Please Remove Your Slippers in Oahu Homes for Sale, Mahalo!

I recently read a blog article from a mainland realtor who expressed dismay that the seller of a home she and her client visited would require prospective buyers to remove their shoes before entering the home.  I had to laugh to myself; what was probably a legitimate complaint there, would not be even commented on here, on Oahu.

It is usual practice for most people on Oahu to remove their shoes before entering a home, whether the Oahu home’s for sale or not.  It is very common to see a shoe rack just outside or just inside the door of any Oahu home and perhaps, even a small ceramic sign, with a catchy phrase, asking visitors to remove their shoes before entering.  You can always tell a fun party too, by the huge pile of shoes near the hosts’ doormat.

Buyers of Oahu real estate from the mainland should be advised by their realtor to wear easy-on/easy-off shoes when going to look at Oahu homes for sale.  Where buyers do not wish to remove their shoes or can’t for stability reasons, buyers should discuss those circumstances with their realtor, prior to showings, and should bring house slippers to change into or booties to cover their shoes. 

The custom of removing ones shoes in Hawaii prior to entering a home is believed to have come from the Japanese, but many other cultures follow this same practice around the world. In Japan, every home has a special shoe cabinet called a getbako, so that family members and guest have a place to put their shoes outside the door. Taking off one’s shoes is significant for several reasons.  First, it shows respect to the host, in helping to maintain clean floors and peace and quiet. It also reduces wear and tear on and damage to the floors from outside shoes. Symbolically, it signifies the transitioning from work into the sanctuary of your private space. Not to mention, keiki and others can feel comfortable lying or sitting, or crawling around on the floor.

This common practice is not so great, however, when the floors inside the home are dirty, which happens, too. Realtors will usually make an exception and ask prospective purchasers to “leave your shoes on” when the house is excessively dirty or under construction, or where removing shoes could pose some other hazard.  In cases of dirty floors, where they don’t make this exception, the booties come in really handy!

So, don’t be shocked when you see piles of shoes at a door and realtors standing around barefoot at their Oahu real estate open houses, or when you are asked to remove your shoes prior to entering Oahu homes for sale.  This is just another one of those things that makes Hawaii the unique, special, relaxed paradise that it is, whether you are here to live or on vacation.

Please contact Yvonne Jaramillo Ahearn (B) for all your Oahu real estate needs. 808-721-8088.