Recently I took some clients to view a home they were interested in buying. The home was built in the mid 1970's. In many parts of St. Tammany Parish there were no building codes at that time. I remember my father and grandfather building a camp by themselves. There were no such thing as inspectors to approve whatever you were doing.
Well everything was going pretty well with the showing until we looked into the electrical panel. Turns out my client is an old retired electrician. He unscrewed the electrical panel to get a look at the wires and guess what? They were aluminum not copper. In the mid 1970's copper was either in short supply or too expensive. Aluminum was a cheaper alternative.
I am not an electrician and really don't know a lot about wiring in homes. I do know that copper is a better conductor of electricity, and therefore safer. Upon seeing this my client was no longer interested in buying this house any longer. He also wondered what else may have been used in building this house.
The disclosure documents do not ask as to what kind of wiring was used in construction of the home. So the seller isn't bound to reveal this. As an agent I feel a strong responsibility to point this out to any of my clients. I urge all to consider this when trying to sell homes. I think your client will have a lot more respect for you in the long run.
