I have a request for realtors showing houses. (sale, bedroom, short sale)
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Then it would be your fault for not having a mat at your door? If there's a mat, shoes are easily wiped off before re-entry into a home.
Don't you get it? You are supposed to make things easy for a buyer to see your house, not make them jump through hoops. The more hoops you make a buyer jump through, the worse they imagine negotiations will go with you, and the more they'll decide to pick another house to not have to deal with the sellers that are obnoxious. To buyers, this is a very personal decision, and many buyers want to like the sellers of the house they buy. If they don't like the seller, they'll move on.
Don't you get it? You're a real estate professional. Did you not learn common courtesy to other people's property? That just seems common sense to me. People should be able to sell a house and also ask that people remove their shoes so they aren't tracking dirt inside your home. A door mat isn't always going to get all the dirt especially if they have been walking around in the yard.
Just because they are a potential buyer doesn't give them permission to treat my home as they like. Could you imagine if everyone felt the way you do walking around inside your home? If people want to trash my house then they need to buy it first and then they can treat it any way they wish. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this.
lol..I don't think someone will 'not' buy my house only because I asked that they not track dirt inside. Thankfully my realtor took her shoes off before coming inside without even asking. She seems the type to know that is just the way to treat other people's homes.
quote: "I remember last time I tried to sell my house. I went out of town for a couple of weeks and came back to find the TV on, dirty footprints everywhere, lights left on, deadbolt barely in, etc. Some realtors are great about checking after themselves before leaving but some aren't as professional. That's just been my experience.[/quote]"
So you're gone a couple of weeks. TV is on. Was it on ESPN? Footprints everywhere. One par of shoes stayed dirty that long? Seems like there were lots of pairs of shoes. Any sodas or alcohol missing too? Snacks gone?
lol..I don't think someone will 'not' buy my house only because I asked that they not track dirt inside.
You're talking about one thing in the above statement. My comment was more about you wanting to leave a list of multiple items you want buyers to do. A list of remedial things does make a buyer roll their eyes and make comments about what type of person the seller is. You'll never hear the comments, but they're there. I hear them everyday!
quote:"I remember last time I tried to sell my house. I went out of town for a couple of weeks and came back to find the TV on, dirty footprints everywhere, lights left on, deadbolt barely in, etc. Some realtors are great about checking after themselves before leaving but some aren't as professional. That's just been my experience.
"
So you're gone a couple of weeks. TV is on. Was it on ESPN? Footprints everywhere. One par of shoes stayed dirty that long? Seems like there were lots of pairs of shoes. Any sodas or alcohol missing too? Snacks gone?[/quote]
Sorry, but I'm missing your point. Yep, TV on, dirty footprints everywhere. I had footprints on a nice area rug in den and in a bedroom and elsewhere in the house. Not sure why that is hard to believe. Don't know why some realtors here seem to think it's ok to go thru people's houses and not try to leave things as you found them. I would think it would be simple property viewing etiquette.
It can be about the almighty commission while still respecting people's homes. Maybe it's easier to not care as much about the homes when you probably will never meet the owners so you walk thru anonymously.
My whole post was just to ask that you take a second to look around before leaving to check things and to please not track dirt inside from your shoes....have a little respect for the owner of the home.
Last edited by diddlydudette; 07-31-2013 at 08:24 PM..
Why aren't homeowners home for most showings? We were and it didn't seem to affect anything. It's not like we were shadowing them. Just couldn't let strangers walk through with another stranger completely unattended.
I know it's always a contentious issue, but I really hate the "Please remove shoes" thing. No one in my family or circle of friends has a no-shoes rule, I grew up in a family where being properly dressed included shoes, and I'm often wearing shoes that are not easy to simply slip off/on (multiple little straps/buckles, knee high lace up boots, etc). And not everyone provided a suitable place to sit while doing so.
I've also stepped on broken glass before in a "remove your shoes" home, and had to have a glass sliver removed at the ER. That incident also required stitches. So I'm pretty gun-shy about slipping off my shoes.
You must not know any asians. Understandable it's annoying to you, and it's contentious because people step in all kinds of crap & crud with their shoes. Walking on our carpets with those same shoes is not very appealing to us and I'm not even a germaphobe. Even if we didn't have infants at the time. And vacuuming after each showing is not ideal. At the suggestion of our listing agent, we provided booties you'd find doctors wearing. Slips right onto your shoes. Came in especially handy for rainy days with people stepping inside with traces of mud & dirt. What would you do if you walk in from the rain?
If lights are on, I leave them on. There could be another showing behind me.
If back door is unlocked, I leave it that way. You would be surprised how many people go out the back door and take a walk during a showing. If I lock it, they might get locked out. Same goes for the door between garage and house.
On rainy days I ask clients to remove shoes. Other days I don't because of the convenience factor. If you are seeing multiple homes in one day, people don't want to take their shoes on and off that many times.
As a pet owner, I always respect the signs asking to keep doors closed or don't let cats out. But the clients want to see the rooms and sometimes Princess is just waiting for someone to open the door so she can race out. Hard to catch a cat that isn't my cat, she doesn't come when called.
If something seems amiss, or a pet gets out, or I cannot figure out how to lock a door (sometimes this does happen), then I call the listing agent to let them know. Common courtesy.
Does everyone do this? No. Should they? I think yes.
I hate this too, and don't remove my shoes, unless it's a rainy day. Sorry, but we have a backyard to view and a garage to view, and I'm not walking those areas without my shoes. The house is on the market, and they need to expect people walking in their house.
So many of my clients read signs like those, look at me and ask if they really have to. Buyers hate doing it. As a seller, you might think it's something little, but as a buyer, it's an inconvenience to tie and untie shoes at each house, and it's a ridiculous request. Buy a vacuum cleaner!
Really?
Total common out here. I prep all my buyers and tell them to wear shoes they can take on and off easily. If it is hard, that is what the booties are for. Slip them over your shoes. Takes 10 seconds to do.
Best solution is to leave these instructions taped on a few doors. Just limit the list to 5-6 items though.
I don't see an issue if there is a sign that says: please remove shoes, turn off lights, close doors etc. Be courteous and concise.
If I had a couple of showings scheduled back to back, I left instructions about not turning off lights. I'd say I had half and half of realtors who turned the lights off after showing or left them on.
I am punctual to this habit and this is the quality most of my clients are my good friends too :-)
Staying clean and having some good etiquette leaves a good impression..
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