A point-of-sale inspection is a city or village inspection that has to happen before a house can change hands in certain towns. Many Cook County suburbs, including Berwyn, Cicero, Countryside and Stickney, won’t issue the transfer stamps a sale needs until their inspector has been through the property. If the inspector finds code violations, you usually either fix them first or have the buyer sign an agreement, and sometimes post an escrow, to fix them after closing.
The short answer
Call the village as soon as you decide to sell. Order the inspection early, often 30 days before closing, pay the fee and get the report. If the house passes, you get a certificate or stamp. If it doesn’t, most towns give you two paths: make the repairs and get re-inspected, or sell as-is to a buyer who formally takes on the repairs, sometimes with money held in escrow until the work is done.
What is a point-of-sale inspection?
It’s a code check tied to the transfer of a property, separate from the home inspection a buyer hires. Towns call it different things: compliance inspection, pre-sale inspection, resale inspection or occupancy inspection. Most cover the whole house. Oak Lawn’s requirement for single-family homes is a sewer inspection. In every version, the town holds back its transfer stamp or certificate until the inspection is done and the paperwork is settled. Inside Chicago itself, the step sellers hear about more often is the zoning certification for buildings with five or fewer units, which confirms the legal unit count.
Which Chicago suburbs require a point-of-sale inspection?
These examples come from village websites, village codes and title company transfer lists. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the village or your title company before you schedule.
| Town | County | What’s required | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berwyn | Cook | City property inspection plus a water service inspection, ordered at City Hall at least 30 days before transfer; report good for 6 months | Confirm with the city |
| Cicero | Cook | Compliance inspection and certificate, scheduled at least 30 days before closing | $150 single-family, $190 two-unit, $60 per extra inspection |
| Oak Lawn | Cook | Sewer inspection on single-family sales; call about 30 days before the transfer form review | $100 |
| Countryside | Cook | Pre-sale permit and inspection before the transfer stamp | $100 for a house, townhome or condo, reinspections included |
| Forest View | Cook | Residential inspection for life, fire and electrical safety, maintenance and zoning; valid 6 months | $25, plus $25 per additional apartment |
| Stickney | Cook | Pre-sale inspection before stamps; book at least two weeks ahead | $100 single-family |
| Calumet Park | Cook | Village inspection before the transfer stamp | $100 |
| Hometown | Cook | Housing inspection before transfer | $50 |
| Monee | Will | Resale inspection on all sales, with 24 hours’ notice to schedule | $50 |
| Round Lake Park | Lake | Occupancy inspection at each change in residence, scheduled 24 hours ahead | $75 |
Plenty of other suburbs have their own versions. Your title company or attorney will know what your address needs.
What do point-of-sale inspectors look for?
Each town has its own checklist, but the items repeat from town to town. Countryside publishes its checklist, and it’s a fair picture of what most inspectors check:
- Outside. Visible address numbers, no debris, roof and walls in good repair, no exposed wiring, GFCI-protected outdoor outlets.
- Safety. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors where required, and exits that work.
- Electrical. Labeled panels, enclosed wiring, GFCI protection in kitchens and bathrooms, no painted-over outlets.
- Plumbing and gas. No water or gas leaks, working fixtures, and a water heater relief valve piped down to within six inches of the floor.
- Inside. Sound walls and floors, working locks, windows in good repair, no rodents or insects.
Zoning can be part of it too. Forest View checks zoning compliance, and in Stickney, when a property doesn’t meet zoning requirements, the buyer signs a letter of noncompliance in front of a notary.
What happens if the house fails the inspection?
A failed inspection doesn’t stop a sale. It changes who fixes what, and when. The usual options:
- Repair and re-inspect. You hire contractors, pull any permits and have the village re-inspect before closing.
- Buyer repair agreement. The buyer signs a document taking on the repairs. Cicero uses an As-Is Repair Agreement signed by all parties, with a $100 nonrefundable processing fee. Forest View has the buyer sign an affidavit and allows four months for basic repairs, but immediate life, fire or electrical hazards must be fixed before anyone moves in. Monee issues a conditional certificate, and the buyer has up to 120 days after closing to finish the work.
- Escrow. Some towns hold money until the work is done. Berwyn requires an escrow or an attorney’s letter for as-is sales. Countryside accepts a notarized letter from the buyer and the buyer’s attorney, or an escrow of up to $750, when repairs are estimated under $3,000, and requires a $1,500 escrow at $3,000 or more. Cicero’s building commissioner can require an escrow, which is refunded when the work is finished on time.
When you list with an agent, the report can become a second negotiation, because the buyer’s lender and home inspector will see the same items. Some financed buyers can’t or won’t sign a repair agreement, so plan for that before you accept an offer. Our page on selling a house with code violations goes into more detail.
How does selling as-is work in a point-of-sale town?
As-is doesn’t skip the village process. The inspection is still ordered, the fee is paid and the report is issued. The difference is that the buyer, not you, takes on the repairs through the town’s repair agreement, affidavit or escrow. The buyer has to be willing and able to sign that paperwork, which is usually easier for a cash buyer than for one whose lender has its own repair conditions.
How the inspection works when you sell to us
We buy houses as-is across Chicagoland, including in towns with point-of-sale inspections. Here’s how it goes:
- You get a fair cash offer within 24 hours, and we show you the math behind it.
- The village inspection still happens, but you don’t make the repairs first. The buyer takes them on through the repair agreement, affidavit or escrow the town requires, so you don’t hire contractors or wait on re-inspections.
- We close at a local title company in as little as 2–3 weeks, or on your date, once the village paperwork is done. We pay normal closing costs and all transfer taxes, including any city or village tax, with no commissions or fees.
If your house is updated and likely to pass, listing with an agent may get you a higher price, and the inspection is one more step on the way. If the house is older or will produce a long list, an as-is sale saves you the repair work before closing.
Wondering what your house would bring with the inspection list attached? Get your free, no-obligation cash offer, or call or text us at (773) 825-9855.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Village rules and fees change, so confirm current requirements with the village or your title company.