Washington real estate group is discouraging open houses during coronavirus outbreak
The Northwest Multiple Listing Service announced in a news release that it is disabling its public and broker open house features to curtail open house events in Washington state for the next two weeks in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Until at least Tuesday, March 31, brokers will not be able to input, search, or view public or broker open house information in the MLS system, according to the news release. Open house information will also not be on websites of Northwest Multiple Listing Service members. The not-for-profit organization has more than 30,000 brokers in its membership across Washington state.
To adjust, real estate agents are conducting virtual open houses for potential buyers. Real estate agents are also continuing to do in-person showings while maintaining social distancing procedures, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
“Clearly this makes sense; health and safety now come first,” said Troy Muljat of Muljat Group Realtors. He said that while some deals have slipped since the outbreak news, other deals are pending as homebuyers try to lock in the low interest rates now available.
Muljat said the past few days have brought a lot of changes at his firm. Meetings with clients and staff are done by conference call and many agents are working from home.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 3:07 PM.
