You have the sale report in hand, and the electrical section lists things you didn’t expect: knob and tube, ungrounded outlets, maybe the word “hazardous”. Before you panic, know what the report is. It records what an evaluator could see on a walk-through. It usually can’t tell you whether that knob and tube is live, and what you have to fix depends on which city you’re in.
At Northloom Minneapolis Knob and Tube, we correct electrical items from sale reports in Minneapolis, St. Paul and nearby cities. This guide helps you read the electrical section, separate what’s required from what’s disclosed, and decide what to do before a buyer asks.
Does my city require a sale report?
Several Twin Cities cities do, and they differ in who does it, when, and whether anything must be repaired.
| City | Report | Repairs required |
|---|---|---|
| St. Paul | Truth-in-Sale of Housing report by a City-licensed private evaluator | Only a hard-wired smoke alarm in a single-family home |
| Minneapolis | The city’s own sale evaluation | Confirmed with the evaluator for each house |
| Richfield | City point-of-sale housing inspection | Required repairs re-inspected before closing, or taken on by the buyer under an escrow agreement |
Other suburbs have their own rules or none, so check for your city.
How does St. Paul’s report work?
It’s mostly disclosure. The one electrical repair it requires is a smoke alarm. The details:
- Who
- A City-licensed evaluator, a private contractor hired by the seller or the listing agent. The city doesn’t recommend evaluators.
- When
- Available for buyers to view within three calendar days of listing.
- How long
- Valid for one sale within 365 days of issuance.
- What it requires
- Disclosure only, except a hard-wired smoke alarm in a single-family home that lacks a working one.
- Who repairs
- Never the evaluator who wrote the report. Electrical corrections go under permit.
St. Paul’s program is set out in the city’s Legislative Code, Chapter 189, and covers single-family homes, duplexes, condos, townhouses and co-ops.
What do the electrical items on my report mean?
Sale reports grade conditions by how serious they are. St. Paul’s sample report shows how electrical items can appear, rating “ungrounded 3 prong outlets in kitchen” as a hazardous condition.
| Common electrical item | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Ungrounded three-prong outlets | A three-prong receptacle on a two-wire circuit, often knob and tube or early cloth cable |
| No ground-fault protection near water | Kitchen, bath, laundry or basement outlets without GFCI |
| Knob and tube visible | Original wiring seen in the basement or attic |
| Open junction box or exposed splice | A missing cover or wires joined outside a box |
| Overfused circuit | A fuse larger than the wire it protects |
| Missing smoke alarm | No working alarm where required |
What won’t the report tell me?
The things you most need to know before you decide anything. An evaluator records what’s visible on a walk-through, so the report usually can’t say:
- Whether knob and tube is live
- Live and dead runs look the same.
- How much of the house it feeds
- Most of it is inside finished walls.
- What is spliced into it
- Joints are often hidden.
- What fixing it would cost
- That needs a scope from tracing.
That gap is why buyers and sellers often follow a report with an electrical evaluation, where we trace the circuits. Our typical range for a knob and tube evaluation is $150 to $500. The guide to whether knob and tube is still active explains how tracing works.
How do I fix ungrounded outlets on the report?
You have three code-allowed options where no ground exists: a two-prong receptacle; a GFCI receptacle marked “No Equipment Ground”; or a three-prong receptacle protected by a GFCI and marked “GFCI Protected” and “No Equipment Ground”. Where equipment needs a true ground, we run a new grounded circuit. Ungrounded three-prong outlets are among the items most likely to show up on any sale report, so they’re often the first thing we correct. The grounding guide explains each option.
Do I fix things, or does the buyer?
Either can, and the timing changes how the report reads.
- Seller before listing
- Corrects items so the report describes them as corrected; most useful for hazardous ratings.
- Seller after the report
- Corrects items the report named, before or during marketing.
- Buyer after closing
- Takes items on, usually with a price adjustment; in Richfield, under the city’s escrow arrangement for required repairs.
- Negotiated
- A written scope and price for each item gives both sides something concrete.
Do the repairs need a permit?
Many do, through the usual office: the City of Saint Paul in St. Paul, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry in Minneapolis and many suburbs, or a city’s own inspector where one exists. The request is filed at or before the start of work, and starting without it adds a state investigation fee. We get the permit in place before we start, because a closing is the worst time to find unpermitted electrical work.
What if I’m selling a duplex or a condo?
St. Paul’s program covers duplexes, condos, townhouses and co-ops as well as single-family homes. The smoke alarm repair requirement applies to single-family homes; for other types the city highly encourages it. A duplex report may list items in each unit, and we organize the correction work unit by unit.
How can I get ready for the evaluator?
A little preparation makes the visit smoother and the report clearer.
- Access
- Clear paths to the panel or fuse box, the attic hatch and the basement ceiling.
- Covers and boxes
- Missing outlet covers and junction box covers replaced, since they are easy items to avoid.
- Smoke alarms
- In St. Paul single-family homes, a working hard-wired alarm in place, installed under permit if it is new.
- Records
- Any permits and electrician’s records from past work, ready to share.
How will a buyer read my report?
With two questions: is anything rated hazardous, and is knob and tube mentioned? A hazardous rating draws attention from lenders and insurers, and a mention of knob and tube raises the insurance question. If you can answer both with a record of what’s live and what’s been corrected, the conversation stays short. If you’re the buyer and the items are unresolved, you can ask for an electrical evaluation as part of the inspection contingency.
Will the buyer’s insurer see the report?
Sometimes. A sale report isn’t written for insurers, but a buyer’s insurer may ask to see it, or ask questions it prompts. An item rated hazardous, or a note that knob and tube is visible, can lead to a request for an electrician’s letter before a policy is written. Having that letter ready, based on traced circuits, keeps your closing on schedule.
What should I do next?
If you already have a report, send us the electrical page with your request, and we’ll give you a cause, a fix and a permit answer for each item. If you’re about to list, consider having us trace first, so the report and your answers match. TISH electrical repairs covers how we handle the work, and the selling guide covers the bigger decision. Questions: (612) 509-6597.