UncommonGoods)

Included below are a few links from two other websites, Etsy and ReserveBar, that also offer personalized gifts appropriate for housewarmings.

Collection of Personalized Cutting Boards (Etsy)

Collection of Wine and Spirits for Custom Engraving (ReserveBar)
For those who enjoy wine and spirits, check out ReserveBar’s collection of custom engraved bottles.

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champaign (750ml) with Custom Engraving Option (ReserveBar)
For a celebratory note, you can never go wrong with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.

Housewarming Gifts for Chefs, Cooks & Bakers

If my client likes to cook, a cast iron Dutch oven makes an excellent gift. It is extremely versatile in the kitchen and gorgeous. Cast iron is also treasured for its heat retention, value and durability. Cast iron Dutch ovens are also a nice symbol of stability, as they have been a kitchen staple in American homes for centuries.

Lodge Dutch Ovens
Lodge Dutch Ovens garnered Cook’s Illustrated’s “Best Buy Award”.

GreenPan SimmerLite Nonstick Dutch Oven (Food52)

For bakers, a beautiful cake stand topped with cupcakes makes for a nice treat and a lovely gift that can be reused often for special occasions.

Kastehelmi Cake Stand by Iittala (Bloomingdale’s)

French Perle Pedestal Cake Plate (Lenox)

Towle Hammersmith Cake Stand (Mikasa)

Regarding cupcakes, Wicked Good Cupcakes has a gift giving service, called Pronto, that allows recipients to select their flavors and cater to any dietary restrictions.

Tool Kit

Sometimes I will give my clients something that I know they will use, such as a tool kit. Tasks in a new home are bound to come up, and it is best to be prepared. Give new homeowners an appreciated dose of pragmatism with a high-quality tool kit. Homes can never have too many tools, as having them readily accessible is often half the battle to getting something fixed promptly.

Here are a couple of great all-purpose tool kits especially suited for first-time homebuyers:

Stanley 65 Piece Homeowner’s Tool Set (Home Depot)

WORKPRO 103 Piece Ladies Hand Tool Set with Easy Carrying Round Pouch (Amazon)

Housewarming Gifts for Tech Savvy Clients

For my technology savvy clients, a Ring doorbell is a gift of “peace of mind”. With a Ring, they receive instant alerts through their phone when anyone approaches their front door. It has night vision, a built-in motion sensor, and audio capabilities that allow the homeowner to chat with visitors, while viewing them.