As sent to San Francisco Association of Realtors Leadership this am… I hope they fix this.
Hi SFAR leadership team:
There is a big difference in the legal difference between the word Feasible and Possible … we are lucky in the English language to have such a complex and subtle language and there are reasons for this.
The City’s SIP order says that if a virtual showing isn’t “feasible” an in-person showing can be arranged with some safety and attendance requirements.
SFAR elected to re-state the City’s policy used the word “possible” instead of the world “feasible.” Possible is a totally different word. (Im)Possible, as Dan H. Of Compass has famously pointed out, only happens where someone doesn’t have a smart phone, doesn’t have internet, etc.
You can’t hear the freeway noise from the master bedroom versus the back yard online. You really have to be there. You can’t see the the little things. Once you have exhausted the utility of virtual showings, that virtual showing is no longer a “feasible” replacement for an in-person viewing. Therefore you can arrange an in-person showing and be in compliance with the City’s SIP requirements, but not with SFAR’s restatement of that SIP order.
I think that our association’s choice to restate this policy rather than referring to the actual law has caused a lot of confusion, judgement and actual damage to our community and to our agents. There are so many agents so confused about what they can do and what they can’t.
I would ask that this be corrected immediately and that SFAR refer to the CIty’s order and it’s exact language rather then writing their own.
Thanks,
Jennifer