Do your current outlets have ground or just 2 prong? If you dont have ground, electricians will only recommend a full rewire with new panel box and grounding rod(s).

Thanks Vith. It's all three pronged.

Then you can have the panel replaced and new outlets and light fixtures installed without a full rewire. Hopefully the wiring is actually grounded and they didn't just throw 3 prong outlets on ungrounded wiring. That is always a possibility. Easy for a homeowner to test with an outlet tester bought at a home store. Is current panel a breaker box or fuse box? If a breaker box, how many available spots are left? If a fuse box, an upgrade to a breaker box is always good.

Thanks again. It is a fuse box (I think) and that's one of the reasons for an upgrade. At least I can sound a bit more knowledgeable now, when speaking to other contractors.

Having 3 prong receptacles does not necessarily mean that there is a grounding wire at the receptacle, even for code compliant installations, minus the little warning sticker that most homeowners seem to like to pull off, or get lost when someone replaces the cover plate after painting them.