If you are in the processing of searching for a home to purchase, you may have come across a few where the owners require you to remove your shoes before stepping inside. To some people, this may seem like an unreasonable or unnecessary request, but it really is not. There are actually several good reasons why some sellers prefer visitors to go shoeless when viewing their home.
Most sellers go through a lot of trouble to make their homes clean before hosting an open house. Some of them even choose to have their homes professionally cleaned, spending money to get everything absolutely spic and span. Open houses can often attract hundreds of people, so it only makes sense that sellers would try not let all their hard work and effort go to waste by minimizing the changes of incurring floor damage.
With so many people coming and going, the chances of a hardwood floor getting scuffed by heavy boots or spiky heels are pretty high. The chances of floor damage increasing when it snows, because snow equals salt, and salt can be like sandpaper on hardwood and laminate flooring. Tracked-in water can also dirty carpets, or create small puddles that become accidents waiting to happen.
Lastly, the bottoms of your shoes can act like magnets for dirt, mud and sometimes worse. Again, since most sellers have taken the trouble to make sure their homes are sparkling clean, you can probably imagine why they wouldn’t be too thrilled about having strangers track dirt and mud into their pristine houses.
Of course, there are always exceptions. If you need to keep your shoes on for medical, religious or other equally valid reasons, you can always tactfully explain the situation to the owner, and most people would be reasonable enough to make an exception for you.
If you are planning to buy a home, let The Incorvaia Team make the process as easy as possible for you. Call us at 440-879-7130 today!
