The New Contra Costa County and other County Shelter-in-Place orders (effective May 4 – May 31st) include most of the prior order’s restrictions, but provides additional limited privileges for certain essential services, including real estate. These new orders apply to all those living/working in Contra Costa, Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties as well as the City of Berkeley.

Members may resume the following activities while still maintaining strict safety and social distancing protocols:

• Open houses and tours are still prohibited;
• Virtual showings are preferred. However, if virtual showings are not feasible, occupied properties may be shown under the following conditions:
  • Occupants must leave a property within a reasonable time prior to and following a showing.
  • Only ONE agent may show a property to a maximum of TWO people from the same household;
•  All previously ordered social distancing and sanitizing protocols apply.
• Commercial real estate is now classified as an “essential service”
• Home stagers are now classified as “essential” to the real estate transaction in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties and the City of Berkeley (as of 05/14/20). Please check separate county orders for specifics and/or limitations to this item.
• All construction activities may resume as long as businesses comply with safety protocols
• Residential moves may resume
• Before conducting any business transactions first consult your broker and adhere to specific rules and guidelines established by your respective corporations/firms and the requirements set out in the County/City orders. Members should seek individual counsel for legal and insurance matters.

As previously noted, CCAR continues to work with County officials to further clarify protocols around real estate transactions. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.

Resources:
|  Essential Services Protocol Q&A  >
|  New Order No. HO-COVID19-09 (Apr 29, 2020)  >
|  New CC County Order Frequently Asked Questions  >