Linnette Edwards of Abio Properties, which has offices in Oakland and Lafayette, weighed in on insurance challenges facing Bay Area home owners in a recent San Francisco Business Times article. She said knob-and-tube wiring is increasingly becoming an issue with insurance carriers in Oakland.

A common feature of old homes in the region is causing a headache for real estate agents in obtaining the fire insurance their clients need to complete a home sale.

Unless it's an all-cash deal, a homebuyer generally needs be able to secure fire insurance to secure a loan. However, an old form of electrical wiring known as knob and tube has become a wrench in the spokes of many looking to move forward with home sales on both sides of the bay.

In Oakland, Linnette said she has run into trouble over the past two weeks trying to get insurance for homes with knob-and-tube wiring, even in non-fire-prone parts of Oakland.

“We have to change out anything with knob-and-tube. The sellers now need to pay that money. I have a seller right now paying $30,000 to change the knob-and-tube just so her house can be sellable.

“I have insurance companies that are finding every reason not to insure. It’s an active crisis that is totally inflamed right now and I’m fielding phone calls right and left," she said. “In my 21 years in the real estate business, this is one of the hardest I’ve seen it in markets and changing conditions."