Are you selling your house? Are you a Real Estate Agent? Are you buying a house? Do you manage property? Well then this post is for you. Like many other aspects of a home, electric is an important thing to keep at the forefront of your mind if you want to stay on top of your property’s value and maintenance. And what a better time to learn more about the combination of real estate and electric then the spring! This post will tell you everything you need to know about this combination no matter if you’re buying, selling, or maintaining.
For Home Buyers
The spring market is fast-paced, so understanding a home’s “electrical health” quickly is essential for negotiations.
- The “Brain” Check: Inspect the electrical panel for scorch marks, buzzing sounds, or rust, which indicate dangerous overheating or water ingress.
- Wiring Red Flags: Watch for outdated knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring (common in homes over 40 years old), as these may fail under modern electrical loads.
- Safety Essentials: Confirm GFCI outlets are installed in “wet” areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoors to prevent electrocution.
- Capacity Assessment: Ask if the service is at least 200 amps to ensure it can support modern appliances and potential EV charging upgrades.
We can help you look at and update all of this stuff in any home you’re buying!
For Property Managers
Proactive spring maintenance reduces liability and helps attract high-quality tenants during the peak moving season.
- Annual Professional Inspections: Hire us once a year to check for loose connections, frayed wiring, and code compliance.
- HVAC Electrical Prep: Inspect electrical connections for AC units before tenants start using them heavily in warmer weather.
- Landscape Safety: Before any spring digging or landscaping projects, call 811 to have underground utility lines marked.
Call us for any inspections on any properties you might need!
For Sellers
Updating your home’s electric before you put it on the market will increase its value. Here are some things to consider updating to get a bigger bang for your buck.
- Knob & Tube (K&T) wiring: K&T wiring was the standard for electric until the 1940’s but is now out of date and dangerous. Not to mention, many insurance companies won’t allow home insurance if your wiring is K&T. If you have K&T wiring in your house, your outlets will only have space for two prongs and your wiring will have porcelain components.
- Service Upgrade: Your amp service is the amount of electricity going to your house that is distributed to things like appliances and lighting. The new standard amp service has been changed to a 200 amp service. However, many people who have older homes still have a 100 amp service. This can be bad, especially if you have modern appliances, because there isn’t enough electricity to handle what your appliances need which can lead to a system failure.
- EV Charger: Adding an EV charger to your home can actually increase its value by 1.5% to 3.5%. It is increasingly viewed by buyers as a “must-have” modern amenity. Having an electric vehicle is becoming more and more popular, and most of the charging is done in residential areas, so having one at your house will be more enticing to buyers.
Think about updating this stuff before putting your house on the market, and don’t forget to call us to get a free quote for anything you need done!