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Gee...then based upon your "conjecture" its sounds like "many" real estate agents aren't following what they are taught ?
No, based on my conjecture, THOSE AGENTS WHO WOULD SAY SUCH A THING aren't following what they are taught. I interact with many, but never said that many would say such a thing.
I never said they SHOULD do it that way. Someone asked why an agent might say that sort of thing. I posted my CONJECTURE, based on interactions with many real estate agents.
I beg your pardon but it would seem you did say many ?
I beg your pardon but it would seem you did say many ?
OK. Not to sound condescending, but please go back & read, so that you don't misunderstand. In one post, I said that I believe this is a reason that some might say such a thing. In a different post, I said that my belief that this was a reason is based on my interactions with many agents. Please refrain from combining words from two different posts to create a new meaning. I never said, or in any way implied, that many agents would do this. I'll put it all here in one post so that it's clear.
I have interacted with many agents. Based on those many interactions, I believe that those agents, who would say that knob & tube is illegal, are saying it based on either a misunderstanding of construction codes or an overly conservative approach to their client relationships.
Is that clearer?
Last edited by Bill Keegan; 01-23-2009 at 11:27 AM..
Reason: typos
I believe that those agents, who would say that knob & tube is illegal, are saying it based on either a misunderstanding of construction codes or an overly conservative approach to their client relationships.
I agree with that opinion, but it's interesting because old houses have many things that are not up to current code. Our stair treads are too narrow, our ceiling height is too low in one portion of the house and there isn't enough head room in one stairwell to name a few. These raise safety issues as well but the insurance company apparently doesn't care. No agent cautioned us that these items were "illegal". I still think there was some ruling by a state insurance commission or some fire linked to knob and tube, or something somewhere changed to bring knob and tube to the forefront in agents' minds.
Our electrical inspector in Princeton told me it is not illegal (as many of you have said) and that it is strictly an issue between buyer and seller. He said it is still in the current electrical code and as such he doesn't see how an insurance company could deny coverage. Hard to imagine that it would still be in the code book and I'm not sure what he meant by that.
I looked at the National Electrical Code of 2005 (online version) and there are still multiple references as to how to install knob and tube. I think that is the electrical code adopted by the state of New Jersey. So if you were crazy enough to want to install it today, is it actually illegal? And if so, by what law or rule or code?
OK. Not to sound condescending, but please go back & read, so that you don't misunderstand. In one post, I said that I believe this is a reason that some might say such a thing. In a different post, I said that my belief that this was a reason is based on my interactions with many agents. Please refrain from combining words from two different posts to create a new meaning. I never said, or in any way implied, that many agents would do this. I'll put it all here in one post so that it's clear.
I have interacted with many agents. Based on those many interactions, I believe that those agents, who would say that knob & tube is illegal, are saying it based on either a misunderstanding of construction codes or an overly conservative approach to their client relationships.
Is that clearer?
No...what you've written is an excuse......an attempt to put a different spin on what you originally wrote.....what you originally wrote "implied" many agents you had "interacted with might have made mistakes" through ignorance but not on purpose......that still sounds horrendous......... the reality of this is that an agent is who the client looks to as an expert to guide them through a real estate transaction.....they depend upon what the agent says as being accurate so they can make an informed decision.......there is no room for misunderstanding or a conservative approach to a situation to cover up for the fact they don't know what they are doing. The bottom line is that the only way to handle this was to be truthful and confess they didn't know the answer and would find out......not bull*hit their way through a transaction with other peoples money at stake !!!
I believe that those agents, who would say that knob & tube is illegal, are saying it based on either a misunderstanding of construction codes or an overly conservative approach to their client relationships.
I agree with that opinion, but it's interesting because old houses have many things that are not up to current code. I still think there was some ruling by a state insurance commission or some fire linked to knob and tube, or something somewhere changed to bring knob and tube to the forefront in agents' minds.
Look......agents deal with all age homes and they represent themselves as "experts" to their clients.......who would have someone represent them if they felt their agent was less than an expert in what they were trying to sell them. Most towns have many older homes in them that have or have had knob and tube wiring. Knob and tube wiring is an OLD issue.....something that any agent should be knowledgeable about.....agents have weekly meetings and continuing education courses to share new work related information and be updated on real estate issues....its not their job to know construction codes but if they are going to offer information pertaining to the sale its their job to be sure its accurate.....there is no excuse to be uninformed on such a relevant issue and then compound it by supplying wrong information rather than seeking the correct information......If this homeowner had spend the $15,000 for the electrical work the agent suggested and found out later that the knob and tube wiring wasn't "illegal" as the agent stated.....do you think the agent would have said "sorry" and gave her back the $15,000.....NO.....you can't make mistakes with other people money and not take responsibility for your actions !!!
Last edited by FlyersFan; 01-23-2009 at 03:23 PM..
No...what you've written is an excuse......an attempt to put a different spin on what you originally wrote.....what you originally wrote "implied" many agents you had "interacted with might have made mistakes" through ignorance but not on purpose
This is incorrect, and I can't tell if it's an honest misread on your part or an attempt to start a fight. I don't think that a reasonable read of my first post implied this at all. Now that you've said it does, in your opinion, read differently than I intended, I've made it even clearer. It's not a different spin at all, but a very clear restatement of something I thought was clear enough at the outset. That should end it unless you are trying to have an argument for some reason.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyersFan
......that still sounds horrendous......... the reality of this is that an agent is who the client looks to as an expert to guide them through a real estate transaction.....they depend upon what the agent says as being accurate so they can make an informed decision.......there is no room for misunderstanding or a conservative approach to a situation to cover up for the fact they don't know what they are doing. The bottom line is that the only way to handle this was to be truthful and confess they didn't know the answer and would find out......not bull*hit their way through a transaction with other peoples money at stake !!!
I agree with this section completely.
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National Electrical Code
