Washington state real estate group suspends in-person public and broker open houses
While virtual tours remain ongoing, and you can always drive by a house for sale, large-scale in-person open house events for listings are another casualty of the coronavirus outbreak in Washington state, at least for now.
On Tuesday, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service said it was temporarily suspending in-person public and broker open houses in its 23-county system/market area, following Gov. Jay Inslee’s emergency proclamation issuing temporary shutdowns of bars, restaurants and more.
Those 23 counties count for about 80 percent of the state’s population, a representative for NWMLS told The News Tribune on Tuesday.
“As the news and impact of COVID-19 continues to rapidly evolve, Northwest Multiple Listing Service made the difficult decision to temporarily disable the public and broker open house features in its MLS system. NWMLS’s decision is strongly supported by the Governor’s Office,” it said in Tuesday’s release.
“Until at least March 31, brokers will not be able to input, search or view public or broker open house information in the MLS system. Open house information will not be available for display on member real estate broker public websites.”
The NWMLS noted, “Many brokers are conducting virtual showings for clients and hosting virtual open houses for potential buyers. In addition to property photos, many listings have virtual tours where potential buyers can view videos and even remotely ‘walk through’ the property. Brokers are also continuing to conduct in-person showings, while remaining cognizant of social distancing recommendations.”
Individual showings with brokers and their clients may still occur if they follow public health guidelines, as well as online transaction management, complete with “electronic signatures to allow brokers and clients to complete and sign contracts remotely.”
“Brokers are continuing to conduct in-person showings, while remaining cognizant of social distancing recommendations,” the NWMLS noted.
