Inspections and Commercial
Electrical inspections and report repairs for Grand Rapids home sales
An inspection report full of electrical items can stall a sale. We check the house before listing, or work through a buyer's report item by item, and give you a priced list you can hand to the other side.
Updated September 2026
- Answered 24/7
- Priced line by line
- Permit pulled for repairs
- Grand Rapids and Kent County
Quick answer
A home sale electrical inspection in Grand Rapids checks the panel, service, grounding, GFCI and AFCI protection and visible wiring, then lists each defect with a price. Sellers use it before listing; buyers and sellers use it to settle the electrical items on an inspector's report without guesswork.
What this job is
Why an electrician looks at the report differently
A home inspector's job is to flag. An electrician's job is to say what the flag actually means and what it costs. "Double-tapped breaker" might be a ten-minute fix; "ungrounded outlets throughout" might be a partial rewire. Reading the report against the house turns a scary page into a short, priced list.
What is included
What the inspection covers
- Panel make, condition, labeling and any recalled brands
- Service size against the house's actual load
- Double taps, wrong breaker sizes and loose lugs
- Grounding and bonding at the panel and water line
- GFCI protection in kitchen, baths, garage, basement and outside
- AFCI protection where current code expects it
- Sample outlets tested for polarity and ground
- Visible knob-and-tube, aluminum or open splices
- Smoke and CO alarm presence and age
The versions of this job
Pre-listing electrical check
Sellers who call before listing get to decide which items to fix and which to disclose, rather than negotiating under a deadline. We go through the panel, service, grounding and a sample of devices in each room, and flag anything a buyer's inspector is likely to write up. Most houses come back with a short list of inexpensive fixes and one or two bigger items worth pricing in advance, such as an older panel brand that buyers' insurers ask about.
Buyer inspection follow-up
When the buyer's report arrives, we walk the house with it in hand and price each electrical line separately. Some items turn out to be cosmetic, some are a missing cover plate, and some are real hazards that need work before closing. You get a written list both sides can read, with each repair and its price on its own line, so the negotiation is about numbers rather than the inspector's wording. Where a flag is wrong, for example a GFCI that tests fine once reset, we say so in writing.
Repair lists and closing paperwork
Once the parties agree, we do the work, pull the permit where the repair needs one, and leave a written record of what was changed. For panel replacements and new circuits that means an inspection sign-off. Lenders and buyers' agents usually want that paperwork in the file before closing, so we schedule the inspection early rather than the week the sale is due to close. If a repair uncovers something new behind a wall, you hear about it the same day, with a price, before anything else is opened.
Insurance inspection requests
Some buyers only find out about a problem when their insurer asks for an electrical inspection or refuses to write a policy. The usual triggers are active knob-and-tube, fuse panels and certain older breaker panels. We document what is in the house in the terms the insurer asked for and price the fix, which is often a knob-and-tube replacement or a fuse box conversion. We also note what can stay, because an insurer rarely needs every old circuit replaced to write the policy.
Local conditions
How Grand Rapids homes shape this job
Buyer reports on bungalows in Eastown, Creston and Alger Heights tend to flag the same things: fuse boxes and older panels still in service, and runs of knob-and-tube behind the plaster. When the house is a duplex, the City of Grand Rapids requires a contractor on the electrical permit rather than the owner, so repair lists for two-unit sales need one from the start.
Cost factors
What moves the price on this job
Inspection and repair pricing depends on how much of the house needs looking at and what turns up.
Typical regional rates: electrician labor $75 to $150 per hour, and service call fees of $79 to $179, as a planning range rather than our price.
- 01
Scope of the visit
Whole house takes longer than a report item list.
- 02
House size and age
More rooms and older wiring mean more to test.
- 03
Panel access
A finished-over panel slows the check.
- 04
Number of report items
Each flagged item is priced on its own.
- 05
Permit needs
Panel and circuit repairs add a permit and inspection.
- 06
Timing
A tight closing date can mean an after-hours visit.
- 07
Findings behind walls
Hidden splices or old wiring can widen the scope.
Choosing between them
Which visit fits where you are in the sale
| Visit | When | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-listing check | Before the house goes on the market | A list to fix or disclose on your terms |
| Report follow-up | After the buyer's inspection | A price for each flagged item |
| Repairs only | Items already agreed between parties | Fixes, permits and paperwork |
How the job runs
How a home sale inspection runs
Send the report
If there is a report, we read it first.
Walk the house
Panel, service, grounding and sampled devices.
Read each flag
Cosmetic, fix now or fix before closing.
Price line by line
One line and one price per item.
Do the agreed work
Permits pulled where the repair needs one.
Paperwork for closing
Written record and inspection sign-off.
Straight answers
Questions about home sale electrical inspection in Grand Rapids
Still unsure? Call (616) 699-4794 and ask a technician.
Yes. A pre-listing check lets you fix or disclose items on your schedule instead of under a buyer's deadline.
Yes. We walk the house with the report and price each electrical item on its own line.
Panel changes, new circuits and service work do. Swapping a cover plate or a device usually does not.
Yes. We document what is in the house in the terms the insurer asked for and price any required fix.
Call any hour. Report follow-ups are scheduled quickly because we know closing dates do not move.
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