Remembering Whose Advent has Enriched Your Life: Thoughtful Ways to Show Gratitude

November has arrived! We start with the end (of Daylight Saving Time, of course) and end with a beginning (Advent, for those who celebrate it).  In between, we honour those who fought for freedom by observing Remembrance Day/Veterans Day. On November 11th, both Canadians and Americans celebrate the men and women who put their lives on the line to preserve what we hold dear. For them, we are endlessly grateful.

Speaking of gratitude, Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving this month, while Canadians are still reeling from their wonderful feasts back in October. But just because Thanksgiving is over for Canadians doesn’t mean we have to pack away our gratitude for the year, too. For many, Thanksgiving is more than a lazy day of delicious food. It’s a time to show gratitude and appreciation to those who have helped us. Building professional relationships is a huge part of real estate investment. The advantages of having helpful networks cannot be understated!

To help keep gratitude alive in all of our hearts throughout November and beyond, I would like to celebrate the advent of the wonderful people in our networks. To do that, I’d like to share a few ways to remember them this season:

Colleagues

Clever ideas to thank our peers include:

• Learn their interests and find a personalized gift
• Give them something that will be helpful to them in their career (in this case, investing)
• Take them to lunch
• Write a sincere thank you note
• Create an amazing annual tradition for your network (scavenger hunt, escape room, etc)
• Celebrate their milestones with them
• Refer their services to others (areas of expertise)
• Books (they can be helpful or fun)
• Spa gift cards 
• Gift cards for coffee or lunch
• Baked goods
• Board Games
• Subscription box

Tenants

The great thing about thanking our tenants is that it has multiple benefits. We are letting them know we appreciate them, but doing so helps boost retention rates. In fact, boosting retention rates by 5% leads to a profit boost of 25%-95%. Keeping good tenants means that we don’t have to advertise their space, and we retain a steady stream of rent income. Here are a few ways we can express gratitude to tenants:

• Welcome letter and gift basket
• Gift card to a home goods, hardware, or grocery store
• Replace an old appliance
• Host a resident appreciation event (this can be an outdoor picnic or indoor event)
• Small gift (custom-made calendar or art, box of sweets, potted plant, bath products)
• Small cut on rent for a few months of on-time payment
• A break on rent increases for a few months for long-term tenants
• Make timely repairs
• Renewal incentives (smart devices are an idea)
• Hire a professional cleaner for long-term tenants before the holidays
• Start a points program to reward outstanding tenants
• Handwritten appreciation letters
• Ask for property upgrade ideas (make no promises but review and see which you can practically implement)

Mentors

Thoughtful ways to thank mentors include:

• Take them out to lunch or coffee
• Write a note to thank them for all the time and energy they spent to help you
• Express your gratitude on social media and tag them
• Give them a phone call to see how they’re doing and say thanks
• Send them a creative picture – perhaps of you holding something meaningful, or a sign that says “I appreciate you!”
• Publicly thank them in front of your peers/business network
• Create a collage of pictures that symbolize your relationship
• Become a mentor yourself and tell your mentor that they inspire you
• Record and send a video expressing gratitude (you can dance, sing, or otherwise have the time of your life recording it)
• Write them a tribute and post it on Who Mentored You?
• Bake them a sweet treat
• Make a financial contribution to a local mentoring program in their honor bake something for them, make a financial contribution to a local mentoring program in their honor

Accountant

Our accountants are number-crunching superheroes! We can show our gratitude to them by:

• Send a basket of baked goods or fruit (extra points if there’s enough for the entire accounting department
• Handwritten thank you note
• Since accountants are sometimes called “Bean counters,” consider these “bean-themed” gift ideas:
  • Jelly beans (if you’re feeling fancy, go for the Jelly Belly ones)
  • Coffee gifts (it can be a bag of coffee, a coffee mug, or a gift card to a coffee shop)
  • a Beanie Baby or Beanie Boo (adorable!)

I am Grateful for You

Now that I’ve given you some practical ways to express gratitude to the people in your network, I’d be remiss not to thank you, my readers! I appreciate the time you take to read this newsletter, and all of the support you offer by just listening. I am lucky to have so many fantastic people in my life, and I am very grateful to you!

Remember to set your clocks back!

Caroline

A LAUGH OR TWO FOR GOOD MEASURE

HELPFUL LIFE HACK #2

WHY INVEST IN REAL ESTATE?

TANGIBLE ASSET

A real asset is a tangible investment that has an intrinsic value due to its substance and physical properties. Commodities, real estate, equipment, and natural resources are all types of real assets. … Real assets tend to be more stable but less liquid than financial assets.