A general home inspection looks at the electrical system briefly. A dedicated electrical inspection opens the panel, tests the circuits and tells you what it will cost to put right. On an older Hawaii property that difference is frequently worth thousands.
Finding one: an undersized or obsolete panel
A 100 amp service, a fuse box, or a panel from a manufacturer with known breaker failure issues. Any of these limits what you can add and may affect insurance.
Typical remedy: a service upgrade. It is predictable work with a predictable price, which makes it easy to negotiate with.
Finding two: aluminium branch wiring
Mid 1960s to mid 1970s construction. It is not an automatic dealbreaker but it does require proper remediation at every device and splice, and the number of devices drives the cost.
Finding three: missing grounds behind three prong outlets
Cheap to test, expensive to ignore. A three prong outlet with no ground gives false confidence to every appliance plugged into it. The fix is either running grounds or GFCI protection with correct labelling.
Finding four: unpermitted additions
Enclosed lanai, converted garage, added ohana unit. These are extremely common and often wired by someone competent but unpermitted. The wiring may be fine. The paperwork, and therefore the resale and insurance position, is not.
Finding five: corrosion at the service
Coastal properties again. Corroded lugs, a rusted meter can, or a deteriorated service entrance cable. Visible from the outside once you know what to look at, and usually cheaper to fix before it fails than after.
How to use the report
Ask for findings separated into safety items, capacity limits and cosmetic notes, each with an estimated cost. That structure lets you negotiate on the first two and ignore the third, rather than handing over a list that invites an argument.