King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties still in Phase 2

Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday, Oct. 6, that limited open houses are now permitted for most counties in Washington state.

Updated real estate guidelines require our brokers to take all the precautions necessary to hold an open house, while continuing to follow protocol with face coverings, social distancing, sanitation, and more. Heaton Dainard is taking measures to ensure occupancy within properties is restricted to the gathering size permitted by the current county phase.

Counties in Phase 1.5 and 2 are limited to no more than five people in the property at any time. Phase 3 counties are permitted to have 10 people inside per showing, according to state guidelines. For all counties, the number of people allowed at in-person activities, including property viewings, inspections, appraisals, and final walk-throughs, is changed from three to five.

In order to adhere to occupancy restrictions and ensure compliance, our brokers will post signs alerting the public to new guidelines and reminding them to wear face coverings and social distance at all properties. We will continue to clean and disinfect all surfaces before and after the open house.

Brokers will be responsible for carefully monitoring the number of people on site at any given time. If needed, brokers may potentially lock the door to prohibit additional people from entering. Heaton Dainard and our brokers are at risk of criminal and civil liability for failure to comply the required protocol for hosting an open house.

In the case of an outbreak, brokers will maintain contact information for all people attending an open house for contact tracing. Realtors and brokers are also required to identify and control “high-risk areas” at locations where people typically congregate, in addition to rearranging furniture to encourage social distancing.

Real estate brokers are not permitted to leave a third party unattended in a property and sellers should vacate the property prior to any preview or showing appointment. Additionally, listing brokers should aim to stagger any preview or showing appointments to avoid any overlap.

In lieu of physically showing the property, brokers and buyers are encouraged to continue utilizing virtual tours and videos that are included with the listings.

As always, your local brokerage is here to help. Feel free to reach out with any and all questions regarding COVID-19 protocol and restrictions.

 

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Phase 1.5 counties include: Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, and Yakima.

Phase 2 counties include: Adams, Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grant, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Klickitat, Okanogan, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Walla Walla, and Whatcom.

Phase 3 counties include: Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Island, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Skamania, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, and Whitman.