Appraising A Home With Solar Panels

A primer presented by instructor mark buhler.

Appraising a home with solar panels. Buhler has over 25 years of appraisal experience and specializes in the valuation of energy efficient homes which are increasingly. The appraiser emphasized that solar panels are a new arena for appraisers the issue simply hasn t been around long enough for there to be a consensus on how to value the addition of the panels. Whether the solar panels are leased and owned also may affect the appraisal. Appraising properties with solar panels.

However the best data is sales data and solar trends in the local market. Appraising properties with solar panels. When appraising a home with owned solar panels or other energy efficient features there are several additional factors which determine how much value is added. Many appraisers are taking the position that there is no.

Solar pv systems can also be designed to back feed the utility electric power grid if more power is produced by the installed system than the home consumes in normal usage. Solar panels that generate all or part of a home s electricity could become a new norm and valuation experts need to prepare. Historically the perspective on solar panels from many buyers and appraisers was that the return on investment along with the perceived negative aesthetic impact of large roof panels made solar panels a poor investment. It is designed to be used by skilled appraisers consultants with knowledge of solar and a discounted cash flow.

Find everything you need to know about solar panels and solar installation costs. Factors such as the home sales price project size measured in kw panel production measured in kwh local utility costs etc can all play a role in the valuation of your home. Watch our new video to find out differences between appraising properties with leased or owned solar panels how to determine if the panels are real property or personal property and more. For an overview of solar panels methods of valuation and challenges of appraising properties with solar check out our recorded webinar appraising solar panels.

Says zapata if a homebuyer decides to purchase a property with leased solar panels that buyer must qualify for the solar lease with the solar company. Ads by ad practitioners. When data are not available to use sales support the conclusion using other valuation tools. On average solar panels raise a home s value by 4 1 across the u s according to a new zillow analysis of homes across the country that s a boost of 9 274 on a 226 300 home according to the study.

Now while this report well documents the procedures used to arrive at the conclusions appraisers need to be very cautious about applying the numbers in the. This often affects the buyer s purchasing ability and could disqualify a buyer from purchasing the home once the mandatory solar lease is added to the payment calculations by their lender.