Which Twin Cities cities require a Truth-in-Sale-of-Housing (TISH) evaluation, and is that the same as a home inspection?

Several Twin Cities municipalities require a point-of-sale evaluation before a home can be listed or sold. In the metro this includes Saint Paul (Truth-in-Sale of Housing), Minneapolis, Bloomington, Maplewood, St. Louis Park, Richfield, New Hope, and South St. Paul. The exact name varies — Truth-in-Sale of Housing (TISH), Time-of-Sale, or a housing disclosure report — but the idea is the same: a city-licensed evaluator records the visible condition of the major systems and notes any hazardous or required-repair items, and that report is disclosed to buyers.

It is not the same thing as a buyer's home inspection, and it is important not to confuse the two. A TISH or time-of-sale report is a limited municipal disclosure ordered by the seller to satisfy a city ordinance; it is not a substitute for your own independent inspection. The city report does not work for you, does not test radon, does not scope the sewer, and is far narrower in scope than the system-by-system, photo-mapped report a buyer's inspection gives you.

If you are buying in a TISH city, read the seller's disclosure carefully — it can flag items worth investigating — then schedule your own inspection to get the full picture before your contingency expires. If you are selling, a private pre-listing inspection goes well beyond what the city report covers and helps you get ahead of what the buyer's inspector will find. Outside these cities — most suburbs and all of greater Minnesota — no municipal evaluation is required, which makes your own inspection the only thorough read on the home. Tell us the city when you reach out and we will tell you exactly how the local requirement fits your purchase.