When I began searching for a place to buy last year, I didn't really know what I was doing. My family is spread all over the country, so they were only able to provide advice via telephone. Like many first-time homebuyers, I was overwhelmed by the process. I was also perplexed by the idea of making a decision about such an expensive purchase after seeing the home for only a few hours over the duration of a couple visits. I sought guidance from friends and took a first-time homebuyers class (both of which were very helpful).

While at my friend's house during his home inspection, I struck up a conversation with his real estate agent. We made small talk and I told her I had been looking for places to buy, but was still pretty uncommitted to the idea. She and I weighed the pros and cons of renting versus owning. I was surprised by her approach – she didn't pressure me at all toward buying and seemed genuinely interested in having a conversation beyond the topic of real estate. The conversation felt honest and up front, with no hidden agenda. At the end she said, "Take my card and if you decide you want to start looking, give me a call." I was impressed by her non-pushy approach.

A few weeks later, I gave her a call. After looking at two condos, I made a decision and purchased my first place. I got lucky; I had an amazing real estate agent and loan officer who walked me through every step of the process. I've kept in touch with both of them, and just last week my real estate agent sent me a card with a $5 Starbucks gift card and a nice note saying she was thinking of me and hoped that I was well. Handwritten cards are so rare these days, so needless to say, I was excited and impressed by her continued engagement long after she had made her sales commission. This is customer service at its finest. For me, it was a nice gesture and something that created buzz – a way to stick out in the crowd and receive continued referrals from past clients. In fact, it's genius if you ask me, because it was memorable enough that I'm here telling you about it now.