Point of Sale Inspections

If you’re an executor, administrator, or trustee, and you have real estate to sell, you need to know about point of sale inspections. What are these inspections?

Basically, a point of sale inspection is an inspection by the building department of a municipality to ensure that the property to be listed for sale meets certain aspects of the municipal building code. Let’s unpack this statement…

“To be listed”  means that the inspection should be completed before the fiduciary signs a listing agreement with the realtor. While the seller may not be required to have the sale completed prior to signing the listing agreement, it may be required somewhere. And it is certainly a best practice. If the inspection is not completed when scheduled, a seller and their realtor can get into trouble (in some cases actual criminal trouble) and the closing may not be able to happen as planned.

Not every locale has a point of sale inspection requirement. This mandate is common in many of the east side suburbs of Cuyahoga County. And the inspection requirement is not always the same. For instance, some communities require an interior and exterior inspection of the home. Some only require an exterior inspection. The repairs that the municipality can require can range from cutting tall grass, to cleaning moss from siding, to a full home wiring replacement. As part of the point of sale inspection, some jurisdictions require that

Once you become administrator, executor, or trustee, you should always check with the municipality to see if there is a point of sale inspection requirement. If there is a requirement, get the inspection completed before you even hire the realtor. That way you can craft a listing that shows the required repairs and the buyer will know what they are getting into if they purchase the property.

If you need assistance selling a home as part of an estate or trust, please contact me to get moving!