One of Governor Steve Sisolak's directives called for the closure of Nevada's golf courses. It comes three weeks after he ordered all nonessential businesses to close, keeping people at home to slow the spread of COVID-19.

"I am ordering sporting and recreational venues that encourage congregation, including golf courses, public basketball and tennis courts, and publicly accessible swimming pools to close for the duration of the state of emergency," Sisolak, D-Nevada said.

Sisolak says he encourages outdoor activity but made the decision to order certain closures because he says some activities have become high-risk because of some people's behavior.

Sierra Sage Golf Course is closed but maintenance crews are still working. Mike Mazzaferri is the general manager of the golf course. He has moved his clubhouse staff into a maintenance role. The closure means the short-term future will be difficult, financially.

"We're talking six figures loss in revenue just being closed until April 30 and our overhead's in that same category, so it's a pretty big deal to be closed for three or four weeks," Mazzaferri said.

Mazzaferri says the business can probably survive for a few months but that could depend on how much help it gets from the government. The bills continue but the income has come to a stop.

"We have payroll, we've still go to water the golf course," Mazzaferri said. "We're running big pumps. Our utilities are still there. The hard costs of running a golf course don't go away."

The silver lining to the situation is that it gives his grounds crews a chance to catch up on important maintenance around the golf course.

"Things like thatching and airifying and things like that in the spring that are time-consuming and so it's giving us an opportunity to not hurry with those things. We can take our time and kind of overdo our spring readiness program."

Prior to the governor's order, Mazzaferri took steps to make golf safer for the public. He basically removed anything that golfers can touch, not including their own gear. He even adjusted the holes by putting the cups in upside-down. That keeps the ball from falling more than about a half-inch into the hole, preventing people from reaching into the hole and possibly spreading germs.

"We took all our ball washers off the golf course," Mazzaferri said. "We removed all the rakes from the bunkers. We social distanced people, made golfers that were riding, ride in separate carts."

Mazzaferri says 80-100 people on 275 acres is a good way to spread people out. He knew the closure would probably happen and says he is thankful the golf course was able to stay open for the last three weeks.

"It's disappointing because the play we've had this last few weeks has been really exceptionally happy to be able to get out and relieve a little stress playing golf and being in the outdoors," Mazzaferri said. "We went through a little extra effort to stay open and I understand the decision though."

Hiking and back country skiing are still allowed. Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam is asking people to take the appropriate equipment with them and to minimize the likelihood of getting lost or stranded.

"If you go in the back country, maybe not go as far," Balaam said. "

Stay on nice trails that you know, that you're not going to go try a new trail right now, and again, just adhere to that social distancing."

The governor's directive also prohibits barbers and stylists to make at-home appointments, closes showrooms at essential businesses like car dealerships and appliance stores, closes self-serve stations at grocery stores including salad bars and items that require the use of a scoop, like nuts, and it stops people from gathering at places of worship. Realtors can no longer hold open houses or show occupied homes to buyers. 

"You can still buy and sell a home," Sisolak said. "Real estate agents can still use technology to virtually stage a home and you can still make an appointment to see a house in person if it's not occupied and strict social distancing guidelines are met."

Businesses are also required to provide protective equipment to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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Open House and In-Person Showings Guidance- Governor’s Directive

By Nevada REALTORS® General Counsel

The guidance we have been sharing with our members regarding open houses and showing of properties over the last few weeks has been to proceed with caution. As you know right now, we are going through unprecedented times and as such, we believe it is imperative that property managers and landlords consider everyone’s health and safety first. In fact, these last few weeks we have highly encouraged predominantly virtual showings in order to avoid in-person contact all together.

Tonight, on April 8th, the Governor announced a directive limiting open houses and in-person showings on properties occupied with tenants. While the majority of our members have already been limiting showings substantially, taking necessary precautions and observing CDC recommendations, we support the Governor in taking this a step further by ordering open houses and showings of tenant occupied properties be limited. The Governor has made it clear, that this provision in his directive shall not be construed to limit the sales of real estate during the state of emergency.

Can I still hold an open house in a property where the seller lives if they want me to market my property that way?

The Nevada REALTORS® does not support any open house activity at this time. As of right now, the Governor has made it clear that he wants to limit as much in-person activity right now as possible. While you as a REALTOR® are still deemed an essential service, how you conduct yourself at this time could potentially impact that designation in the coming weeks and months. The Governor has stated time and time again, that the goal of Stay Home For Nevada is to limit the amount of people that come in contact with one another, therefore any type of open house would be taking an unnecessary risk at this time.

Under this directive can a tenant refuse to allow in person showings of the property they are residing in? Does this only apply to tenant occupied property?

Yes. This directive regarding in person showings ONLY applies to properties where tenants are residing. This means that for the duration that the directive is in effect, in-person showings are impermissible in properties where tenants are residing.

NRS 118a specifically says the seller can access the property for a showing with 24 hours notice. Which do I follow?

NRS 118a.330 specifically states that the landlord can enter to exhibit the property to potential or actual purchasers with 24 hours notice. The Governor’s directive supersedes Nevada law. At this time the seller cannot gain access to the tenant occupied property with ANY notice.

Can the tenant agree to take pictures of the property and send to seller for a virtual tour?

Yes, if tenant agrees, the tenant can take pictures, videos or other virtual access and send to the property owner. The tenant cannot be forced or coerced into taking these pictures and videos. The REALTOR® can then create a virtual tour that can be used to market the property. This means that when marketing the property, you as a REALTOR® can use three- dimensional interactive property scans, virtual tours, and virtual staging to showcase a property.

If a seller wants to market a property they live in, can the REALTOR® schedule one on one showings?

Yes. One on one showings are still allowed under the Governor’s order, as long as it is not occupied by a tenant. Remember, REALTORS® engaged in real estate sales during the state of emergency shall adopt precautionary measures and COVID-19 risk mitigation practices to minimize the risk of spread of the disease and are encouraged to avoid in-person transactions and services to the extent practicable.

You can find the April 8th directive here.

Nevada REALTORS® will update articles as updates come available. They will continue to work on issues that impact their members and clients. For legal questions email infoline@nvrealtors.org