Do American give tours of their houses when they have people visit for the first time?

44 comments

1. Not typically! Unless there’s a specific reason. Example: brand new home

   If I have a new guest over staying the night I’ll show them the basics in case they need something when I’m not around.

2. Usually just a basic “this door is the bathroom” will suffice.

   It’s not required, but people generally like to know so they feel like they can pee and not bother you.

3. Yes. If it’s friends and they haven’t seen the new place, of course you give “the tour.”

4. It’s far from unheard of, but I’ll say I’ve only gotten “the tour” from relatively close friends, and always with a hint of tongue-in-cheek, acknowledging that it’s kind of a corny ceremony. When you’re invited to a work friend’s house from a party, they usually just point you to the beer and the bathroom.

5. Yeah sure. Not everyone, not everytime, but it is common enough.

6. If someone’s never been over before, yes.

7. Do other cultures not show people where the bathroom is or stuff like that?

8. It’s not really a part of American culture. It’s basically only in certain circumstances, like if you get a new home and you want to show it to close friends and family. If you just have regular friends or coworkers over to your house that is where you’ve already been living, usually you might just tell them or show them where the bathroom is, but usually you don’t walk them through.

9. Yeah, though I always joked that it was the 360° tour because the last two permanent addresses I’ve had have been ones where I could stand a guest in one spot and then point to everything in the house or apartment.

10. Yes it’s very common for people to do that.

11. Somewhat common if it’s a newly bought home. Not common for a rental or an apartment.

12. Sometimes, if the person is proud of their home making skills.

13. So… two things…

    1. It’s situational. If you just got a new place or they’re staying over, you might give them a tour. In most other situations, you probably would not give them a tour.

    2. If you’re not in a situation where you’re getting a tour, it is more likely to be understood you should remain on the current floor of the house AND not open any closed doors… except maybe the bathroom depending on their habits.

14. With a new home and a very close friend? Maybe.
    But otherwise no this is not a thing in my experience, other than, bathroom is over here.

15. Usually only close family/friends visiting a new house for the first time. Because we move a lot, its usually people visiting who are staying the night that havent visited that house before that get the tour. If it’s someone just stopping by for an evening, I dont.

16. My grandma didn’t give yours if the house. She gave tours of the garden

17. it is common

18. In my social circle, absolutely common and almost expected when you visit for the first time. Just about everyone who comes into my home gets “the tour.” My friends, family, my neighbors, my parents’ friends, heck I even gave my lawyer a tour once when she stopped by to finish paperwork (for getting the house). I’ve done a lot of work on my house and I am proud of it, but all my friends/family give the tour of their homes too. People often point out work they’ve done on the house or talk about plans for future projects. I think there is also an expectation of offering compliments along the way like, “oh I love that paint color!” or “this room gets such great light.” Maybe we all watched too much HGTV back in the day.

19. If it’s a new place I may give “the tour”–but primarily I’ll focus on “here’s the kitchen; help yourself to drinks. Here’s the living room, here’s the bathroom–and (vaguely gesturing at the stairs) up there are the bedrooms.”

    I don’t give tours of the private places, like the master bathroom suite, unless we haven’t moved in yet.

20. Sometimes. If someone comes over the for the first time and seems curious, or if its old friends and you’re in a new place, or if you just redid a room. It really depends on the person, the house, and the guest.

    I think on the shows you mentioned they were using it as a plot device to set up jokes and to give insight into the characters personal lives. You were getting the tour more than the guests on the show were.

21. Sometimes if it’s a new place I would. My six year old loves giving a full tour though.

22. Yes it’s common, though I am pretty sure it’s more common among family than friends. I’ve personally been through many, probably about 80% of them where family who just purchased a new home or haven’t seen in a very long time.

23. Yes- we recently bought a new house so people get the tour when they visit. It’s small though so it lasts 20 seconds.

24. I bought a giant dilapidated Victorian house, and the tour involves a lot of people going “wait, we’re back here?! How did that room connect to this one?” People usually want the tour because my house is so confusing

25. This is one of those things that varies greatly depending on who you are. It not uncommon for it to happen, but common for it not to happen as well. If it’s a housewarming party it definitely happens, but not everyone has those either.

26. It has happened a couple of times. Mainly my husband wanting to show off his collection which requires walking through the whole house so he will say those are bedrooms in passing.

    We have not taken every visitor on a house tour nor have we been given a tour of every house we have visited though. I would say tours are not unheard of but not expected.

27. In the American show Curb you Enthusiasm, one of the episodes the main character’s friend gets a new house. The wife asks the main character if he’d like a tour. He says no thanks. She gets livid to the point where she kicks him out of the house. It’s a funny bit of comedy because it is typically implied that you take a tour of a new friends house.

28. It depends on the closeness of the visitor also.

    At the very least “here’s the living area, here is the kitchen, there is the bathroom, that way to the patio” is in order.

    Actually showing off bedrooms, the attic, basement, and the pew pew room takes a lot more of a relationship.

29. Not common where I live, or at my home.

30. i do. it’s a nice icebreaker. gives a good convo starter before dinner appetizers

31. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this episode.. but I think in that instance it was what we call a “house warming party” where people literally come to see and celebrate your new home. This was probably the only time most of my friends were upstairs in my home.

32. I had never experienced that in New England. I went to Erie Penn and someone I had just met gave me a tour and showed me painted portraits of their grandparents, etc.

    It was strange.

33. Yes. Definitely. We just bought a house last year and then threw a party. Everyone got a tour.

34. Yes, almost every new visitor to my Nana’s house gets a tour of every room. Granted, she’s an artist with a lot of paintings and pictures and other art she’s collected over the years, so that’s part of the reason.

    Otherwise it would be common (but not expected) that family and close friends would get a tour on a first visit

35. Absolutely. I built a rock climbing cave, a badass deck and a jam room, no way am I not showing that off.

36. Usually only if it is a new home that you are proud of having just acquired; or

    It’s family or particularly close friend.

    I haven’t seen the particular episode of the office but had Jim, a young single guy, recently got his home?

37. You can pretty much see my entire house from the living room, so no.

38. yes. I don’t know why we do it, but we do

39. I have been given exactly one house tour in my life as an American and it was a 70 year old lady who had a lot of artwork and antiques. Even then I thought it was a little odd because I didn’t ask to see her house.

40. Depends

41. No. The houses I have lived in often had different floors, no way was I going to drag guests up and down stairs to look at a bedroom or basement. Now I’m in a smaller house, the kitchen and bathroom are easy to find, and there’s no reason to show anyone around.

42. If you have a nice house, of course. At the bare minimum, I like to let people know where the bathroom is.

43. i’ve only given a tour/been given a tour in a house where the guest is considered part of the extended family.

    i’m not sure exactly how to describe it. they’re the people who you don’t feel the need to “clean up” for if they come over. You might move the unfolded laundry off the couch into a basket, but you don’t feel the need to hide it in your bedroom.

    there is one other case “the housewarming party” in which you are showing off your new house, usually to a larger group in which case the tour is kinda why your threw the party in the first place.

44. Yes! We remodeled our house before moving in so especially exciting.