We’re entering the spring selling season for St. Louis County inspections. The current wait time for an occupancy inspection can be as high as four to six weeks. This has been a problem for local REALTORS® trying to get inspections in unincorporated St. Louis County and can impact closings if agents are not proactive. Many of the county municipalities use St Louis County inspections for their city inspections. Those inspections come from the same pool of inspectors. So, order early!
We encourage REALTORS® to apply for the occupancy inspection when they secure the listing agreement. Once the initial inspection is completed, the property owners have a list of necessary repairs and have 90 days to make those repairs. When the repairs are complete, and the final inspection is performed, the property owners now have an additional 120 days before the County requires the names of the new occupants to complete the occupancy permit. That’s seven months that REALTORS® have to work with, so there is no need to wait until having a contract before applying for occupancy inspection.
Also, St. Louis County is currently looking for qualified people to employ in the inspection field to assist in shortening inspection times. We encourage passing this information along to anyone who might be a good fit. People with ASHI certification or building arts experience would be a plus.
