Step 3: Pre-Market Tasks

Now that you've signed a listing agreement and we've established a tentative timeline to get your home on the market, it's essential to take care of some pre-market tasks to set yourself up for a smooth transaction and prevent possible future issues or delays to your sale. 

Depending on where you live, you may need to order resale disclosure documents from your homeowners association (HOA). Some cities in Minnesota require a Truth In Sale of Housing (TISH) inspection or an Inflow/Infiltration Inspection that needs to be provided in order to close on your home. If you live on a private septic and well, you will likely need to get inspections completed on these as well. If the sale of your home will require any of these items, it is best to have this completed before you put your house on the market.

HOA

As a homeowner living in a HOA, you must call the association and ask for a resale disclosure to be sent to you. Once you have received it, please forward it to us so we can confirm we have all the necessary forms. A fee is usually involved, so make sure you ask for the cost and get a receipt. The items you will need to provide to the buyer include: 

• Resale Disclosure
• Budget
• Articles of Incorporation
• Insurance- Master policy
• Rules and Regulations
• Bylaws
• Any amendments on record

Minnesota requires buyers to be allowed 10 days to review all of these documents. The 10-day countdown begins once the buyer receives all of these documents. If you don't have all of these documents to share with the buyer, it can cause a delay with your sale.

TRUTH IN SALE OF HOUSING INSPECTION

In certain cities within the Twin Cities metro area, a seller inspection known as the "Truth-in-Sale of Housing" (TISH) report is required before selling a home. The TISH inspection takes a half-hour to an hour. Unlike a buyer's inspection, which is a more in-depth inspection covering many aspects of the property, the TISH report focuses The TISH (Truth in Sale of Housing) report is designed to identify potential risks to life or health within a home. It provides a checklist of recommended or required fixes that need to be completed before the sale of the property can be closed. However, you can show your home to potential buyers as you make these repairs. 

Sellers are typically required to include the TISH report within their disclosures to potential buyers, so it's important that buyers are aware of what the report outlines. Once all the required repairs have been made (or if no repairs are required), the evaluator will issue a Certificate of Approval (COA) online. This certificate is needed to close on the home. If the repairs are not completed before the sale is closed, the buyer must agree to have them completed within 90 days.

Here's a clearer and error-free version of the text:

Which cities in Minnesota mandate a TISH inspection? 

While the inspection's name and standards may differ among cities, currently, the following Minnesota cities require sellers to obtain a TISH inspection (or a similar report) from a licensed evaluator:

• City of Bloomington Time-of-Sale Housing inspection
• City of Maplewood Truth-in-Sale of Housing report
• City of Minneapolis Truth-in-Sale of Housing evaluation
• City of New Hope Point of Sale inspection
• City of Richfield Point of Sale Housing inspection
• City of Robbinsdale Point of Sale inspection
• City of St. Louis Park Property Maintenance inspection
• City of St. Paul Truth in Sale of Housing disclosure report
• City of South St. Paul Time-of-Sale Housing inspection

Several cities do not require a traditional TISH inspection. However, they mandate an inflow/infiltration inspection to check for excess flow of clear water into the city's sewer system.

• City of Duluth Inflow and Infiltration Inspection
• City of Golden Valley inflow and infiltration inspection
• City of Mounds View H2OPP Program
• City of Newport Sewer Inspection
• City of Orono inflow and infiltration inspection
• City of St. Anthony Village inflow and infiltration inspection
• City of Tonka Bay inflow and infiltration inspection
• City of West St. Paul inflow and infiltration inspection

PRIVATE WELL AND SEPTIC INSPECTIONS

Minnesota state regulations don't require a compliance inspection before a property is sold or transferred, but many county, city, or township ordinances do, especially in shoreland areas. Lenders often require compliance inspections for property transfers as well. 

Septic inspections ensure the system operates as it should so that you and your family doesn't get sick thanks to a leak or other problems. Existing system inspections also must check for system failures that could lead to unsafe conditions, such as plugged soil treatment systems, electrical failures of pumps, switches, or floats, and pipe problems. 

Most financing options require a well test. The most common tests are Coliform Bacteria and Nitrate. However, additional tests such as E. coli, Nitrite, Lead, and arsenic might also be required.

WHO SHOULD I HIRE FOR INSPECTIONS

Ensure the companies you hire to complete these inspections are licensed and insured. If you need help locating inspectors for any of these services, click here to view our vendor list of licensed professionals.