Is the home seller required to get a pre-sale home inspection done?
Several cities in the Twin Cities metro area require homes/dwellings to be inspected by a licensed evaluator before they are offered for sale either to the public or a private sale (family, friends, etc).
TISH is an acronym for Truth in Sale of Housing. Some cities call their program TOS (Time-of-Sale) or POS (Point of Sale). These are generally referring to a ordinance for a required condition inspection.
How Do these programs affect home buyers and sellers?
Sellers need to obtain this report before putting their home up for sale and most ordinances require the report to be displayed in the home for people viewing the home. There is generally a fee associated with the inspection.
If the report has items that are marked as required repairs, these items must be addressed for a sale to take place. If the seller doesn't make the repairs, the responsibility usually falls on the buyer to get them done in a short timeframe after purchase.
These reports, while not as inclusive as a full buyer's home inspection, are a good overview of the property's condition. This can be either a selling point or a troublesome issue for a seller. For a buyer, it saves time in noting condition items before even making an offer or getting a home inspection.
UPDATE: New Minneapolis Time of Sale Energy Disclosure Starting in January 15, 2020
Wondering what areas require pre-sale inspections? Structure Tech keeps an update list of areas requiring Truth in Housing inspections on their website.
Minneapolis Residents, CLICK HERE.
The below cities have required inspections. (Some are done only by city employees.) Click on the link below for your city. This list MAY be missing some cities as more cities continue to add inspections each year.
- Minneapolis Truth in Housing
- St. Paul Truth in Housing
- Bloomington Time of Sale
- Maplewood Truth in Housing
- South St. Paul Time of Sale
- Robbinsdale Point of Sale
- Hopkins Truth in Housing
Read Also:
PRE-SELLING HOME REPAIR SUGGESTIONS
FHA LOAN APPRAISAL GUIDELINES (What the Appraiser Looks for)What the Appraiser Looks for)
What is a buyer's home inspection?
11 things that negatively affect your home's market value
