If you own your system, you can simply add it to the sale of your home. Solar can be an attractive selling point and it has the potential to sell your home faster at a higher price. If you lease your solar system you can’t move it unless you buy out the lease. Moving a solar system is a tricky process, you are usually much better off selling the system with your home.
Should you move your solar system?
As an installer, we don’t recommend moving your solar panels as it is an involved process. If you are moving locally, make sure to contact your installer (if not Freedom Forever) and check your warranty. Some installers might not be willing to move your system based on your warranty. You should also check with the utility company that serves the home you’re planning to move the system to. There may be restrictions as to what parts of your system can be reused. You will have to go through the permitting process all over again if you move your system. The system might also get damaged during the process.
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Potential damage if the system is removed:
- Faded color to roof area around the system
- Small holes left behind from installation
- Possible damage to the system when moved
Selling the house with the solar system? Talk to a real estate agent
If you own the system. If you’re thinking of selling your home with the solar system, your best bet is to talk to a real estate agent about it. A real estate agent will be able to give you some idea as to how much value the system may add to your home. A lot depends on the area that your home is located in. If the home is in a community where the residents tend to be environmentally-conscious, solar is likely to add greater value than it would in a non-environmentally-conscious community.
If you lease the system. You will either have to get the new owner to take over your lease or you would have to buy out the system. If the system’s buy out price is significantly less than the price of a new system, then you may be able to use that fact as a selling point.
It’s better to buy a new solar system rather than move an existing one
There are additional drawbacks to moving a solar system. Your warranty is most likely going to be voided. Your old system may not fit on your new home and it would then have to be entirely redesigned. Moving a system will be expensive too, you will likely need to have the solar company that built your system remove and reinstall it. You will have to go through the entire permitting and inspection process all over again. Therefore it’s better to buy a new solar system for your new home and try to get as much as you can for the old system that you sell with your previous home.