Knob and Tube Discovery During Home Inspection: What Buyers and Sellers Should Know
Knob and tube wiring flagged on a home inspection is one of the most common ways south Twin Cities homeowners learn what’s actually in their walls. The discovery throws sales into negotiation territory and forces decisions on remediation, insurance, and timing. This post is the practical guide for both sides — buyer and seller — when K&T shows up on the inspection report.
What Inspectors Look For
Home inspectors typically find K&T in three places: (1) The attic — easiest to see because the wiring is often exposed on top of joists. (2) The basement ceiling — exposed conductors running through ceramic knobs and tubes are unmistakable. (3) At outlet boxes — when they remove an outlet cover and see two cloth-insulated single conductors going into the back. Modern inspectors are trained to spot K&T and report it on the inspection summary.
The inspector’s report usually says something like “knob-and-tube wiring observed in the attic; recommend evaluation by licensed electrician and potential remediation prior to insurance underwriting.” The note triggers the next phase — the buyer’s agent uses it as a negotiation point, the seller has to decide how to respond, and both sides get into the question of who pays for what.
How It Affects the Sale
Three common outcomes when K&T is found during inspection:
**(1) Seller fixes before closing.** The most common outcome when K&T is partial (attic only, not throughout the house). Seller hires a licensed electrician to do the remediation, pays for it ($6,000-12,000 typical for partial K&T removal), and the sale proceeds. **(2) Price reduction.** Buyer accepts the K&T but reduces the offer to cover the remediation cost they’ll do post-close. Reduction is usually the full estimated remediation cost plus a 10-20% risk premium. **(3) Buyer walks.** Less common but happens, especially with younger or first-time buyers who don’t want the headache. K&T extensive enough to require full rewire ($15,000-25,000) sometimes kills deals.
What Each Side Should Do
**Sellers (or anyone considering listing an older home):** Get the K&T situation assessed BEFORE listing. We do pre-listing walkthroughs in the south metro service area — 30-60 minutes to identify K&T extent and give you a written remediation cost range. Knowing what’s there before the buyer’s inspector finds it lets you decide between (a) remediate proactively (premium for clean inspection), (b) price the home to reflect the K&T, or (c) disclose and let the market sort it out. All three strategies work; reacting to the inspection report mid-sale is the worst.
**Buyers:** If K&T comes up, immediately get a licensed electrician (not just the home inspector) to give a written quote on remediation. Get it in 5-7 days so it doesn’t slow the closing. Common buyer mistake: accepting the home inspector’s vague “recommend evaluation” without getting actual remediation pricing — then you don’t have negotiation leverage. Once you have the written quote, you can negotiate based on real numbers. Also check with your prospective insurance company before committing — some insurers won’t write policies on homes with active K&T regardless of what’s negotiated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get insurance on a home with K&T?
Increasingly difficult. Major insurers (State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, AAA) refuse to write new policies on K&T homes. Specialty insurers will write with higher premiums. If the home you’re buying has K&T, get insurance quotes BEFORE closing — finding out you can’t insure after closing is a problem.
How long does K&T remediation take?
Partial (attic only): 3-5 days. Whole-home rewire: 10-15 days. The closing timeline (typically 30-45 days) is usually long enough to fit a remediation if seller agrees to do it pre-close. Tight closing windows (14-21 days) can be a problem.
Will a home inspector definitely find K&T?
Trained inspectors find it 90%+ of the time when it’s present. Partial K&T (only some attic runs or only some basement) can be missed if the inspector doesn’t get full access. Full home inspections are more likely to catch it than “basic” inspections.
As a seller, should I remediate before listing?
Depends on cost and home value. For homes $300K+ with $6-10K of K&T remediation needed, doing it pre-list usually pays for itself at closing (price not impacted by the issue, no negotiation drag, faster sale). For homes under $250K where remediation might be 4-8% of sale price, it gets harder to justify; we walk through the math with sellers during the pre-list visit.
Can the buyer negotiate around K&T or do you have to fix it?
Buyers can negotiate any combination — price reduction, seller-paid remediation, escrow holdback for post-close work, etc. The negotiation outcome depends on market conditions (buyer’s vs seller’s market) and how badly each side wants the deal.
Pre-Listing K&T Walkthrough
Selling an older Twin Cities home? A 30-60 minute walkthrough to identify any K&T, written remediation cost range, and pre-listing strategy. Call 651-418-1476 or book online.
