Florida, the sunshine state. It is no coincidence that Florida has been granted this nickname. Florida is well known for its bright, sunny, warm weather. That is one reason why solar panels are gaining such popularity among homeowners.
But one concern a lot of homeowners have is what will happen when they try to sell their home. So is it harder to sell a house with solar panels than a house without them? That’s a great question.
Is It Harder to Sell a House With Solar Panels Than Without?
The best answer to this question is, it depends. To be honest most homes with solar panels will sell for significantly more than homes without. However, there are other things that factor in. We need to look at what a few of the major influencing factors of solar panels are.
Life of the Solar Panels
Most solar panel systems will have warranties for roughly 80% efficiency up to 25 years. As far as the actual equipment warranty about 10 to 15 years is the average. So then you have to ask yourself, how long have you had your solar panels for?
If your panels are starting to get old then that will diminish their value just like with any type of electronic or home appliance.
Huge Savings for the Home Buyers (Especially in Florida)
Solar panels can help you save a ton of money. Obviously when you first purchase a solar panel system there are always going to be an expensive investment.
The amount that you save on energy costs on average is about $80,000 over 25 years (the average life of a solar panel system). Since the cost of most systems is going to be around $10,000 to $15,000 that is $60,000 to $65000 that you are gaining in energy savings.
That is one huge selling point for a home. That is why a home with solar panels sells for about 10 thousand dollars more than a home without.
A New Type of Lifestyle for Americans
More and more every year people are looking into solar panels as a source of green energy in their homes. That is because the idea of what an American family lifestyle should be is starting to shift.
Living clean is the new standard for many Americans. The clean eating, zero waste, and green lifestyles have exploded in recent years.
Every day more Americans are spending their time and money investing in zero waste products as well as recycled and reusable products over their cheaper counterparts.
Americans today would rather spend the extra money investing in something that is better for the environment than trying to save money.
Often you see home buyers who want solar panels installed on whatever home they decide to buy. So they are drawn to homes that will help save them the stress of going through the installation process themselves.
Just to further the point that zero waste and green energy are becoming the new American standard, (if you haven’t heard) Southwest Florida actually has the first sustainable city.
Babcock Ranch is a city that strives for complete sustainability. And that means solar energy, for the entire city. We expect to see more and more cities across the U.S follow this same idea.Â
What About Leased Solar Panels?
So how do leased solar panels factor into this? Well, it depends. There are really a couple things that you can do here.
You can either transfer the solar panel lease to the new home owners if they agree to it. Or you can look at paying off the solar panels (factored into the selling price of the home) so that the new home owners don’t have a lease to carry on.
To be honest, most homeowners don’t seem to mind the idea of a solar panel lease. But if they do, details can always be negotiated. Most of the time solar panels will not make it more difficult for you to sell your home. In fact, they will make it easier to sell your home and help your home sell for more.
If you would like to learn more about solar panels and how they will affect your ability to sell your home just give us a call at (941) 743-3700. Our certified realtor can help you with any questions or concerns that you might have regarding solar panels and the investment value they can add to your home.Â
