PAR Files Brief Supporting Lawsuit to Request Governor Designate Real Estate as a Life-Sustaining Business

LEMOYNE, Pa., April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® has filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit filed against Gov. Tom Wolf today. The lawsuit is on behalf of several businesses, which have been impacted by the arbitrary and unclear rules under the governor's closure order issued last month in response to the coronavirus.

"PAR is specifically requesting that the governor designate real estate services as a life-sustaining business, as most other states have done," said Hank Lerner, PAR's director of law and policy.

"The three essentials to life are food, clothing and shelter and the governor is preventing Pennsylvanians' ability to gain shelter. Pennsylvania Realtors® are responsible for helping people achieve that shelter but across Pennsylvania, first-time homebuyers, single parents, doctors and other emergency workers may be unable to 'stay at home' if they're not able to secure their new home because of these orders," said PAR President Bill Festa.

Mike McGee, PAR CEO, added, "Early on, PAR filed for a request for the governor to reclassify real estate services as life-essential. The governor's waiver process has created inconsistencies in the marketplace and the guidelines of how these requests would be reviewed has changed throughout the process."

From the start of the pandemic, PAR has asked its members to follow the governor's orders. The association continues to be committed to working with the state and other related industries to develop a comprehensive safety strategy for moving the industry forward in a way that protects the community and those involved in providing and receiving real estate services.

"The association's goal is to minimize in-person services wherever possible and follow appropriate CDC guidelines surrounding sanitation and social distancing practices where such in-person services are necessary to allow homebuyers and sellers to be able to attain shelter," McGee added.

The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® proudly celebrates its 100^th anniversary of representing more than 35,000 Realtors® in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

SOURCE Pennsylvania Association of Realtors

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http://www.parealtor.org