Shoe woes

[momma1701]

This might sound a bit daft but does anyone else get anxiety about people viewing your house when it's raining and they don't take their shoes off!?
I have a strict no shoe policy here for the family I just can't stand the idea of the baby crawling on the floor where someone shoes have been
I wouldn't make them take their shoes off and make them feel uncomfortable but if they asked me would I want them to I would definitely say 'yes please, why it's raining'
Is that bad? I always ask when viewing a house if they want me to take my shoes off or sometimes I just do it without asking

[NewIdeasToday]

I don't understand this mumsnet thing about taking shoes off. I've never been asked to take my shoes off in someone else's house. And I would think it was very odd if I was asked to do this while viewing a house.

[momma1701]

My view is if they ask me 'would you like me to take my shoes off' they are maybe expecting it, I just think it's a respect thing when we don't wear shoes in our own house and always take mine off in other people's, it's just the norm to me

[CountMagnus]

I've been asked to take shoes off when viewing houses before, and wasn't offended (although we do it automatically, as I would be mortified if I tramped wet muddy feet across someone's pale carpets).

[momma1701]

That's why I take mine off! Imagine dirtying someone else's house that you know they've probably spent hours cleaning for your arrival!
I've got white tiles in my hall and all my carpets are a very light silver/grey so they show every single footprint

[Iamastonished]

"I don't understand this mumsnet thing about taking shoes off"

I don't understand why you don't understand. It isn't a mumsnet "thing" where I live. It is a RL "thing". Everyone I know removes their shoes round here. I don't ask people to remove their shoes because my friends are sensible and considerate. They wipe their feet and keep their shoes on or remove them as they see fit.

We had some friends round last night. My friend brought her slippers, her daughter took her shoes off and just walked around in socks, and her partner kept his shoes on after wiping them very carefully on the doormat. It didn't matter to me.

I totally get where the OP is coming from though. If she had light coloured carpets and everyone wore wet and muddy shoes and tramped all over it the house isn't going to look its best when the OP is trying to sell it.

momma1701 can you get some of those overshoe things that workmen wear to offer to viewers to wear?

[SleepFreeZone]

You can normally tell by the flooring if it's a house that tolerates shoes. We have cream carpet throughout, it's pretty obvious if you tromp through it with wet shoes it's going to show up and look fucking terrible. I think it's very disrespectful to not take your shoes off under those circumstances and will always ask.

Cant you ask the estate agent to make sure viewers remove their shoes when walking around? It's hardly an unreasonable request!

[momma1701]

Hopefully the rest of them today will be considerate enough to ask me, it is raining cats and dogs here today, it honestly gives me anxiety! Since being pregnant with DD2 I have been diagnosed with mild OCD and shoes on in my house is a massive trigger for it I just feel so dirty and want to scream it's suck an awful feeling! All because someone wasn't considerate enough to take their shoes off

[SnowGlobes]

Our old house had wooden floors everywhere (no cream carpets) and visitors rarely removed shoes - it was just that type of house. So our EA didn't and neither did viewers. However, I've viewed a new build and the EA had those plastic overshoes for us to put on albeit I just took my shoes off. I've also viewed other houses where the EA has taken their shoes off so I've done the same. Some houses have been serious 'do uppers' and I've kept my shoes on! I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask EAs/viewers to take off shoes. It's still your home.

[EineKleine]

Leave a small number of neatly placed shoes lined up in the hall and they will hopefully get the hint. I don't think it does a sale any favours to insist on it though - you want the buyers to imagine themselves living there. By imposing rules, you're ramming home to them that it's not their house in those first few seconds when they are forming their first impressions of whether they could see themselves living there. I'm probably overthinking...

