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Honestly, replacing your old fuse box is often the best option rather than trying to sell a house that isn\u2019t up to today\u2019s standards \u2014\u00a0and it might not cost as much as you think to make the swap depending on your home\u2019s overall wiring. With this guide, you\u2019ll get a little background on residential electrical systems, plus expert guidance on your options to move forward with a sale.<\/p>\n Thomas Edison began illuminating the country in the 1880s, but by 1925, only half of all U.S. homes had electrical power<\/a>. That early power wasn\u2019t very robust at just 120-volts and 30Amps<\/a>, a standard that stayed into the early 1950s.<\/p>\n As demand and usage of electricity expanded, so did the standard, increasing to 240 volts through a 60Amp fuse box during the 1950s and early 1960s. By the mid-1960s, early versions of the modern circuit breaker panel box<\/a> became the electrical standard.<\/p>\n Fuse boxes and breaker panels serve the same purpose<\/a>: to protect your electrical system by breaking the circuit if too much electrical current starts flowing through your system.<\/p>\n Functionally, the main difference is that with an old fuse box, the filament burns up when power surges, which is why you must replace blown fuses. With breaker boxes, an electromagnet breaks the circuit, which can easily be reset with the pull of a lever.<\/p>\n But replacing fuses isn\u2019t the main inconvenience of an old fuse box; it\u2019s that outdated fuse box systems aren\u2019t designed<\/i> to handle the electrical demands of the modern family.<\/p>\n When you add cellphones, televisions, computers, and other electronics on top of the lighting and appliances that electrical systems were originally designed to handle, an old 60Amp fuse box system cannot match the service provided by today\u2019s modern 200Amp service<\/a> in newer homes.<\/p>\n No buyer wants a house that will blow a fuse if you use the microwave while you\u2019re charging your phone. Not to mention the safety hazards that arise.<\/p>\n Fuse boxes aren\u2019t as reliable and efficient as breaker panel boxes, but contrary to popular belief, fuse boxes aren\u2019t automatically unsafe<\/a>. The danger arises when old fuse boxes are modified by homeowners to handle higher electrical usage.<\/p>\n This is most often done by putting bigger fuses into old fuse boxes than they were designed to handle. For example, forcing a 60Amp fuse into a fuse box rated for 30Amp fuses<\/a> may prevent the fuses from blowing, but you\u2019re overtaxing your outdated electrical system, which creates a fire hazard.<\/p>\n \u201cElectrical fires kill multiple people across our country every year. If you\u2019ve got an old fuse box, just put your hand on it and it\u2019ll be warm,\u201d advises Wing.<\/p>\n You have three main options available if you\u2019re selling a house that still has an old fuse box. You can replace it, lower your asking price, or sell it as-is<\/a> \u2014 a label that will most likely appeal to cash buyers and investors.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s review each option more in-depth:<\/p>\n The cost of updating electrical systems is the big reason why home sellers shy away from replacing old fuse boxes before selling. According to Fixr, rewiring a 2,000 square foot home averages around $8,500<\/a>.<\/p>\n The good news is that a house doesn\u2019t always need to be fully rewired when you swap out an old fuse box for a new breaker panel.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether or not you need to rewire the house when you replace an old fuse box depends on the age of the home. If your historic home has the old knob and tube wiring that can short out and start a fire, it\u2019ll need to be replaced,\u201d explains Wing. \u201cBut in a lot of cases, you can just change out the fuse box itself for a circuit breaker box in homes built in the \u201860s, \u201850s, or even the late 1940s. If you\u2019re just putting in a new fuse box, you\u2019ll probably spend $1,500.\u201d<\/p>\n Option two requires reducing your listing price to account for passing on the expense of updating the fuse box (and potentially your wiring) to your buyer.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re selling in a seller\u2019s market<\/a>, or listing in a neighborhood filled with outdated electrical systems, you may be able to get by with reducing the price solely based on an estimate for fuse box replacement and rewiring costs from a licensed electrician.<\/p>\n However, if your home is one of the last ones around with an old fuse box, or your market is sluggish, then you\u2019ll need to reduce your price even more to get an offer. In that case, your price reduction may cost you thousands more than the $1,500 to $8,000 that you\u2019d spend updating your fuse box and wiring.<\/p>\n Even if you do get a decent offer on your house with an old fuse box, that doesn\u2019t mean the sale will close.