Shoes off for a viewing?

[HollyLollyMolly]

My house went on the market today and I have a couple of viewings booked in for tomorrow.

I have cream carpet throughout my house, that I've kept immaculate with a strict shoes off in the house rule.

Would I be unreasonable to ask people viewing the house to remove their shoes?

It’s July. Lots of people will be wearing sandals. Surely you would not expect them to walk around your house in bare feet? Shoe covers are the only option.

Thanks everyone.

I've just nipped in the local DIY store and picked up some shoe covers.

If it puts people off then so be it, each to their own.

I'd comply but would be calculating the cost of replacing the pale carpet with practical floor coverings and I doubt I'd be alone. That pristine carpet is highly likely to be in a skip not long after you move out.

They're not going to be serious viewers (probably just nosy parkers) if asking them to respect your home puts them off.

I had nasty muddy marks left on my cream carpets by viewers last autumn on a particularly rainy day. I honestly could not believe someone would not take their dirty shoes off before coming into someone’s home and then walk on light coloured carpers like it’s a public space. After that incident I told my estate agent to tell whomever was coming for a viewing to take shoes off.

You are going to be a pain in the arse seller.

If you sell, stop seeing the property as "your home" and you should be bothered about losing the purchase if you are a serious seller.

What a stupid comment.

I will stop seeing the house as my home the day I leave. Until then, I will maintain the same level of cleanliness that I always have. It could take weeks, even months to sell and longer to exchange contracts and move out - am I expected to have potentially dirty carpets and floors until the day I leave, to keep a minority of people happy?

”shoes off, or piss off “ 😂. Simple as that .

Exactly
When we viewed our current house we were asked to remove our shoes.
One of the reasons we chose the house was because it was immaculate.
When I have sold previous houses , I have provided shoe covers. I don’t want people traipsing up and down my house with dirty shoes

Do most people have stinky feet? I'd say more people have dirty shoes than stinky feet. And most people wear socks.

Walking around your own or anyone else's home in shoes is really off. Slippers? Fine. But outside shoes is just dirty and disrespectful of people's property.

I take pride in my home and would be majorly annoyed to know someone walked around in outside shoes. Even my 3 year old reminds guests to remove shoes, not that she has to ask as everyone always offers. As do I in others homes.

If you wash regularly and dont undertake strenuous exercise, your feet shouldn't stink.

I've only been asked once to remove shoes or wear covers which the vendors provided - I happily complied, and in fairness the estate agent had warned us prior to the viewing.

We bought the house and got the carpets professionally cleaned after purchase - the carpet cleaning guy said the carpets were the dirtiest he had ever encountered so I'm pretty certain the vendors must have been shoe wearers themselves.

carpet cleaning guy said the carpets were the dirtiest he had ever encountered

I bet he says that to everyone so you feel like it was worth handing your cash over to him. You’d have known if the carpets were that dirty.

But why?

I agree people should take their shoes off, whatever the colour, but a pale cream carpet is a nightmare!

@WitchyWay
I've had a few trades people that took their shoes off to do a quote and couldn't get rid of the smell for hours! Have an aversion to sweaty feet even with socks.
Would rather they kept them on! I can always steam clean my carpet if someone has visited.

I would prefer to be informed so I could bring my slippers. But if I did buy the cream carpet would be going to the tip and certainly wouldn’t pay extra for it.

Yes definitely. I can't understand people who have light cream carpets in heavily used areas such as halls and living room. I always have hard floors with rugs which can be properly cleaned.

This- people who appreciate the lovely clean carpet surely won't mind.

I never asked for viewers to do this, although many offered too. We viewed a property that had a sign on the front door reminding the agent/viewers to remove shoes, what a shock it was when we got inside, it was pretty dirty, thick dust everywhere.

I don't care what they do with it after I move... bin it, keep it, make clothes out of it.

In the meantime, I love it and have kept it in excellent condition so I won't be putting up with a gross carpet or having to clean it after every viewing to avoid asking people to cover their shoes.

What if you weren't wearing socks and the floor didn't look clean. I just couldn't!

We viewed a house when we were looking years ago & were asked to take our shoes off. Thought it a bit unusual but didn’t have a problem with it.

Last house I viewed the other week we were asked to remove our shoes. But it was throwing it down with rain and the walk to the front door was over a lawn. Regardless, I didn't mind.

Yuck! No way would I be putting my bare feet where other people's dirty, smelly, sweaty bare feet had been walking. Blurgh.

Shoes on or shoe covers all the way.

FWIW, at home we typically wear slippers, not outdoor shoes inside. But I'd never expect (or want) guests to walk around barefoot. Barefoot (or sweaty socks) on carpet is minging, unless you're using a decent carpet cleaner on it daily.

How peculiar of you