[momma1701]

I don't think you are over thinking because I feel a bit like that, I want them to feel welcome that's why I'd never insist it (even though it kills me) but if they ask I would politely say 'yes if you don't mind'
And if it isn't raining I'll say 'no it's ok' but also that kills me!
I can't wait till they go so I can bleach and scrub haha

[specialsubject]

I was asked to do it at a couple of viewings. Usually do anyway as I wear trainers which pick up muck.

Surely anyone with a brain realises that it isn't their house yet?

[CountMagnus]

One EA showing us round a house said that she always wears slip on shoes, so it's obviously not unusual.

Perhaps if your EA automatically slips their shoes off in front of viewers they'll take the hint?

[EineKleine]

Yeah I'm the same.

Maybe think of it as an opportunity to start letting go a little bit? It's harder with the baby but you might not mind quite so much if you start to think of those floors as not yours for much longer. Good luck with the sale.

[momma1701]

When we was having valuations all the woman automatically took their shoes off and didn't even ask the one man walked all through my house with muddy shoes and left footprints everywhere! I was mortified!
I've just let one lot come in with their shoes on and I hated every min of it just had to bleach and disinfect the whole house
But on the up side they seemed very keen on the house!

[Wingedharpy]

Blue plastic disposable overshoes strategically placed by your front door is the way to go OP if this is an issue for you.
£1.99p per box of 100 on eBay with free P and P.
That should be enough to get through viewings until you've sold - unless you have a particularly well attended open day, in which case, you may need 2 boxes.

[LunaMay]

I've only ever met one person who made people remove shoes when entering the house. It was weird to me. However if i lived somewhere with lots of wet weather it probably would seem the polite thing to ask when visiting people I don't know.

[ChishandFips33]

We bought plastic disposable shoe covers and asked insisted the EA to ensure the viewers put them on. He found this better than asking people to remove shoes

[Iamastonished]

"However if i lived somewhere with lots of wet weather"

We have a lot of wet/damp weather where I live. Perhaps that is why removing shoes at the front door is common practice round here.

[museumum]

We had to take our shoes off to view here (bought 2yrs ago). But we were very interested in the garden and garage so had to carry our shed through the house with us to put in again then off again to come back through them on again. It was a real pain given the downstairs is all wood/tiles.

[momma1701]

It feels like it's always raining here so maybe it's an area type thing
I'll be getting some over shoes for next time we viewed a house and went in the garden shoeless, which I suppose defeats the object but like you said they were at the front door so I didn't want to traipse back for them, and it was winter! Wasn't wet though thank god haha

[Watto1]

When we sold our house, we had three estate agents round to value the house. Only one of them didn't offer to take his shoes off and he trampled mud all up the stairs . We didn't pick his agency to sell our house. However, I'd probably invest in a decent doormat and grin and bear it for viewers. If they offered to take their shoes off id say yes but if they didn't I wouldn't ask them to.

[momma1701]

We have a very good door mat but I've noticed people don't even seem to wipe their feet! What is that?
We didn't go for the EA who didn't offer to take his shoes off either I didn't think he really respected my house so I can only imagine what he'd be like showing people around

[PickAChew]

I get the always raining thing - we live in a large village, and aside from the regularly placed doggy do mines, everything is just so muddy. I've moved on from boots all the time to trainers for the school run (partly because my school run boots were so worn down and I was developing signs of plantar fasciaitis) but still haven't started wearing anything more than my 3 year old scruffy trainers because they just get so dirty.

And dirty shoes trailed into a house aren't exactly going to keep it pristine for viewings. I think you might be being a bit paranoid with the excessive bleaching, mind. That stuff is no more baby friendly than a bit of honest dirt.

[PickAChew]

Turtle mats are great, btw - you can chuck them in the washer and dryer.

[momma1701]

I know my attitude towards dirt isnt 'healthy' but it's just the OCD in me, it became really severe whilst pregnant, I was bleaching all the dishes 3-4 times a day amongst plenty other weird things taking pictures of my made bed and comparing every day
I'm currently undergoing CBT for it, it's not as extreme as it used to be, thankfully