One thing I have learned in my 10+ years in the real estate business
is that I never stop learning and everyday I am educated on a number of topics. This week my education was on the Federal Pacific breaker panel. Last week the buyer of one of my customers homes for sale had his 4 point inspection. The inspector noted the breaker panel as being a Sylvania brand breaker panel. The really nice gentlemen buying the home was unable to obtain homeowners insurance because of this panel. I had never heard of this before so I did a little research and there seems to be more brands that are an issue other than the Sylvania one in my customers home. This "material defect" halted the transaction until the defect could be cured. The home that had this Sylvania breaker panel was built in 1982. I also discovered one in a home built in 1974.
This is what I found in my research and there may be more information that what I have found. The Federal Pacific brand breaker panel has been deemed unsafe as a fire hazard. The Federal Pacific breaker panel uses a Stab Lock(R) breaker which has had the unsettling habit of not turning off the current even in cases where the toggle switch (wall switch, light switch) was in the off position. The result was a constant current when the breaker should have shut off the current and the result was fire or fire like melting of outlets and wiring. What I can see is that the Federal Pacific breaker panel, the Zinsco brand breaker panel and the Sylvania brand breaker panel all used this Stab Lock(R) breaker. Due to the unique design of the breaker, you cannot just replace the breaker. You need to replace the entire breaker panel. In New Port Richey Florida where I predominantly sell homes, this upgrade can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $1,800 depending on other factors (as told to me by my electrician). The home where I first discovered this issue has been upgraded to a new breaker panel and the cost was $1,000. I urge you to do your own research and not to rely on my findings of these 3 particular brand breaker panels. I was told that most every insurance agent can provide you with a list of the breaker panel brands that you will need to upgrade in order to sell your home. I would suggest checking the list and doing the upgrade regardless. Links to pertinent articles on the subject are included in this blog post and I would ask that you click on them and research this topic further. One thing is for sure. I have started to look at my potential customers breaker panels to see if they are Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Sylvania or have those Stab Lock(R) breakers. If you or someone you know is interested in selling a home in New Port Richey or Trinity Florida please contact me with any questions or concerns you have and I will do my best to get you the most accurate answers. I am not a licensed electrician or home inspector. I recommend you seek the advice of a listened professional for all of you electrical repairs.
There is nothing more satisfying in my business than taking a
home buyer to a house for sale in the New Port Richey Florida area and having them just fall in love with the house. A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of helping my home buyers make an offer on a beautiful home that was for sale in Deerwood at River Ridge in New Port Richey Florida. This house has it all. Fresh exterior paint, good roof life, stellar kitchen cabinets and granite counter tops, high end appliances, remodeled master en suite with luxurious fixtures and tile work. Standing in the kitchen the buyers decided to make a full price offer on the home. They then asked "do we need a home inspection"? I told them that you always need a home inspection because the home inspector will see things we cannot see in the 15 minutes we are in the home.
The buyer agreed with me and decided to hand their beautiful home over to a home inspector and get the report. We were all thinking it would be an "easy" inspection and that surely the home inspector would not find anything wrong with this beautiful home that we now required a home inspection on. The home buyer wanted to be present for the home inspection so I attended as well as the listing agent. We sat and chatted about our pets, vacations and what our plans were for the upcoming weekend as one does when sitting around at a home inspection. All Corners Home Inspections in New Port Richey
Florida was our home inspector and they complete their report while you are in the home and it is emailed to the buyer and buyers agent before you even leave the home. We were informed by the home inspector that the HVAC system on the home (the central air) was 22 years old. Yikes! The hot water heater was showing signs of corrosion on the interior walls and would need to be replaced in the very near future. These are two fairly big ticket items for the buyer to replace. Even a beautiful home requires a home inspection. If you or someone you know is in need of a real estate professional in New Port Richey or Port Richey Florida, contact me for your no obligation real estate consultation and have all of your questions and concerns answered.
home. Your home inspector will snoop around and look inside cabinets, under sinks and behind the commode which is something you don't normally do when you look at the home. Your home inspector will give you an in depth report of what they find and when it comes to plumbing issues the report can save your thousands.
Here is a plumbing issue that we discovered in our home yesterday. If we had sold our home last week, no one may have seen this until it was too late. Our home is made of block with stucco over it. When i bought the home, i hated the tile floors (Ugly, Ugly Floors) so i had 3 different tile professionals come in and we bonded new tile right over the old. Happy Camper for years. Yesterday I noticed water in the track of the glass sliding door. We were perplexed, so we removed the track and there we saw it. Water was leaking out of the floor between the two layers of tile worried it was a leaking pipe in our foundation we started to pop up the tile. Then we started checking all the plumbing and when we popped our heads under the kitchen sink we heard a Hissing sound. We broke a hole through the block and sure enough we had a leaking elbow inside the block. The leak ran down inside the block to the foundation and when it had no where else to go, the water ran between the two tile floors (eating the mastic) and found it's way out the back sliding glass door clear across the house. We suspect the leak has been going on for a while and we had no idea until it found it's way out the sliding glass door. We were lucky to be able to fix the leak last night with about $15 worth of parts from Home Depot. Now we are left pulling off baseboards and checking the drywall and studs for mold and then of course, we have to replace the tile floors throughout the entire main living area. That little leaking elbow joint that cost $15 to repair has caused about $5,000 in collateral damage. Had a home inspector been inspecting our home for a
buyer, he would have heard the hissing of the leak as he checked under the kitchen sink and the home buyer would have the option to not buy the home or ask that it be repaired prior to closing. If you or anyone you know is interested in Selling or Buying a home in New Port Richey or Trinity Florida, Contact me for a no obligation consultation to discuss your real estate goals. written by Michael J Gallo, Realtor
