Pennsylvania State Police notified a real estate firm that it is in violation of Gov. Tom Wolf’s order for non-essential businesses to shut down among the coronavirus pandemic.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty in Wexford was operating in violation of the order, issued on March 29, the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors announced in a blog post.
“I know there has been a lot of passionate discussions between some agents who felt the need financially to continue to show homes versus the agents who- felt morally the need to stay home. I saw validity in both opinions,” said Tom Hosack, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty. “Fortunately, that decision has been taken away from me. We were notified by the Pennsylvania State Police that we were in violation of the governor’s order by allowing houses to be shown.”
Different states have taken different approaches to real estate services. Pennsylvania was clear that real estate office and real estate activities are non-life-sustaining businesses, while Wisconsin, Florida and others have allowed real estate activities to go on. California shut down real estate operations, and New York has banned realtors from showing homes.
In Pennsylvania, police and other agencies are issuing warnings to non-complying businesses. After that, they will issue citations.