# Unusual outlet in home? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 30, 2020, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705 "2020-05-30T00:41:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/21 "2020-05-31T12:51:13Z")
there is no hole , it’s just a indented circle that takes up most of the switch plate horizontal size. And the owners are jerks who reneged on the oral deal we had so I may not buy it after all. They said “we want others to offer too” which means they want to beat my offer. I might buy another house which is better and a better location. Even now houses around here sell in a day or 2. This one is on the market for 3 weeks. Legally they can back out since they did not sign off. It’s a jerk move though, RE agent agrees. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/22 "2020-05-31T13:19:55Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > there is no hole , it’s just a indented circle that takes up most of the switch plate horizontal size. > > And the owners are jerks who reneged on the oral deal we had so I may not buy it after all. They said “we want others to offer too” which means they want to beat my offer. I might buy another house which is better and a better location. Even now houses around here sell in a day or 2. This one is on the market for 3 weeks. Legally they can back out since they did not sign off. It’s a jerk move though, RE agent agrees. There’s no such thing as an oral deal in real estate. All real estate transactions must be in writing. If you’re in the house buying mode you should know this. I don’t know what to say about a real estate agent who doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/23 "2020-05-31T13:25:12Z")
Stephen Wright had one of those in his home, with a switch inside of it. He didn’t know what the switch did, but he kept flipping it on and off whenever he went by it. Then he got a call from a woman in Germany who said, “Knock it off.” ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/24 "2020-05-31T13:30:14Z")
RE agent knows there was no legal deal, but it’s still a jerk move. The worse part was lying about “being fair to others” when everyone knows they want a better deal. Maybe they think I’m a jerk/moron like them. ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/25 "2020-05-31T13:36:52Z")
I think you’ve just seen why the house has been on the market for so long. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/26 "2020-05-31T14:42:32Z")
> [@JcWoman](#): > > I think you’ve just seen why the house has been on the market for so long. Because the owners have been wasting their time on casual looky loos who aren’t willing to come up with some earnest money? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/27 "2020-05-31T14:59:57Z")
I was ready to give them $4k in earnest + due dilligence fee. I don’t do that until they agree to the deal. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/28 "2020-05-31T18:06:25Z")
Not getting the house ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/29 "2020-05-31T18:44:03Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Not getting the house That might be for the best. Buying from someone that wouldn’t honor a verbal agreement is risky IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/30 "2020-05-31T21:37:30Z")
On to plan D. I am 0 for 3 on offers. Seems people are way overpaying since demand is above supply. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/31 "2020-05-31T22:31:21Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Not getting the house So no interest in buying the house solely so we can satisfy our curiosity about this? ---
**Author:** ![a6ka97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/32 "2020-05-31T22:59:45Z")
Does the listing have any pictures posted online (the Realtors site) that may feature the wall with this “outlet”? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/33 "2020-05-31T23:06:35Z")
Houses built in the late '50s/early '60s had phone wiring installed, and often there was one place in the house, which we telephone installers called a home run, where all the wires met, but were not connected to each other (and had to be). It was often behind a plate that sounds like what you’re talking about. By this point in a home from that era the wires would be connected and it would probably be irrelevant anyhow, if it was a phone switch. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/34 "2020-05-31T23:34:13Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Houses built in the late '50s/early '60s had phone wiring installed, and often there was one place in the house, which we telephone installers called a home run, where all the wires met, but were not connected to each other (and had to be). It was often behind a plate that sounds like what you’re talking about. By this point in a home from that era the wires would be connected and it would probably be irrelevant anyhow, if it was a phone switch. OP says this house was ~20 years old, not a house from the 50s or 60s. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/35 "2020-05-31T23:46:08Z")
Yeah I meant early '70s not '60s, but early 2000s, I’m thinking not. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/36 "2020-06-01T00:19:48Z")
Picture at this link: [plate | Kevin McGowan | Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nobody_famous/49957404533/in/datetaken/) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/37 "2020-06-01T00:23:56Z")
Are you sure that’s not a light dimmer? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/38 "2020-06-01T00:28:04Z")
Looks like one to me. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/39 "2020-06-01T00:46:59Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Picture at this link: > > [plate | Kevin McGowan | Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nobody_famous/49957404533/in/datetaken/) Is it at light switch height or is it closer to the floor? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705/40 "2020-06-01T00:56:29Z")
close to the floor and nothing moves in the plate from what we could tell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-outlet-in-home/854705.md?page=3)