Solar Sales Checklist
Information you will want to gather BEFORE you list your solar home for sale.
You will not likely have all items on this list, but the more transparent you can be from the beginning, the more smoothly your sale is likely to go.
Disclosure is a best practice and these items should stay with the home after it is sold.
1. Commissioning Documentation
2. Install Paperwork
3. System DC and AC power ratings
4. Manufacturer, model, and quantity of PV modules, inverters, batteries, controllers, & other major components
5. Name, contact info of all responsible parties
6. Site layout identifying equipment locations, easements
7. Diagram of overall system design
8. Operation and maintenance information
9. Operating guidelines, safety procedures, and maintenance plans
10. Contracting and financial details, interconnection agreements, rebates and tax forms
11. Warranty Information
a. Panels
b. Inverter(s)
c. Storage
12. Production and/or Performance Guarantees
13. Building Permits
14. Shading Analysis
15. Current and one year of Utility Bill History
16. HERS Report
17. Third Party Certifications (Net Zero Energy Building Certification, ENERGY STAR, LEED, National Green Building Standard, Scottsdale Green Building Program, etc.)
18. Grandfathered utility plans
Make sure you hire competent help that understands SOLAR and not just residential sales/resales.
We love solar! Leased or owned, monocrystalline or polycrystalline, thin-film, inverters and storage!
We can talk rebates, upkeep, transfer, and inspections.
Let us take the hassle out of selling your solar home by providing as smooth of a process as possible. We can also help if you are looking to buy, lease, or finance PV solar.
Homeonwers & Agents Find Out How Much Your Solar is Worth
Selling Solar is a Specialty
Preparing for a solar appraisal
Solar enthusiasm
Goal - full disclosure
Utilize the Green and Energy Efficient Addendum and 'Silent Sales Pitch' to make invisible features noticeable. Most buyers and appraisers don't have x-ray vision to know about your R-40 insulation in the attic, how efficient your HVAC or windows are, how old your inverter is, or how your low HERS score is. We can almost guarantee your competition has never heard of this form and using it will give your home a competitive edge and likely more money when you sell.
Residential Solar Appraisal FAQ's
What if the Buyer's lender does not have qualified competent residential PV Solar appraisers already on staff?
Solution: Recommend they hire one listed as having previous educational training from the Appraisal Institute website. Then, qualify the appraiser lender selects for the job before they arrive at the solar home.
http://www.myappraisalinstitute.org/findappraiser/green_sustainability_residential.aspx
Intro to Green Buildings 8 hr + exam
Case Studies in Appraising Residential Green Buildings 8 hr + exam
Residential and Commercial Valuation of Solar 15 hr + exam
Solar Valuation FAQ's
There are no other homes in my neighborhood that have sold recently with solar.
Solution: Use the website trained appraisers use to calculate present value. Numerous studies have shown when no comparables are available this and net cost are best value indicators.
My solar sales team promised me that my system would be worth x amount of dollars when I sold my home in a few years.
Solution: Solar sales people are sales people not licensed appraisers and cannot predict future housing market value. See options above.
Online learning for anyone, click on flyer to get started
What if I have a solar lease?
I served on a task force in 2017 to create this form with the Arizona Association of Realtors. This form inspired me to run for the AAR Board of Directors in 2019.
Current Solar Research Studies for Phoenix, AZ
As published in the Phoenix Business Journal, https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2018/09/20/homes-with-solar-panels-sell-like-hotcakes-in.html
heard on KTAR radio
As Published in the West Valley View
https://issuu.com/timespub/docs/0213_wvv_west__2_/1?e=8633901/67728293
2018
2019
We conduct studies every July and January. The study to the left was data from Jan.-June 2019.
