Meta description: Energy disclosure is an important part of buying or selling a home in Minneapolis and Bloomington. Make sure you comply with requirements with this checklist.
Real estate agents play an important role in helping their clients buy and sell new homes. For many, a home is the largest investment they will make in their lives, so it’s important that you’re equipped to support them throughout the buying and selling process. In Minneapolis and Bloomington, real estate agents can use energy disclosure reports to help their clients showcase efficiency projects when selling or plan for their future in a new home when buying.
An energy disclosure explainer for real estate agents
Before selling a home in Minneapolis or Bloomington, homeowners must complete evaluations of their homes. In Minneapolis, this is called a Truth in Sale of Housing (TISH) evaluation, while the Bloomington program is the Time-of-Sale (TOS) Housing Inspection program. These inspections may identify repairs that must be made to the home, including health and safety repairs.
Both Minneapolis and Bloomington have additional energy disclosures in TISH and TOS inspections, which can help sellers highlight efficiency improvements or help buyers anticipate home projects that may be able to make their new home more efficient and comfortable. This checklist shares more information on what you can expect from an energy disclosure report as a real estate agent, how you can make sure you and your clients are compliant with requirements, and how to bring the value of your clients’ energy efficiency investments into the sale.
- Get the energy disclosure inspection done before listing
TISH and TOS inspections must be completed before a home is put on the market in both Minneapolis and Bloomington. Energy disclosure is done as part of these inspections, so there’s no need to schedule anything additional. In Minneapolis, you’ll need to hire a licensed evaluator, while Bloomington will provide an evaluator for you when you request the inspection. Minneapolis evaluators set their own prices, and Bloomington inspections cost $250.
- Identify and highlight the home’s energy efficient features
Chances are that each home you sell has at least one energy efficient feature you can identify and highlight. It could be a high-efficiency heating and/or cooling system, a fully insulated attic, or windows with at least two panes of glass, among others. The energy disclosure report included in the seller’s TISH/TOS report will note efficiency wins, which you can incorporate into your listing. The report also includes the benefits of energy efficiency features such as lower energy bills and increased comfort, which you can also highlight to add value to the home.
- Ensure the energy disclosure report is out at each showing
Minneapolis and Bloomington ordinances require that both Health and Safety reports and energy disclosure components are displayed conspicuously whenever a home is being shown. Make sure the report is out for the buyer to read and see how they might take the next step on efficiency upgrades. Having the report out ensures compliance with local ordinances, increases transparency to the buying and selling process, and gives potential buyers more information with which they can make an offer.
- Connect buyers with energy efficiency rebates and financing
For energy efficiency projects the buyers want to complete after closing, they have options for resources to complete them. Check out the list of rebates and loans that can help buyers pay for their projects. Whether it’s insulating the attic, installing a water heater, or an electrical panel upgrade, knowing there’s financial assistance available for energy efficiency upgrades will help buyers plan for their projects and envision their home at its most efficient.
Add energy disclosure to your transaction process
CEE supports the energy disclosure programs in both Minneapolis and Bloomington and has resources to help real estate agents, sellers, and buyers. For more information on home energy scores, project resources, and using energy disclosure to benefit buyers and sellers, visit the energy disclosure website.