The time you saw only one set of footprints, was the time that I carried you... (with Muddy Boots).

I can just see you carrying a buyer through the house piggy-back because they refused to take off their shoes.  Anything to close the deal!

I always wore house shoes inside houses during inspections. Two reasons, protect the floor covering, and with everyone running around in bare or stocking feet, someone WILL have athletes foot.

Excellent advice.  Maybe you should re-run this on a monthly basis until April.

On a similar note - sellers with pets should also be mindful of cleaning up the yard (for you know what...).  I got a frantic call from one of my agents this morning because she had just dropped off a buyer client who unkowingly stepped in doggie doo and it wasn't until they were on the highway when they figured out what the (sharp) smell in the car was.  Unfortunately, the stuff had also been smeared all over the carpeting on the inside of the car, so she spent the afternoon cleaning and deodorizing the car and griping the entire time.

Alan nice post.  I do a lot of work with investors on these historic homes, and we would spend a lot of money to refinish the original hardwood floors.  I would supply booties at the front door and they would see my shoes sitting out there.  I can't tell you how many times I was doing a tour during one of my open houses and come around the corner to find new people that walked in with their shoes still on.  How frustrating...  Do you not see everyone Else's shoes in front of the door?

Great post! I put booties at all of my listings for those stubborn people that wont take their shoes off. If I am showing houses I tell my buyers BEFOREHAND....wear shoes that you can slip on and off very easily.

:-)

Great post Alan and really great comments too!  A little courtesy from buyers and sellers goes a long way.  I know some people that are fanatics about having people take their shoes off and I know others who are so stubborn about doing it.  It takes all types.  

Hi Allan,

Thanks for sharing.

These are very good tips for both listing agents and cooperating agents.

Thanks for the reminder.

Have a wonderful week! 

Thanks for the reminder that we're entering a change of seasons (I'm in PA)!  I've read one or two posts about this in the past, and it's always a good read, but this time I picked up a few good ideas I had not seen before, and I plan on incorporating them into my routines.  Thanks everyone for all the good ideas!!

In our multi-cultural market, many of our sellers and buyers would never think of entering a house without taking off their shoes. They don’t wear shoes in the house…period.

Whenever I show houses, I wear loafers. Easier to remove when viewing a house.

In our neck of the (dirty) woods, it's SO common to take your shoes off that I even answer my door to my clients (who meet me at my home) with bare feet or socks, because we have really nice wood floors...it's great because it sets the TONE. I have booties, but also put up signs or just plain tell the kids (who fight me on this) that the owner would like it if we took our shoes off.

I find that most people ask ME, which is quite nice, huh?  We do have quite a bit of muck, and woodsy STUFF that gathers on peoples' shoes, so it's handled fairly early in the showings.

If we lived in urbania, it might be different. No light cream carpet here unless it's a berber or something that can be easily cleaned!

One of the first things I learned in this business is wear shoes that slip on and off easy when showing homes.

Hi Alan,  Thanks for reminding me that the Florida market is not that bad!  At least we don't have mud!

May - Common sense, indeed.  I'll take a second helping of that courtesy any day of the week.

Most of the homes we see "no shoes" in around Flagstaff also have booties too, so that there is an option for people who have a hard time removing their shoes. It's easy to have them out and helps the cause!