You’re getting ready to list, and you know, or suspect, there’s knob and tube in the house. You can replace it, document what’s live and what’s dead, or price it into the sale. Whichever you choose, your buyer’s inspector will find it, so the real choice is whether you know the facts before they do.
At Northloom Minneapolis Knob and Tube, we trace, document and replace knob and tube for sellers in Minneapolis and St. Paul. This guide compares your three options and shows you how each one reads to a buyer, their lender and their insurer.
Why should I find out before the buyer does?
Because whoever has the facts sets the tone of the negotiation. In a house built by 1939, as about 70% of Minneapolis’s one- to three-unit buildings were, a buyer’s inspector is likely to note knob and tube somewhere. What happens next depends on whether anyone knows how much of it is live.
- Without a record
- The buyer’s inspector writes “knob and tube observed, recommend evaluation”, the buyer’s insurer asks questions nobody can answer, and the negotiation turns on worst-case guesses.
- With a record
- The seller hands over a circuit list showing what is live and dead, a scope and a price, and the negotiation turns on facts.
What are my options?
Three, and you can mix them.
| Option | What it costs the seller | How it reads to buyers |
|---|---|---|
| Replace before listing | The work, plus time before listing | Removes the objection; buyers see a permit and record |
| Document what is there | A traced evaluation and record | Turns an unknown into a known; buyers can price the fix |
| Price it in | A lower price or a credit | Buyers choose their own contractor; fewer surprises at inspection if disclosed |
Many sellers combine them: trace first, fix anything small or urgent, then document and price in the rest.
Should I just replace it before I list?
If only a little is live, often yes. A partial replacement of a few remaining circuits, done under permit with a written boundary, removes the most common buyer objection at modest cost. Our typical range for a partial replacement is $3,000 to $10,000, about $750 to $2,500 a circuit.
A whole-house rewire before listing is a bigger call. It takes time, it means openings and patching in a house you’re trying to stage, and you may not get the full cost back in the sale price. Some sellers still do it when buyers’ insurance would otherwise be a problem.
What does documenting it actually give a buyer?
A record they can rely on. We trace the house and write down what we find.
- Circuit list
- Every circuit marked live original, dead original or modern.
- Conditions
- Buried runs, oversized fuses and ungrounded outlets noted, with any urgent ones corrected.
- Scope and price
- A written scope for the remaining work, which a buyer can use to get insurance quotes and plan.
- Dated
- Close to the listing date, so it reflects the house as sold.
Our typical range for a knob and tube evaluation is $150 to $500, depending on the size of the house, attic and basement access, and whether you need a written record for a buyer.
When does pricing it in work?
When the scope is known. A buyer offered a credit equal to a written price for the work can insure the house knowing what will be done, then choose their own contractor after closing. Without a scope, a buyer guesses, and buyers guess high.
Will the city’s sale report mention the wiring?
It may already. Sale reports can describe what the evaluator sees.
- St. Paul
- A City-licensed evaluator’s Truth-in-Sale of Housing report must be available within three days of listing. It is disclosure; the only required repair is a hard-wired smoke alarm in a single-family home. The city’s sample report rates ungrounded three-prong outlets in a kitchen as hazardous.
- Minneapolis
- The city has its own sale evaluation; what it reports and requires is confirmed with the evaluator for each house.
- Richfield
- A city point-of-sale inspection, with required repairs re-inspected before closing or taken on by the buyer under an escrow agreement.
The TISH guide explains how electrical items show up, and TISH electrical repairs covers how we correct them.
What will the buyer’s insurer want to know?
Often the one thing that decides the deal: whether any knob and tube is energized. Many carriers ask exactly that. A record that answers it, or a partial replacement that makes the answer “no”, helps your buyer get coverage and keeps closing on schedule. The homeowners insurance guide covers what carriers ask.
How far ahead should I start?
Earlier than you think, because permits and inspections take time.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Two or three months before listing | Trace the circuits; decide on replacement, documentation or pricing in |
| Before the sale evaluator arrives | Correct small and urgent items, so the report describes them as corrected |
| At listing | Have the record ready for buyers’ agents |
| During the inspection contingency | Share the record and scope with the buyer |
If you want work done before listing, call us early so the permit and both inspections fit before your listing date.
What makes a record useful to a buyer’s agent?
It has to stand on its own, so an agent can forward it to an insurer and a lender without explaining it.
| Record element | Why it helps the sale |
|---|---|
| A clear statement of whether any knob and tube is energized | Answers the insurer’s first question |
| A circuit list by room | Lets the buyer’s inspector check it against what they see |
| Permits and inspection dates for any replaced circuits | Shows the work was done properly |
| A scope and price for what remains | Turns an unknown into a negotiable number |
| A recent date | Shows it describes the house as sold |
Which small fixes are worth doing first?
The cheap ones that change how a report reads. Oversized fuses replaced with the correct size, ungrounded three-prong outlets corrected with labeled GFCI protection, open junction boxes covered, exposed splices moved into boxes, and missing smoke alarms installed under permit are all small, contained jobs. Done before the evaluator or the buyer’s inspector arrives, they come off the list of things a buyer can point to.
What if I’m selling a duplex or a rental?
The same questions apply unit by unit, and we’ll need access to each unit to trace it. A record organized by unit helps buyers who plan to rent the property, because their landlord policy will ask about each unit separately.
What if the buyer’s inspector finds more than I knew about?
It happens, often in an attic or behind a later remodel. If you have a recent traced record, we can check the finding against it quickly. If you don’t, we can trace during the contingency so you answer with a scope and a price instead of a guess.
What should I do first?
- Trace the circuits and get a written record.
- Correct any urgent conditions.
- Decide: replace, document, or price in.
- Disclose what you know.
- Give buyers’ agents the record and scope.
Questions about a house you’re selling: (612) 509-6597.