Putting a Saint Paul home on the market involves more than choosing a price and taking photos. The city’s Truth-in-Sale of Housing program, commonly called TISH, has a specific timing rule and a specific purpose: it gives prospective buyers basic information about observed conditions. Sellers who understand it early can avoid a last-minute scramble.

Know which Saint Paul properties need TISH

Saint Paul requires a TISH evaluation before marketing a single-family home, duplex, condominium, or townhome for sale. A condominium with its own parcel identification number needs a report even when the building has a Certificate of Occupancy. Commercial and mixed-use properties, as well as certain buildings with three or more units without individual parcel numbers, follow different rules.

If the property is unusual, confirm the classification with the city before relying on an assumption. The parcel number and recorded ownership information are useful starting points for that conversation.

Schedule the evaluation before the listing goes live

The city says the TISH report must be available for a prospective buyer to view within three calendar days of the property’s listing. The report is good for 365 consecutive days from issuance and is valid for one sale by the owner named on it. Waiting until an offer arrives can create avoidable pressure.

Saint Paul licenses TISH evaluators, but they are not city employees and set their own fees. A seller can use an evaluator through an agent or hire one independently.

Understand what the report does and does not do

TISH is a disclosure report, not a full buyer inspection or a warranty. The city expressly recommends that buyers hire their own independent home inspector before closing. Sellers should read the report carefully, make it available as required, and be ready to answer questions without overstating what it means.

The city identifies an operational hard-wired smoke detector or alarm as the required item in single-family dwellings. If that item is marked as a hazard, the seller receives a letter requiring a licensed electrical contractor and a permit to bring it into compliance.

Do not overlook condos and vacant-building rules

Common-interest-community sales have an added disclosure issue: Saint Paul’s smoking-policy disclosure applies to condo, townhome, retirement-community, and other common-interest units. Check whether the unit has its own PIN and gather the association documents well before listing.

A Category 1 vacant building needs a TISH evaluation before sale, while Category 2 and Category 3 vacant buildings require a code-compliance inspection and have separate sale requirements. The city’s rules, not a listing description, determine which path applies.

Build a clean property-information file

Keep the TISH report, permits, repair invoices, prior sale documents, and a clear record of dates in one place. Public property information can help a seller confirm basic parcel, deed, sales-history, assessment, and ownership details before handing materials to an evaluator or buyer. Property Records of Minnesota offers reports that may organize those publicly available records, depending on availability.

For another Minnesota transaction topic, see our guide to short sales and seller responsibilities. For TISH-specific questions, use Saint Paul’s current program information or speak with a qualified local professional.