The cheapest marketing you’ll do all year
NAR’s 2026 Member Profile puts repeat clients at 28% of the typical member’s business and referrals at 22%. Staying in touch with people you’ve already helped costs a stamp. A note on the anniversary of their purchase is an easy reason to write.
What the letter includes
- A personal opening for the anniversary.
- How local prices have moved since they bought, from the Redfin Home Price Index for their metro area.
- A rough value range, if you enter what they paid: the price moved by the index, give or take 10%.
- A short yearly checklist and an offer to help.
When prices are down since they bought, the letter leaves the number out and still does its job. Written more than a month away from the anniversary date, it becomes a plain check-in.
About the value estimate
The index tracks repeat sales across a metro area. It knows nothing about one home’s condition, updates or street, and a single home can differ from it by far more than 10%. The letter calls the figure a rough guide and says it is not an appraisal. Keep that wording. Some states set the words for any opinion of value; New Jersey requires a statement that a market analysis is not an appraisal.
Send it well
Add one line only you could write. Put your brokerage’s name on it. Mail and handwritten notes need no consent; a call or text to a past client can fall under the Do Not Call and texting rules once enough time has passed. See texting and calling rules.
Questions agents ask
What should I write in a home anniversary card?
A personal line about them and the home, a note on how local prices have moved, an offer to help with anything house-related, and your contact details.
How often should I contact past clients?
A few times a year is common: the purchase anniversary, a market update or two and a personal note. Keep it useful.
Can I tell a past client what their home is worth?
You can share a rough range from local price trends or recent sales, described as your estimate and not an appraisal. Check your state’s rules on opinions of value.