Once again, inspired by a question I answered on Trulia about wearing booties or going barefoot when showing a home where the seller requests agents and buyers to please remove their shoes.
We've all walked in to show a home, a there's either a little note on the foyer table "Please Remove Shoes". I sometimes would like to leave a note back, saying "Sellers Please Put on the Buyer's Shoes".
What do you do when the seller's request is to please remove shoes when showing the property? If the seller or their agent made it convenient (HINT HINT to Sellers AND Their Agents), there will be a nice little pair of booties for you to easily slip on right over your shoes.
If there's no sign of booties, now is a good time to be thankful that you are wearing your matching socks or that your toe nails are nicely polished while you remove your shoes so you can preview the home.
Every once in a while you will get a seller who thinks that it might be a good idea for you to wear a pair of their used flip flops or pre-worn slippers. When that's the case, I tell my buyers, if we are removing our shoes, we are either going barefoot, chipped toenail polish, holes in our socks and all but I am not wearing someone else's shoes! On occassion there are buyers who refuse to remove their shoes and opts to not view the home.
I understand, respect and comply with the sellers' request to remove shoes when showing the home. However, I think that the listing agent (the seller's agent) should make a notation in the agent remarks of the Garden State Multiple Listing Service or even under the show instructions saying that shoes are to be removedso that at least I have an opportunity in advance to prepare my feet and so do my buyers. It can be slightly uncomfortable and even embarrassing for both an agent and the buyer to have holes in their socks or non-pedicured toes.
On a side note and again I comply and remove my shoes but keep in mind that a small foyer or entrance area now appears even smaller when you have two, three or more people trying to awkwardly balance and slip on shoe covers and/or remove their shoes (especially if they are trying to hide some funky toe fungus or holes in their unmatched socks). Perhaps a "construction runner" or something leading to a larger area to remove shoes will not make an entrance appear just that much smaller. The last thing you want a potential buyer to remember about your house is the dreadful memory of when they removed their shoes. Sellers, the next time a potential buyers comes to view your home, when they take off their shoes, put the buyers shoes on.....Sometimes you have to put on the buyer's shoes and see your home through a buyer's eyes...
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