Hello Brokers, we have been checking Canopy and our NC REALTORS Association for hourly updates through-out this week. We are disappointed in the lack of notification we are receiving from Canopy. As of today the only update we see from Canopy’s president is a video talking about everything but the orders that we are all concerned about.

This video message from 2020 Canopy Realtor® Association/Canopy MLS President John Kindbom is being sent to all Realtor® members of Canopy Realtor® Association and members and subscribers of Canopy MLS.

Click Here to Watch A Video Message from John Kindbom, 2020 Canopy Realtor® Association/Canopy MLS President

If you find new information that contradicts the info we are sending you, please inform us as soon as possible. We only want to send the most current info out.

There is a ton of confusion concerning both Stay at Home Orders in effect for the State of North Carolina and the orders for Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Gaston County.

Please read the below email from our NC REALTORS Association.

It is clear if you live in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Gaston County we cannot show or list homes. We are to work from our home only. The paragraph that I have highlighted states:

North Carolina State Order: As to how this order affects your area:IF YOU ARE IN A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY THAT IS MORE RESTRICTIVE OF REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY AND SERVICES, YOUR ORDER CONTINUES TO GOVERN.The Governor’s order does not preempt more restrictive local orders. For those of you in that situation, we will continue to work with you to get revisions to your order to allow all real estate activity to continue as long as it is done in line with health guidelines.

Which means if we live in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Gaston County we are not considered “ Essential”. If we live in these counties we cannot travel to the counties that consider us “Essential” to list or show properties.

I’m attaching both orders for your review. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We are here to help you through these difficult times.

