Having the TISH Done TOO Soon(?)
Assuming the local municipality requires a Truth-in-Sale of Housing (“TISH”) inspection, the usual answer to the question, “When should prospective home sellers have the city inspection done?” is, “as soon as possible.”
That gives the homeowner a head start addressing any required repairs, and allows them to combine the city’s “to do” list with any other home prep projects.
Even if the Seller is several weeks (or even months!) away from formally listing their home, since city inspections typically are valid for 1 – 2 years, there’s little risk that they’ll expire.
“Seek & Ye Shall Find”
That said, there’s one scenario where I advise homeowners to hold off: when they’ve been in place for decades, and need to seriously de-clutter first.
While the scope of the city inspection is generally limited to health and safety issues, my Realtor’s gut tells me that a cluttered (if not derelict) home invites more scrutiny than a spruced-up one.
Of course, if there’s significant deferred maintenance, Sellers would be smart to address that first as well.
See also, “When is it Smart to Market a Clean “Point-of-Sale” Inspection”; “City Inspection “True or False”; “Who’s Doing the City Point of Sale Inspection ” and Why it Matters“; “Are Municipal Inspections a Waste of Time?”; and “Updating the City Point-of-Sale Inspection (or not).”
