Green Real Estate Appraiser

Not getting credit for home solar? Report confirms home value increase with solar

Posted on July 19, 2016 | Leave a comment

solar study

A multi-institutional research team of scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkley Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories, universities, and appraisers found that home buyers consistently have been willing to pay more for homes with host-owned solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems —averaging about $4 per watt (this is an “average” and may not reflect your neighborhood) of PV installed—across various states, housing and PV markets, and home types. This equates to a premium of about $15,000 for a typical PV system. The team analyzed almost 22,000 sales of homes, almost 4,000 of which contained PV systems in eight states from 1999 to 2013—producing the most authoritative estimates to date of price premiums for U.S. homes with PV systems.

What happens if your client/homeowner has been told that they received no credit for solar as there are no comps to support an adjustment? What we recommend our clients to do: First you insist on an appraiser that is qualified to appraise solar and energy efficient homes with your lender. The appraisers at www.scappraisals.com are qualified, BPI, AI certified appraisers and know that closed comps are just 1 way to determine value.

Read report at: http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/01/13/berkeley-lab-illuminates-price-premiums-u-s-solar-home-sales/

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Green Remodeling

Posted on July 18, 2016 | Leave a comment

Big Picture Planning

If you’re undertaking a major remodeling project, you probably have other goals in addition to energy efficiency. You might want to add square footage or reconfigure the space to work better for you — for example, by adding an extra bedroom or a bathroom. Your budget will be a major factor, and you’ll want your home to be even more comfortable and enjoyable.

Will it add value to your home? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your home value questions.

Almost everyone on our panel of five energy experts — including architects and specialists in energy efficiency who together have numerous successful remodels behind them — suggested the same starting point: Get a thorough home energy rating, which will illuminate what’s possible for your home and help you set priorities.

“A certified home-energy rating is worth every penny, and it’s rarely more than $500,” says Jeremy Knoll, an architect and co-founder of Historic Green. “It gives you a priority list based not on your gut feeling, but on measured data of what’s going to make the most difference in your home in terms of energy repair work.”

You can find a certified home-energy rater in your area through RESNET, the Residential Energy Services Network. Be sure you talk to the rater before scheduling the audit, and pick someone who is good at answering your questions and explaining the details. A home energy rater should be able to recommend reliable people who can do the energy upgrade work. Getting an energy rating can also help you qualify for different financing options, such as an energy-efficient mortgage, if that interests you.

Need more room? Try automated furniture

Posted on July 17, 2016 | Leave a comment

auto furn

Fuseproject’s designer Yves Behar has teamed up with the MIT Media Lab to create an automated furniture system called Ori, and fittingly enough inspired by the idea of origami.

Clever, transformable and multi-functional fittings aren’t new to the sphere of small living, but the appeal of Ori comes with it’s relative ease.

A wall unit conceals a bed underneath which slides out when you need it, and slides back when you don’t. Above the bed, a wardrobe and a desk/home office space, accessible both when the bed is hidden away or extended.

And on the other side? Fun. In the form of an entertainment unit. The Ori can be programmed with a default configuration, including lighting, and adjusted remotely via an app.

So you don’t even need to be home to make (well, hide) your bed, or set up the place to have guests over for a movie night.

Not getting credit for home solar? Report confirms home value increase with solar

Green Remodeling

Need more room? Try automated furniture

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