Selling a House With Knob-and-Tube Wiring and Other Old-House Problems

If your rowhome or twin has been standing since your grandparents' time, there's a good chance something behind the walls is original. That's normal around here, and it's fixable, either by you or by us after we buy it.

Can you sell a house with knob-and-tube wiring in Pennsylvania or New Jersey?

Yes. At Vivid Properties, we buy older rowhomes, twins and singles with knob-and-tube wiring, fuse boxes and original pipes, in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania suburbs and South Jersey.

What the law asks of you is honesty, not a rewire. Pennsylvania's disclosure law says sellers disclose the material defects they know about on the state's disclosure form, and hand over a signed copy before the agreement of sale is signed. The form itself says it isn't a warranty and doesn't replace inspections.

In New Jersey, the law has sellers answer flood-risk questions on the property condition disclosure statement before the person buying is bound by the contract, and the federal lead paint rules apply in both states. Be open about the wiring, and have a New Jersey attorney look over the contract.

How do you tell if your house has knob-and-tube, and what else is usually old?

Look in the basement and the attic first. These are the usual suspects in an older house:

• Knob-and-tube wiring. Single wires held off the wood by white porcelain knobs, running through porcelain tubes where they pass through joists. The wire is often wrapped in cloth.
• A fuse box. Round screw-in fuses instead of a panel of breakers.
• Two-prong outlets. No third hole for a ground, and extension cords everywhere.
• Galvanized pipes. Dull gray steel water pipes with threaded joints, often with low pressure or rusty water.
• A lead water service line. The pipe that comes in from the street to the water meter. The Water Department has a service line material map you can check.
• An old sewer line. Slow drains, or backups at the basement floor drain.
• Lead paint. The EPA says lead paint was banned for homes in 1978 but is still in millions of houses.
• Asbestos wrap. White or gray wrap on old heating pipes or a boiler. The EPA says you usually can't tell asbestos by looking, unless it's labeled.

Not sure what you've got? An electrician or home inspector can tell you. You don't need one to sell to us.

Do you have to disclose knob-and-tube wiring?

You disclose what you know. Pennsylvania's form asks whether you're aware of any problems or repairs needed in the electrical system. The state's rules also say a system that's near, at or past the end of its normal useful life isn't a material defect just because of its age.

So here's what that means for you. Old wiring that works, and that nobody has told you is a problem, isn't a defect just for being old. But if you know it's trouble (fuses keep blowing, an outlet sparked, an electrician said it needs replacing), that goes on the form. When you're unsure, write down what you know. Telling up front is cheaper than an argument after closing.

The same form asks other old-house questions:

• Hazardous substances. Whether you know of asbestos, lead paint, buried tanks and similar materials.
• Plumbing. What your pipes are made of, with copper, galvanized, lead and PVC as choices, plus any problems you know about.
• Your expertise. The form asks you to say if you have training in building or contracting. If you don't, that's fine.

Lead paint in houses built before 1978

Federal rules apply in both states. Before a contract is signed, you give the person buying the EPA's lead pamphlet, tell them about any lead paint or lead hazards you know of, and include a lead warning statement. They get 10 days to have the house tested, unless both sides agree in writing to change that or they waive it. Keep your signed copy for three years.

Why do inspectors, insurers and lenders care about old wiring?

Knob-and-tube has no ground wire, and it's decades old, so it draws attention in any inspection. Insurers and lenders each set their own rules, and we haven't found an official rule we can point you to. If you're keeping the house or listing it, ask your insurance agent early, before anything rides on the answer.

When you sell to us, none of that lands on you. We pay cash, so there's no lender for the wiring to scare off.

What does an inspection usually flag in an older rowhome or twin?

The same handful of things, over and over. Each one lines up with a question on Pennsylvania's disclosure form, and most have a permit or a City program attached.

Whatever the inspection finds goes on our repair list, not yours. For more big-ticket repairs, like foundations and wet basements, see our guide to selling a house as-is.

Should you fix it before you sell?

Sometimes it pays and sometimes it doesn't. Only real bids tell you which, so get two or three in writing before you decide.

In Philadelphia, rewiring is a real project. A licensed electrical contractor has to do the work, you or your agent hire a licensed inspection agency, and the walls get opened and patched. The permit fee is $25 for every $1,000 of the estimated job, with a $63 minimum, and a $100 filing fee counts toward it. On a job priced at a made-up $15,000, that's a $375 permit fee, plus other City charges.

If fixing it first would put more money in your pocket, we'll tell you. Our page on how we calculate our offer shows our math, and our cash sale vs. listing comparison lays out both roads.

Can you get help paying for repairs if you stay?

Yes, if you qualify. Two City programs are worth a call before you decide to sell:

• Basic Systems Repair Program. Free repairs for electrical, plumbing, heating, roofing and some structural emergencies. Dangerous electrical conditions count, like sparking or overheating wiring, or circuits that won't stay on, so old wiring alone may not. You have to own and live in the single-family house, own no other residential property in Philadelphia, be current or on a payment plan for property taxes and water, and meet the income limit ($85,900 a year for one person, $122,700 for four). Apply through PHDC, the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, at 215-448-2160.
• HELP (Homeowner's Emergency Loan Program). Zero-interest loans from the Water Department for water service and sewer line repairs, including replacing a lead water line. The house can have up to four units and can be rented out, and you agree to a lien on the house for the cost. Call (215) 685-4901.

Both programs need the house to be yours. If it's still in a late relative's name, see our guide to tangled titles in Philadelphia first.

What if the house is a rental?

We buy rentals with old wiring, with the tenants in place. If you're keeping it, Philadelphia's rules matter: a rental license costs $69 per unit, you can't get one with open L&I violations, and a house built before March 1978 has to be certified lead-safe or lead-free. Rental licenses also don't transfer to a new owner. Our guides to selling a house with tenants and selling rental properties cover the rest, and selling with L&I violations covers open notices.

What about older houses in the suburbs and South Jersey?

We buy them too, from Port Richmond and South Philly to Upper Darby and across South Jersey. Outside Philadelphia, ask your township or borough (or your town in New Jersey) which permits and inspections a rewiring job needs, and whether it inspects houses when they're sold.

How can we help?

At Vivid Properties, we're a local, family-owned company. We buy older houses as-is, so you don't fix or clean anything. Call or text and a real local person answers, and you'll usually have our written offer within 24 hours.

We pay all the closing costs, and you pick the closing day. If you still owe anything on the house, like a mortgage or back taxes, it's paid off from the sale at closing. More on selling in the city is on our Philadelphia page.

Get my cash offer Text or call (267) 551-5554

Questions about old wiring and old houses

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your situation, talk to a Pennsylvania or New Jersey attorney or tax professional.