If you don't have children, or they don't want anything to do with real estate it's a moot point, but a legacy of real estate far surpasses any lump sum gift you could leave them.

Give a gift to great tenants.

Our profession isn't pretty or romantic.

Unfortunately the first thought it was a gift from God and over the next few days felt as if she didn't need to put any money into the deal to save herself from foreclosure.  

I also know many gifted and talented craftsman who know very little about business infrastructure and compliance - they often fail at running a successful business.I believe that both sides of the coin should exist.  

My partner who did the door knocking always had either Fresh Salmon Smoked Salmon or Elk Jerky at the ready for a door gift. then if he landed a big patch of timber or was working on one say 1mbf or better that owner got to go fishing on his RAnch on the Oregon coast and that sealed the deal 99% of the time.I can't imagine though door knocking in the iffy neighborhoods If your trying to buy low value assets I would think that is pretty dangerous...

Originally posted by @Michaela Graham: I always wonder whether we're actually going to get any good information at any later point in time, after we've received a 'cut and paste' introLife is about the gifts you give while anticipating zero in return.

It helped that we asked for cash instead of gifts; the gift cash ALMOST covered the bar tab.Four years later (2014), with my wife's career getting traction, we bought a second house in a much nicer part of town.

If you like to deep-fry food every night, you are going to be responsible to clean that disgusting stuff off the stove, cabinets, walls, baseboards and floors, not me - it creates a safety hazard on the floor too.I've had tenants who eat like that, and what I do is gift them a copy of Forks Over Knives, which often turns people instantly vegan, or at least gets them to stop eating so much grease - lol.

When its family and you have time to pay it back or its gifted its okay.