is it still considered polite/routine to give a tour of your house when guests come?

[Anonymous]

I remember my parents doing this in the “old” days. I’ve done it if I have a renovation project that I’ve been talking about and now completed. My friends want to see the finished product.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the Midwest and this is normal. Lived all over and the only other place it was normal was Texas. My DH thought it was really weird because he grew up in a no-house-tour place.

Now I live on the west coast and it is decidedly not a house tour place, although coinciding with this thread we went to a party at new friends’ last night and they offered a tour! New friends are from the Midwest so it must be a regional thing.

Yes, same. For those who didn't grow up with this custom, it honestly isn't about bragging or showing off--none of the houses I grew up in were brag-worthy. I think it's to make visitors/guests feel at home--a mi casa es su casa kind of thing.

My mom is from the midwest and I grew up having her give tours of the house. When I grew up and realized how weird it was I nearly died of embarrassment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the Midwest and this is normal. Lived all over and the only other place it was normal was Texas. My DH thought it was really weird because he grew up in a no-house-tour place.

Now I live on the west coast and it is decidedly not a house tour place, although coinciding with this thread we went to a party at new friends’ last night and they offered a tour! New friends are from the Midwest so it must be a regional thing.

Yes, same. For those who didn't grow up with this custom, it honestly isn't about bragging or showing off--none of the houses I grew up in were brag-worthy. I think it's to make visitors/guests feel at home--a mi casa es su casa kind of thing.

My mom is from the midwest and I grew up having her give tours of the house. When I grew up and realized how weird it was I nearly died of embarrassment.

I’m one of the transplanted midwesterners who was went on a tour of our neighbors’ this weekend. My DD has never been offered a house tour, let alone stood in a strangers’ closet and chit-chatted, and she was looking at me like “is this ok? are we ok?”. It is weird if you think about it!

[Anonymous]

I grew up in the suburbs of LA, where it is endless subdivisions that are all pretty much alike. I don't recall my parents ever giving tours of our home except for out of state house guests. But that is probably because one house is pretty much just like the next one out there.

Now I live in the Florida panhandle, where only about 1/2 of the homes are in look alike subdivisions.

Our home is not in one of the look alike subdivisions. When we first moved in we were ecstatic to show off our new home with six closets, after having lived in a home with only two closets for the previous seven years. Now that we have been in our current home a good long while, I occasionally give a tour of to people. Like if they say something like, "My what a lovely home you have. How many bedrooms is it?"
I also don't mind saying what we paid for it and when.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My shoulders are hunched up in full cringe mode at the thought of you giving a tour of your home or someone asking for a tour. Eeek

Oh stop. Cringe is a cringe Gen z word. Gen z is cringe.

[Anonymous]

If it’s a new home, definitely! Otherwise it’s a little odd. Just know your audience .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a nice house and I don’t mind tours for close friends and family.

CLOSE - so people we chose, not people who expect a tour. Rude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am from the mid Atlantic and find this custom bizarre, but it totally is a custom. I think the most likely to practice this are boomers/greatest gen originating from the Midwest.

I don’t think there’s a class thing attached and I don’t think it’s universal - but there’s totally a certain segment of the population who think house tours to new guests is totally normal. It’s so awkward.

I definitely think expecting a tour of anyone's home is a lower class thing.