I just bought a house and it's having some electrical troubles that are making me nervous. During the inspection, three breakers were found not to trip. The sellers had their electrician come in to fix it. However, when we did our final walkthrough, the bedroom light briefly flickered on, then went out again. We tried tripping the breaker ourselves, but it kept tripping back. The electrician replaced the breakers, supposedly with older ones since the house is from the 1950s, thinking that might be the problem. Today, I noticed the bedroom light came on (yay!), but now the living room light isn't working at all. The electrician insists everything's fine. What should my next steps be? The house is empty, so there shouldn't be anything unplugged. Why are different lights acting up instead of the same one?
3 Answers
It sounds like you might need to look into getting the electrical box and wiring replaced. That's probably the worst-case scenario you'll want to know about before finalizing anything. It's a big decision, so think about whether it's financially feasible for you. Just a heads up, as you get closer to closing, people might downplay the problem, but it's still going to be your responsibility once the sale goes through.
Keep in mind, the sellers are required to fix any issues that were noted in the inspection for your satisfaction. If they don’t, you have the option to walk away, but that's a tough call. First, see if you can get the problem resolved. Talk to your real estate agent about possibly amending the contract to have the sellers replace the main panel before closing. You could also ask for an electrical allowance to handle it after you move in.
From what you’re describing, it sounds like a wiring upgrade is in order, possibly including the main panel. I recommend getting a quote for this before proceeding further, especially considering the age of the house.