From our North Carolina Board of REALTORS   

ncrealtors.org

Good evening, We would like to reiterate some good news that we shared earlier, along with some important clarifications. PLEASE READ THE BULLET POINTS BELOW REGARDING LOCAL ORDERS. We have some good news to share! This afternoon, Governor Cooper issued Executive Order 121 imposing “Stay-at-Home” requirements for the entire state of North Carolina starting Monday, March 30 at 5 pm. Real estate services, including brokerage, are specifically allowed to continue if activity follows health guidelines. This is a huge win for our client and customers.. Your NC REALTORS® staff worked diligently over the past couple weeks advocating to convince the Governor to designate real estate as an essential business. We continue to communicate with his team, as well as local governments across the state to ensure that the correct information is being shared to everyone. Especially in these uncertain and troubling times, providing shelter is imperative to the health and safety of our citizens. As to how this order affects your area:IF YOU ARE IN A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY THAT IS MORE RESTRICTIVE OF REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY AND SERVICES, YOUR ORDER CONTINUES TO GOVERN.The Governor’s order does not preempt more restrictive local orders. For those of you in that situation, we will continue to work with you to get revisions to your order to allow all real estate activity to continue as long as it is done in line with health guidelines.IF YOU ARE IN A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY THAT CURRENTLY DOES NOT HAVE A STAY AT HOME ORDER, the Governor’s order is what you will follow.IF YOU ARE IN A COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY THAT HAS THE SAME ALLOWANCES FOR REAL ESTATE THAT THE GOVERNOR’S ORDER HAS, nothing really changes for you.Very important: Please wait for guidance from your own association as to what this statewide order means to you. Although in many areas our business can continue, ALL activities must be conducted under the strict health guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Not only is this important to prevent further spread of the virus, but we will be under great scrutiny by officials to follow the rules. If we do not comply, this order can quickly be revised to prevent us from doing our jobs. Also any violations of this order are punishable by a Class 2 misdemeanor. Please understand the seriousness of the situation and act accordingly. For a complete recap of the Executive Order, Congress’ recent action, and much more check out today’s STATUS UPDATE which is included below. March 27, 2020 EDITORS NOTE:For those of you expecting to see the REALTOR® Advocate in your inboxes today, you will not be seeing it today. We have made the decision to place it on an indefinite hiatus to allow us to bring you these important updates through the STATUS UPDATE. In today’s STATUS UPDATE we provide you with more information about the local stay-at-home orders in areas across the state. We will also give you additional insight into the relief legislation passed by the Congress earlier today. Stay safe and continue to monitor all of the information which is being distributed by health officials. Please note that all of this content is available on the STATUS UPDATE page on ncrealtors.org. Governor Cooper Issues Statewide Order Today, Governor Roy Cooper issued Executive Order 121 which implements a statewide “shelter in place” directive, effective Monday, March 30 at 5:00 PM. This order will remain in effect for thirty (30) days unless otherwise repealed. While this is a significant measure, it is a vital step in the effort to assist in controlling the spread of COVID-19. The full list of measures implemented in Executive Order 121 are found here. Included in section 25 of the order, real estate services, including brokerage, appraisal and title services, AREincluded under essential business operations. This is a HUGEwin for our industry, our clients, and the state economy. We sincerely appreciate the support shown by Governor Cooper through this order! Here is the specific language of Section 25 on page 8 of the order:Professional services. Professional services, such as legal services, accounting services, insurance services, professional engineering and architectural services, land surveying services, real estate services (including brokerage, appraisal and title services) and tax preparation services.We also thank the Governor for his statement encouraging local governments who have or will implement their own orders to conform with the state standards. As we have seen over the past few days, local governments have issued a variety of different orders which have led to a lot of confusion for our members and citizens alike. “In these difficult times, we are extremely appreciative of Governor Cooper’s efforts to allow our industry to continue serving our clients,” said Maren Brisson-Kuester, 2020 NC REALTORS® President. “As our economy is experiencing such significant turmoil, it is great that providing people with shelter has been given this level of priority. But remember, while we have been granted these abilities, it does not mean that you don’t have to abide by the health and safety guidelines. If you can work remotely, do it! Above all else, stay safe!” For the past ten days, the NC REALTORS® Government Affairs team, in partnership with local associations across the state, has been working diligently to demonstrate the importance of the real estate industry. We have engaged with the Governor’s office and local government officials to develop and clarify orders issues to ensure that real estate services are included in their orders. IMPORTANT REMINDER: Even though this order allows your business activities to continue, YOU MUST abide by ALL CDC and NCDHHS health and safety guidelines! Make sure to maintain social distancing and proper hygiene practices in all of your interactions. If you can do your work remotely, DO IT! NC REALTORS® has put together multiple resource guides which are available at ncrealtors.org/coronavirus. More Stay-at-Home Orders Issued In yesterday’s Update, we provide you with a list of the orders which had been released to-date. Following distribution, two other orders, in Wake and Gaston counties, were released. Below you will find links to these new orders. Gaston County (March 26) Wake County (March 26) Both of these orders do allow real estate services to continue during this time. As more information and additional orders are released, we will provide them to you. Congress Passes Important Relief Legislation Earlier today, the United States House of Representatives approved the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act,” also known as the CARES Act. A $2 trillion economic relief package, it includes multiple important provisions for the housing industry, and specifically, REALTORS. The bill now moves to President Trump who is expected to sign it. NAR has put together a complete explanation of all of the provisions of the more than 900-page bill. **Please note that NAR and NC REALTORS staff are still reviewing the approved grants and loans authorized under this legislation. Additional guidance will be provided to members as soon as it becomes available. Here are a couple of quick highlights:$350 billion for the Small Business Administration 7(a) loan program—These loans will allow businesses with less than 500 employees access to up to $10 million for use towards mortgage interest, rent, utilities, and payroll costs. A portion of these loans will also be forgivable. REALTORS, independent contractors, and those living on commission-based income WILL be eligible for these loans.One-time payments to individuals and married couples—The legislation approved a one-time payment of $1,200 to most individuals, $2,400 to married couples, and $500 per child. There are some income caps which may limit the amount an individual will receive.Affordable Housing Support—Included in the bill are billions of dollars to support affordable housing programs like Section 8 rental assistance ($1.2 billion), project-based rental assistance ($1 billion), and a foreclosure moratorium on all federally-backed mortgage loans for 60 days (until May 18, 2020). There is also a moratorium on eviction filings for nonpayment of rent for 120 days on properties covered under federal programs.Dramatic expansion of unemployment insurance—The legislation expands the unemployment insurance benefit period to up to 39 weeks (known as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance), extending it to independent contractors for the first time. NAR is still reviewing the specifics under this proposal and will be providing more information soon.Mortgage Forbearance—Borrowers of government-backed mortgages can request up to a 360-day payment forbearance without any proof of hardship.Broadband Pilot Program—The legislation provides $100 million for a grant program to fund construction and upgrade costs for broadband networks in rural areas.Keep Your Mind and Skills Sharp Next Week Learn new skills and enhance your ability to keep your business going in these uncertain times. Take advantage of one of these discounted or free online training opportunities:Financial Tips During Challenging Times: A Business Survival Guide Tune in March 30 at 2PM to learn about steps you can take to build an emergency savings fund to protect your business and stay ahead of market trends.Register now>>Helping Your Agent Through an Economic Market Downturn: Survival Guide for Brokers Tune in April 2 at 2PM. This webinar will address ways you can help your agents get financially prepared for challenging times, while uncovering new ways to protect your business. Register now>>How To Be a Virtual Agent Tune in April 3 at 3PM. Jeremias “JMan” Maneiro of JMan Seminars will discuss the how to’s of virtual open houses and virtual buyer consultations. Register now>>Coronavirus Playbook: Building Your Business During Quarantine The Boom Team will be hosting a FREE webinar March 30 through April 3. Learn personal habits/routines you should build NOW, that will impact your life and business well AFTER the quarantine is over. Can’t join live? There WILL be a replay, but only if you register! Sign up for the day/time that works best for you here.30% off ALL Center for REALTOR® Development Online Courses50% off At Home with Diversity Course (CE Included) Pricing Strategies: Mastering the CMA (CE Included) FREEe-PRO® Certification Course FREE NC REALTORS® Offices As a reminder, NC REALTORS® is continuing its operations with staff working remotely to ensure that we maintain the same level of service to our members. Our offices are currently closed to members and guests until at least April 10. You can access our staff directory at ncrealtors.org for contact information. The NC REALTORS® Legal Hotline will remain open during our regular business hours of Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm. To contact the Legal Hotline, emaillegalhotline@ncrealtors.org. The NC REALTORS® Tech Helpline is also Monday – Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. and Saturday from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. EST by calling the dedicated NC REALTORS® phone number (877-573-5612) or visiting TechHelpLine.com.