--- title: What Home Inspectors Flag Most Often — and What to Do About It description: Discover the most [av_keyword_plain] in [sa_city] homes — and how to resolve every item before it costs you the deal or your safety. url: https://fhrelectric.com/what-home-inspectors-flag-most-often-and-what-to-do-about-it date_modified: 2026-07-19 author: language: en_US --- Picture this: you’ve just accepted an offer on your home near McCormick Ranch, or you’re under contract on a place off Pima Road in North Scottsdale — and then the inspection report lands in your inbox. Suddenly a handful of line items under the electrical section are flagged in bold. For a lot of buyers and sellers in , that moment is where deals stall, renegotiations start, and stress spikes. The good news? Most are completely fixable — and knowing what inspectors look for gives you the upper hand before the report ever gets written. ## Why Electrical Flags Show Up So Often in Homes Homes in and across Maricopa County span a wide age range. A mid-century ranch in Old Town Scottsdale carries very different electrical DNA than a 2005 build in Chandler or a new construction in Gilbert. Inspectors following [InterNACHI’s home inspection standards of practice](https://www.nachi.org/standards.htm) are trained to flag anything that deviates from the code in effect when the home was built — or from current safety norms. Older homes almost always have *something*. The question is whether it’s cosmetic or genuinely hazardous. ## The Most Common Inspectors Flag ![Licensed electrician using thermal-imaging camera to identify common electrical issues found on home inspection inside a residential panel in a Scottsdale home](https://fhrelectric.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/avathan-6a596904a638e.jpg "What Home Inspectors Flag Most Often — and What to Do About It") - **Missing or incorrect GFCI protection.** Ground-fault circuit interrupters are required within six feet of any water source — kitchens, bathrooms, garages, exterior outlets, pool equipment. Homes built before the 1970s often have none. Even newer homes get this wrong during remodels. - **Double-tapped breakers.** Two wires sharing a single breaker terminal is one of the most common findings inspectors write up. Most breakers are rated for one conductor only. It’s a simple fix — when it’s caught early. - **Undersized or overloaded panels.** A 100-amp panel that once served a 1,500-square-foot home now fights an HVAC upgrade, a new kitchen, and possibly an EV charger. The panel simply can’t keep up. If you’re curious about [whether your breaker panel is actually up to code](https://fhrelectric.com/is-your-breaker-panel-actually-up-to-code-or-just-passing-a-visual-glance/), that question deserves a real answer — not just a visual glance. - **Aluminum branch wiring.** Prevalent in homes built between the mid-1960s and late 1970s, aluminum wiring expands and contracts differently than copper, loosening connections over time. This one genuinely keeps people up at night — and it should. - **Open junction boxes or missing cover plates.** Exposed wiring in attics, garages, or utility rooms is a consistent finding. Simple to fix, but every open box is a shock and fire risk. - **Reversed polarity or ungrounded outlets.** An outlet wired backwards or with no ground wire reads as a safety issue on every modern tester. Common in older homes that have seen multiple rounds of DIY work. - **No arc-fault protection (AFCI) on bedroom circuits.** Required by code in newer construction and during panel replacements, AFCI breakers catch the kind of arcing inside walls that standard breakers miss entirely. > “The inspection report isn’t a punch list of defects — it’s a roadmap to a safer home. Every item on it has a solution.” ## What to Do When You Get the Report ![Licensed electrician using thermal-imaging camera to identify common electrical issues found on home inspection inside a residential panel in a Scottsdale home](https://fhrelectric.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/avathan-6a59690f5e8fa.jpg "What Home Inspectors Flag Most Often — and What to Do About It") First — don’t panic, and don’t dismiss it. Imagine reading through those line items and knowing exactly which ones are quick corrections and which ones genuinely need a licensed electrician’s eyes before you close. That clarity is worth everything in a transaction. Here’s a practical framework: 1. **Separate cosmetic from safety-critical.** Missing cover plates are fast and cheap. Aluminum wiring, Federal Pacific panels, or signs of overheating are not. 2. **Request licensed remediation, not handyman fixes.** Lenders and underwriters increasingly require proof of licensed work for electrical repairs called out on inspection reports. A receipt from an unlicensed sub won’t cut it. 3. **Get a load assessment before any panel work.** If the inspector flagged an undersized panel, understand [what a home electrical load assessment actually involves](https://fhrelectric.com/what-a-home-electrical-load-assessment-actually-involves-and-why-you-need-one-before/) — because upgrading to the right size matters as much as upgrading at all. 4. **Address the breaker findings specifically.** If the inspection flagged tripping breakers or double-taps, read what a [breaker keeps tripping](https://fhrelectric.com/breaker-keeps-tripping-heres-what-its-actually-telling-you/) situation is actually telling you — it’s rarely just a nuisance. 5. **Know your panel’s age.** If you don’t, find out [how old your electrical panel actually is](https://fhrelectric.com/how-old-is-your-electrical-panel-heres-how-to-find-out/) before the inspector does it for you. For sellers in : getting ahead of these findings before listing is almost always the smarter play. A pre-listing electrical review costs far less than a last-minute renegotiation or a failed re-inspection that delays your closing date. For buyers: if the seller won’t remediate, know that the repair cost is negotiating leverage — but only if you have a real estimate from a licensed contractor, not a guess. Notice how different this feels from chasing down a quote from someone you found on a flyer. At , we’ve been working in and across for over 20 years — licensed, insured, and equipped with thermal-imaging diagnostics that go well beyond what any inspection report captures. We’ve seen every flag on this list dozens of times, and we know how to clear them cleanly, with documentation your lender will accept. [Call at — Get a straight-price estimate today](tel:(602) 492-9999)