Published by the NWMLS, March 24, 2020

COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
March 24th, 2020

On March 23rd, Governor Inslee issued a statewide “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order that is effective midnight on Wednesday, March 25th. The order will initially last for two weeks (and may be extended) and requires the closure of all “non-essential critical infrastructure” businesses. Workers that are considered non-essential, can continue to work remotely from home only.

Real estate brokerage services are not on the list of essential services. Real estate firms must close their offices to comply with the order. However, real estate brokers can continue to provide buyers and sellers services from home. Brokers have access to various technology services including online forms, electronic signatures, virtual tours and property videos, and mobile applications to allow brokers to continue to facilitate real estate transactions.

Certain workers in the “Financial Services Sector” have been deemed essential workers. This includes workers who are needed to process and maintain systems for processing financing transactions and services and insurance companies including mortgage lenders, escrow, and title insurers. Because the Financial Services Sector is considered essential, real estate transactions that are under contract may be able to proceed to closing (it is likely that lenders, title, and escrow will continue to operate). You should discuss these issues with your real estate broker.

Under the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, real estate brokers may not conduct any business outside of their home, including physically showing or previewing properties, conducting in-person listing presentations, taking property photos, staging homes, etc. Accordingly, brokers may be limited in the services that they can provide to buyers and sellers.

Buyers and sellers should be attentive to mandates and guidelines from public health officials and work with their real estate broker to make informed decisions about listing, selling, and purchasing real property. Brokers will exercise their best judgment under the circumstances to provide advice regarding all aspects of the current real estate market.

Updated information about COVID-19 is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website (www.cdc.gov) and from the Washington State Department of Health’s website (www.coronavirus.wa.gov).

If you have specific questions about health concerns related to COVID-19, you should consult with a health professional.