COVID Protocols For Showing Homes Listed For Sale

These guidelines require the consent of third parties, e.g. sellers, buyers, tenants, buyer brokers, inspectors, appraisers, property managers, contractors, plumbers, and others involved in the home purchase/sale transaction. Accordingly, they should be provided with a copy of these requirements. Any questions or concerns expressed should be directed to the Supervisor where appropriate.

Screening: All prospective visitors to the home should be screened in advance. Brokerages should create a screening process to be used uniformly for every visitor. See PMAR COVID-19 “Suggested Visitor Screening Questionnaire” below, for example. Continue reading “COVID Protocols For Showing Homes Listed For Sale”

Introduction. Almost as soon as the COVID pandemic flared up, I began to receive calls asking whether the virus could constitute the basis for refusing to perform under a pending Sale Agreement. One broker reported that the buyer wanted out of the contract because of “uncertainty”.

These are not altogether unreasonable reactions to performance; after all, we’ve never experienced anything like this pandemic before. However, over the years, comparable issues have arisen, the most obvious being wars, strikes, and natural disasters. So let’s take a look at how the courts have dealt with these events in the past. Continue reading “Is COVID-19 a Defense to Breach of the Oregon Real Estate Sale Agreement?”