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...Read More
“Clean Litter Box . . . Clean Chimney . . . Clean TISH(?!?) No, the listing agent isn’t touting the condition of some obscure new appliance, or instructing anyone to clean anything. They’re referring to the municipal Truth in Sale of Housing inspection. Public vs. Private Home Inspection Required by about a dozen municipalities locally,...Read More
Playing Offense vs. Defense About a dozen Twin Cities municipalities have them: a city-required home inspection that must be completed before homeowners can transfer title to a Buyer at closing. Leaving aside the merits of such inspections, when does it make sense for Sellers — and their agents — to market that the home has passed...Read More
Friend vs. . . Foe Not Friend In the Twin Cities, ten municipalities require home sellers to have their home inspected prior to sale (in some cases, prior to listing). Some of those cities (Bloomington, St. Louis Park) have their own city inspectors; others, like Minneapolis, outsource the job to an approved list of independent...Read More
City Inspections vs. Buyer Home Inspections “Needs extensive rehab or possible teardown. Not a bank-owned home. Very fast response to offers. Minimal T-I-H required repairs.” –MLS listing How can something be a possible tear-down, and yet have “minimal Truth-in-Housing (TIH) required repairs?” Isn’t that an oxymoron? Nope. As I tell my Buyer clients, the scope...Read More
Realtor “Lifelines” and Shortcuts When most people think of home inspections, they think of the Buyer’s home inspection. But at least in the Twin Cities, 14 municipalities have their own, Seller-required inspection. Navigating that labyrinth — at least for Edina Realty agents — is ordinarily a two-step process: 1) log on to Edina Realty’s “ProKit” software,...Read More