<\/p>\n The house is essentially a lender\u2019s insurance policy against the potential for borrowers to default on their mortgage. Should the buyer fail to keep up payments, the bank can foreclose on the property and sell it to offset their losses. With so much at stake, mortgage companies are reluctant to lend out on homes with the fire hazard potential of an old fuse box.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last thing you want is to get close to closing on your home sale, and then boom, the appraiser says that we\u2019ve got to replace the old fuse box before the sale can close,\u201d explains Wing.<\/p>\n Options two and three may sound the same, but there\u2019s one very big difference: a cash buyer<\/a> isn\u2019t going through a lender, so there\u2019s no chance that an appraisal citing the old fuse box will kill the deal.<\/p>\n You\u2019re also selling as-is<\/a>, which means that you can avoid any post-inspection negotiations over the price or any repair requests. Cash buyers are most often investors planning to rent out or flip the property, so they\u2019re going to replace main components anyway<\/a> as part of their remodel plans.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also benefit from a quick closing timeline. While this can be a swift and easy way to unload your home without the hassle and expense of replacing the old fuse box, it also means you\u2019ll probably receive less than the fair market value of the home in the form of a price discount.<\/p>\n You can request a cash offer through HomeLight\u2019s Simple Sale platform<\/a>, our network of nationwide verified real estate buyers who buy homes in any condition. Just tell us a little bit about the property, and we\u2019ll tap into our pool of buyers and connect you with the highest bidder. We estimate a home\u2019s \u201cSimple Sale\u201d price to be 90%-95% of market value on average<\/a>, but it could be less depending on the buyer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Buying an older home with an outdated electrical system is old hat for real estate investors, but for primary residence home buyers, the prospect of purchasing property with an old fuse box may have them worried. Put their minds at ease with these answers to their most pressing questions.<\/p>\n No, you\u2019re not going to be hauled off to jail if your home has an old fuse box. It\u2019s definitely legal to have one; however, your home may not be up to code.<\/p>\n The National Fire Protection Association publishes the National Electrical Code<\/a>, which has been adopted by all 50 states. The NEC requires that panel breakers be installed on the outside of your home so that in the event of a fire, firefighters can immediately shut off the electrical system.<\/p>\n Historic homes may have their old fuse boxes mounted in the basement, garage, or even behind a panel inside the home. That\u2019s not only a fire hazard, it may also make it difficult to get homeowners insurance.<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult but not impossible to get insurance with an old fuse box. Some insurance companies won\u2019t insure a house unless you replace the old fuse box, but other insurance companies will.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can always approach your current insurance company and chances are that your agent will re-insure the property,\u201d suggests Wing.<\/p>\n While you\u2019ll probably be able to find a company willing to insure a home with an old fuse box, it won\u2019t be cheap. Most insurance companies will charge a premium<\/a> to insure houses with higher risk fuse boxes over circuit breaker panel boxes.<\/p>\n Selling an older home that still has its original wiring and an old fuse box may not be easy, but it\u2019s definitely doable. Whether you simply list for less or seek out a cash buyer, you can sell a house with an old fuse box and save yourself the time, effort, and expense of replacing it with a modern breaker box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n No problem. Skip repairs, staging, and the hassle of open houses. Get an all-cash offer through HomeLight\u2019s Simple Sale platform whenever you\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n \n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-an-old-fuse-box-living-room-666x381.png\")
<\/a>A brief history of electrical systems (and why it matters for your home sale)<\/h2>\n
Like a \u2018shut off\u2019 valve for your electric<\/h3>\n
Increased electrical demands on the modern home<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-an-old-fuse-box-computer-666x381.png\")
<\/a>FYI: safety hazards of a fuse box<\/h2>\n
How do I sell a home that has an old fuse box in it?<\/h2>\n
1. Replace the fuse box with a modern breaker panel<\/h3>\n
2. Price the home to account for the dated system (and any other needed repairs)<\/h3>\n
3. Sell your house as-is to a cash buyer<\/h3>\n
![\"Lights](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/can-you-sell-a-house-with-an-old-fuse-box-lights-666x381.png\")
<\/a>FAQs about selling homes with old fuse boxes<\/b><\/h2>\n
Is it illegal to have an old fuse box?<\/h3>\n
Can you get homeowners insurance with a fuse box?<\/h3>\n
Yes, you can sell a house with an old fuse box. But should you?<\/h2>\n
\n <\/div>\n \n House Needs Some Work to Sell?<\/h3>\n