Does this electrical quote seem high?

[Jeremiah O'Neill]

Hi all,

I am in the process of purchasing an 1100 SF house.  The house currently has a fuse panel and outdated wiring.  We will be changing the layout so, figured we will upgrade all the electrical while we are at.  I had an electrician in for an estimate to replace the 100A fuse panel with a 100A breaker panel, and rewire the whole house.  The house is 3 beds/baths and is 2 stories  of living above a basement.  The panel is in the basemeant, and the service does not require upgrading from the street.  The estimate has come in at $20,000.  This is much higher than I was expecting, anyone have experience with pricing on similar sized jobs?

Thanks.

[Derreck Wells]

A couple of guys mentioned it, location makes a huge difference. @Jeremiah O'Neill , you can't compare rates from New England to other places, they don't line up. Ask these folks what they'd pay for that 1100 sq ft house and the price will range from $5000 up to $125,000 where in Cambridge you probably can't get it less then $250,000, twice whet it would cost in other areas.

Something that gets added in to estimates when I bid a job in Cambridge is the daily parking tickets. Most people don't realize what it's like working in Cambridge. I was on a first name basis with the meter maid when I did job down there. Nice lady. The daily sitting in traffic was also billed to the customer.

Don't pay attention to prices on here unless it's from another person in the same city you're looking at, things vary too greatly to rely on them.

That being said, when you buy the house, I have a licensed electrician that works in Boston all the time that will do the job for less then anyone else. I think he only charges $75-$80 per hour. I won't waste his time sending him out just to do an estimate when you don't even own the house though. Let me know when you actually take ownership and I'll get you two together.