![]() Whether a home has PV solar panels on the roof, green certifications, or other energy efficiency upgrades, a sale or purchase can be affected by their existence. Understanding the different parties involved in the transaction can help to eliminate some of the confusion or bad information out there. I’ve heard many real estate agents say they hesitate to even show a buyer a home with solar. I’ve witnessed the affects of a seller hiring an under-educated agent to list their home and having the sale fall apart because the solar panels were leased and no parties understood what to do in that case. These are very unfortunate scenarios, and they are sadly common.
It is one of my personal missions to clear up the confusion and stress around selling or buying homes with solar or other green attributes. I teach courses to agents; I educate lenders about how to request a qualified appraiser; I inform buyers of the questions they should be asking their home owner’s insurance company. I speak at national conferences and local organizations to educate the providers about considering the full life span of their products and the information they should be passing on to the homeowners to aid them with future sales/purchases. If you are a homeowner with questions about how to sell your home with solar, or a buyer interested in purchasing a home with solar, click on the links below for more information.
Interested in Installing Solar on your Home? I get many questions for homeowners that aren’t in the market to buy or sell right now, but are thinking about adding solar. I have found very few instances where adding solar did not make good financial sense here in CO, so I usually encourage clients to look into it. The amount of information out there can be daunting, however, so I have included some links below to help you navigate the subject. I also encourage you to look at the information found on the Seller and Buyer pages (links above). If you want to see how your decision affects the future sale of your house, as well as the questions you should ask your insurance company before installation, information can be found there. Lastly, I know the last place anyone wants to get answers is from a door to door salesperson. While many have good information and their prices and terms may be better than their competition, their intention is to get you to commit to installing solar. The first site listed below is a great way to start your information gathering journey – without relying on someone knocking on your door. EnergySage was developed in Massachusetts, is backed by the US Dept of Energy, and is now available in 30 states (with more to come). You can get multiple bids directly from this website, you can review the different system components, and you can research financing options. Their intention is to create the first online marketplace for solar – making all of the pricing and details transparent. I think the site is great – and many Fort Collins residents have already used this platform to purchase solar. Good luck and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions in your solar quest! Get more information and Compare Quotes: Want to know the incentives and policies in your area: Want to know if Solar PV is good for your home? Google’s Project Sunroof is an interactive website that shows your actual roof and estimates whether the number of panels you need can actually fit. PV Watts, from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, calculates whether the weather data and sunshine for your location supports adding solar. Fort Collins Utilities resources: |
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