Dear GAOR Members:

Every day seems to bring new revelations which cause major changes in our busy lives and make us reimagine how to do all the personal and professional things we’ve come to take for granted. First and foremost I want to ensure that you are staying healthy and keeping each other healthy.

The REALTOR® profession is not immune to this virus so please take all the precautions that public health officials have been urging us to do . This virus does not respect divisions of country, race, class, gender or anything else. I just learned about a broker in my old South Bay territory who tested positive, experienced symptoms and has since recovered. This is not likely to be an isolated case so I urge you to take all the cautionary steps.

I’ve been sending you very long messages lately, however there is so much information emerging that I hope you will read through this message in its entirety and feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.

Stay-At-Home Orders

Governor Newsom, County officials and Glendale officials have issued orders to stay at home and limit all activities in a group setting. C.A.R. issued guidelines in response to these orders, including this important line:

“REALTORS® should cease doing all face-to-face marketing or sales activities, including showings, listing appointments, open houses and property inspections. Clients and other consumers are also subject to these orders and should not be visiting properties or conducting other business in person.”

Caravans and Open Houses

Because of the Governor’s order and the C.A.R. guidelines, the following conditions are now in effect:
  • Both i-Tech MLS and CRMLS have disabled open houses and future dates for showings and caravans.
  • The GAOR Caravan for Wednesday, March 25 is cancelled. However please save March 25 at 8:30 a.m. for a GAOR Online Town Hall meeting. More on that below.
  • GAOR’s guidelines for virtual open houses that we issued last week are still in effect. CRMLS has adopted similar temporary rules. We will send you this information in a separate message.
  • On i-Tech you are permitted to advertise Open Houses in public remarks for a virtual showing that does not require an in-person visit to the listing. Those of you on CRMLS or CLAW should review recent communications from those respective MLS’s for their updates on showings.

GAOR Town Hall

On Wednesday, March 25 at 8:30 a.m. GAOR is hosting an Online Town Hall featuring GAOR President Steven Small and President-Elect Rick Bonyadi. They will provide you with important information and answer your questions about doing business and staying safe as a REALTOR® in the community. Stay tuned for a message from GAOR this afternoon (Tuesday, March 24) on how to participate in the Online Town Hall.

GAOR Office

The GAOR building is closed this week and likely next week as well. Staff are working remotely. We will assess frequently based on advice from public health officials on when we may reopen the building and when staff will return to the office. For now, please observe the following:

  • The fastest way to get service is via email. If you are already working with someone on staff you may email that person or send a message to gaor@gaor.org which we are checking frequently.

  • There may be a delay in returning your phone messages until we resolve a technical issue with the phone company. We will return your phone message as soon as we can however email remains the best way to reach us.

  • If you need in-person assistance on Supra, please consider whether it can wait until next week or the following. If your Supra matter is truly urgent, contact us for an appointment.

  • Please remember that the current MLS invoice is out and we are accepting online payments as usual. For now, the payment deadline has not changed. More information to come at a later date.

Federal Relief Efforts

The federal government is working around the clock to address this unprecedented crisis on two fronts at once: 1) Protecting public health and defeating this virus, and 2) backstopping the economy in an effort to blunt its impact on businesses and industries.

From a REALTOR® perspective, NAR is deeply involved in this effort. Please watch for an Action Alert coming soon from NAR which will ask you to contact your Member of Congress. Among other things, NAR and C.A.R. are fighting to ensure that independent contractors are included alongside employees in any federal relief package. More information is coming soon on this front.

Thank you all for your immediate attention and thank you especially for your ongoing efforts to protect yourselves, protect each other and protect the REALTOR® profession. Please stay tuned for more information coming soon and I am happy to address any questions or concerns you may have.
David Kissinger
Chief Executive Officer


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