6 Electrical Improvements to Make Before You Sell Your Home

The following are some electrical issues which you must address before selling your home:

• Old wiring system – Knob-and-tube wiring was commonly used in U.S. homes between the 1880s and 1930s, while aluminum wiring has been around since the 1960s. Unfortunately, these outdated wiring systems can result in home fires, which can discourage potential buyers and homeowner’s insurance companies. Since modern homes must manage a significant amount of electronics, your home needs to have solid copper wiring and sufficient grounding.
• Outdated electrical service – If your home is wired to only receive 60-amps, as opposed to the modern standard of 200-amps, your electrical system will not be able to support the massive load of a wide variety of electronic appliances and fixtures.
• Not enough outlets – Having one outlet in every room is not only insufficient but can be dangerous due to the tripping hazard of extension cords. You need to have multiple outlets in every room, located in convenient areas of the room such as where the nightstand or television would be, next to the bathroom sink, or scattered throughout the living room.
• Ungrounded two-prong outlets – Two-prong outlets can lead to electrical fires and are a shock risk. Your outlets need to be properly grounded and hold three-prong pugs. If you want to make this upgrade more modern, you can install USB outlets.
• Archaic circuit breakers – Your entire home’s wiring rungs through the circuit breaker panel. If your panels are outdated, inadequately modified, undersized, or recalled, then you will have a hard time selling your home.
• Lack of GFCIs – Since the bathrooms, kitchen, basement, and garage can be susceptible to water, the outlets in these areas should be GFCI equipped to avoid electric shock. If an imbalance in the electrical current is detected, these outlets automatically cut off the current.