One of my favourite things about being a Realtor is doing Open Houses. It’s a chance to socialize, chat about Real Estate and meet interesting people. My favourite open house guests are usually the first time homebuyers. I still remember when it was my turn: my wife and I got pre approved for $230,000 in 2001 and believe it or not at the time that was a pretty good budget. Going to open houses and seeing possibilities and imagining our future together was extremely exciting. Now when I see a young couple walking through the front door I can usually sense if they are first timers and I can immediately feel the energy and excitement.
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But this is not what I wanted to talk about…are you familiar with the sign that you see at most open houses that says: PLEASE TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF-…well after today’s open house I decided to have a new sign made that says: PLEASE PUT YOUR SHOES BACK ON!!
An attractive tall young lady walked in and took her boots off…OH MY GOD! Within minutes the entire 845sf condo was filled with a distinctive aroma of rubber HUNTER boots and sweaty feet!!! To make things worse she took her time going through the condo admiring all the beautiful artwork, within seconds all the other guests disappeared and I was the only one that could not escape!! 
Before leaving she was so kind to come and chat with me for a while…the longest 2 minutes of my life!!!
LOL too funny …. you may have to bring air deodorizer to your next open houses!!
This is the first time I heard an open house with a sign “take your shoes off’. I was a real estate agent for 3 years in my country but never did I encountered a red flag in the doorway or anywhere in the house. But what a funny experience like that of a lady with a sweat feet, I can imagine how torturing your transaction with her. lol
LOL Daniel has a “sensitive” nose!!
OMG. Poor you. Didn’t she realize she was smelling so bad? Wasn’t she embarrassed when she had to take her shoes off? I guess no. I am sorry but this made me laugh
@pinklily
Open Houses is a common practice in North America, was it the same in your country?
LOL I love it! I had never had an experience like that and hope never to have to deal with anything like it. I can’t imagine going anywhere with smelly body parts, let alone to look at a home and try and make an impression! I bet you dread those “take off your shoes” signs eh?
That is pretty funny and a little gross. I would think people would be smart enough to use a little personal hygiene when looking to make one of the biggest purchases in their life!
We had a stink problem with our first Toronto house. Everytime we viewed the house there were lots of candles burning or something baking or both.
After we bought the house and moved in, we quickly realized the previous owners had been covering up the smell of cat urine.
I’d much rather have had your stink than ours!
LOL i had the same problem with a rural property which i had bought years ago but in that case they were covering up the smell of sulpuric acid in the well water!!!! The smell was disgusting but it constantly ruined loads of laundry with the sulphur in the water. We were never able to purify the water as the concentration was too high!!
@Flannerycam,
Cat urine smell is one of the worst smells to have in a house, as you may have found out it takes years to completely go away!
These stories are all too funny. I can’t imagine being in a situation such as that. When I was looking for a new home, It defitenly pays to have all of your senses (sight and SMELL) working properly. Now I’ll be sure to look for tricks used to disguise or mask certain odors (the baking one is honestly something that never once crossed my mind).
Great advice, as usual!
That is funny . I would be so embarassed if I’d be her . I never had this kind of experiences and I hope I’ll never deal with something like it .
I’ve never heard such a story before! I would like to think that if I were in her position, I would have noticed the smell. Maybe she noticed and didn’t care. In any case, I hope the smell didn’t linger too long. It would be really unfortunate for other visitors to associate the smell with the home.
Maybe you should switch to having everyone wear those booties that cover your shoes like the cable guy wears when he comes to fix your stuff or a nurse in the operating room!
@Drunken lunchbox
Finally somebody that came up with a solution!!
I don’t understand why you would even ask your guests or visitors to take off your shoes. If I visit your open house, I would definitely be dismayed if you ask me to take off my shoes. You may wish to showcase the house’s cleanliness and the shiny floor but it will be quite annoying for your guests. I also find it unhygienic.
Hi Vida,
I agree that taking your shoes off can be annoying, specially when you are visiting many open houses in one day.
However most Sellers request that guests remove their shoes prior to visiting their home.
I am sure that you are very considerate and respectful of other people’s property, but let me tell you not everybody is!
I have personally seen beautiful shiny hardwood floors damaged with nicks and small dents because of somebody walking on it with spiked heal shoes!
That’s hilarious! Perhaps next time you can fill the tub up with hot soapy water for a foot washing! Sometimes people who smell badly can’t smell themselves because they get immune to the odor. Perhaps that was the case at your open house!
She definitely had no idea! lol
That’s hilarious! When I was selling homes I came across many that stunk, no smelly feet though, LOL. I used to bring a scented candle to my open houses, keep it near the front door or in the kitchen, so prospective buyers smelled that upon first walking in. Old trick of the trade, but it helped. I’m still laughing over the smelly footed woman though…
That’s too funny! I thought this article was going to be about the house having an odor. Now, I’m laughing at the thought of other sellers coming home to “distinctive aromas” after their showings and wondering what in the world happened.
Oh god. Luckily I’ve never been to an open house where there were stinky feet.
Maybe, we should also set house rules for open houses.
That would be bad if you had other guests. The smell may turn them away or they think it is the house smells bad.
I’ve been to way too many open houses that smelled funny. Generally, I just turn right back around.
Hey, I can understand your pain. I am curious if you made the sale with Ms. Stinkfoot or not.
I’m reminded of my farmer uncle who pulled into a new car dealership and came out with a brand new truck. I am sure the sales people may have been a little judgemental of him, as he had dirty boots on, and was dressed like a poor farmer.
I’ll never forget this night because we were all on our way home after working in the fields. Just out of the blue he said, “I’m going to buy a New Truck!”, and did!
I’ve been to open house many times, and I’ve never seen that “take off your shoes” sign.
When we went to look at homes, we were usually dressed for the occasion. Look your best, right?
“Karen May Jones
21 hours ago
Hey, I can understand your pain. I am curious if you made the sale with Ms. Stinkfoot or not.”
Actually she was a very nice lady, it wasn’t her fault…it was those blessed Hunter boots!
And..no she didn’t buy the condo. lol
This is horrible. I don’t know who I feel sorrier for, the clueless lady with the smelly feet, you, or the people who were there but were forced to leave because of the bad smell.
It pays to have incense on hand to be lit if necessary. One never knows. Incense and an open window will work wonders for the smell of a house.
Of course spray air freshener works great too, but incense is longer lasting.
Having a small, tasteful glass or crystal bowl of individually wrapped breath mints and gum out on a counter or a table somewhere doesn’t hurt either.
This story is so funny. It’s a wonder you didn’t gag. How could one not be aware they have awful smelling feet? Unreal, truly unreal
Another thought here. Sellers should think to clean their carpets, as they have a tendency to walk around barefoot and their carpets smell awful when you open the front door. They are used to the odor, visitors or buyers are definitely not. It hits them smack in the face.
I also like the suggestion from commenter Drunken Lunchbox; providing booties to cover people’s shoes is a great idea. Either that or give them a pair of those slipper socks.
In fact, I’m thinking that next time I go apartment or house shopping, I’ll bring my own!
I understand all too well the concerns of people not wanting to walk around a property in their socks; it is unsanitary to have to put your feet back in your shoes.
Aware of these sanitation issues at home, I have typically only worn house slippers indoors, never street shoes.