Dear MCAR Member:

Last night, the California Association of Realtors announced that Residential Real Estate is now listed as an essential service in the March 28, 2020 Federal list of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers, the entirety of that announcement is below (please read the entire announcement).

MCAR leadership is in the process of evaluating our county Shelter in Place policy and conferring with counsel on any potential restrictions associated as local guidelines will continue to govern the activities of a licensee. Please stay tuned as we intend to provide additional information, resources and best practices in the near future.

We will be discussing this issue and many others on Monday’s Q&A call with the members at 1:00 PM. Signup instructions for that call are below and all members are highly encouraged to participate.

Residential Real Estate now listed as an essential service in the March 28, 2020 Federal list of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers. 
 
Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA updated its  list of essential services  during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis and  expressly included residential real estate.  Since Governor Newsom’s March 4, 2020 order incorporates this list, the order now includes residential and commercial real estate, including settlement services as essential services in California.   However, if a city or county has an order with a more restrictive standard regarding what qualifies as an essential service, or more restrictions on activities, those guidelines will still govern the activities of a licensee . Notwithstanding this new development, all real estate licensees must take into account the  health and safety of their clients and fellow licensees and follow the protocols that exist for protecting against the spread of COVID-19 . If such heath safeguards and protocols are not followed, the rule for the state could easily change to stop or restrict all real estate activity. To that end, in conformity with current health guidelines, real estate licensees should follow all CDC and local health mandates. This includes the following:
 
1.  No open houses should be held.
2. Showings should be done virtually, if at all possible.
 
An updated FAQ will be made available and more information will be coming on specific recommendations. Please refer to our microsite for the most up to date information at  www.car.org/coronavirus .

As always, MCAR's COVID-19 Information and Resources page has all of this information saved for your reference.


Thank you, 

Kevin
Livestream Q&A with MCAR Leadership
Monday, March 30
1:00 PM

Registration required by 10:00 AM Monday for virtual meeting link. Log in to the members-only section at MCAR.com to register.
MCAR Leadership will be on hand to answer your questions, such as.
  • How are you dealing with your clients and fellow realtors during the SIP?
  • What can MCAR do for you during this challenging time?