What if you knew you had $50,000 laying on your roof, but when you went to sell your house, your real estate agent wouldn’t include that money in your home’s value? Frustrating, right? Well, that’s what’s happening to homeowners across the country when solar installations aren’t properly valued in assessments. Enter Pearl Certification.
Eric lives in Effingham, Illinois, with his wife and four sons. Years ago, he installed solar photovoltaic (PV) at his home, and it pays for about 80% of his electric bills. But it wasn’t until Pearl Certification that the market value of his home was actually recognized. Without changing anything, Pearl Certification gave Eric’s home a $50,000 increase in market value. That’s a 15% jump in value!
Eric had his home assessed three times in the past several years. Like many of us, the low interest rates for refinancing were too good for him to pass up. Refinancing made good economic sense. Between the second and third assessments, Eric got his home Pearl Certified. “We were very excited about the added value that came through Pearl Certification. The Pearl folks were easy to work with and certification cost me nothing as a homeowner. It only took a few days to complete all the needed paperwork,” says Eric.
“We have two solar installations. The first is a roof-mounted 5.6 kW system with a dual-axis tracking system that tracks the sun and optimizes our PV output,” says Eric. He also added an 11.9 kW ground-mounted system. While the initial cost was about $65,000, after a Federal tax credit of 30% and rebates from the state of Illinois’ Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC) program, Eric’s total out-of-pocket expense was just about $8,000. “After six years, the ground system is paid for already,” he says. “Both systems produced about 10,000 kWh last year.”
Now, after Pearl Certification, the value of his PV installation and other home features are recognized by his local real estate professionals. Eric has been doing the right thing all along, but Pearl gave him a third-party certification with a completed appraisal addendum to be considered at the time of sale or refinance. Of course, Eric may have an advantage over the average homeowner, as he is the co-founder of Tick Tock Energy with his brother Craig. Since 2006, the company has provided energy-efficient LED lighting, solar, small-wind, daylighting, and power management solutions for farms, homes, and commercial buildings in the St. Louis, Missouri area and throughout the Midwest.
Tick Tock Energy is the only elite Pearl Network solar contractor in our area. That’s because they (we) are the best!
“Tick Tock Energy is the only elite Pearl Network solar contractor in our area. That’s because they (we) are the best!” says Eric. Pearl only accepts the top U.S. contractors into its elite Network and only Pearl Contractors can offer Pearl Certifications.
Eric mentioned that since they have been working with Pearl, nearly all of their customers who are selling their homes or assessing their home value have been interested in Pearl Certification. “We have been calling former customers and letting them know about Pearl Certification. More than half so far are interested,” says Eric. In areas where Pearl is well-established and home assessors have been educated about its benefits, Pearl Certification adds an average of 5% to the value of a home. In Eric’s case, it was more like 15%.
Eric's professional experience helped him create an efficient home that is healthy to live in, comfortable, easy to maintain, and has PV installed — all of which led to a Pearl Certification and added value for his home, too. But you don’t have to work in the building or energy industry to do just as well. Isn’t it time to lower your bills and get the home value you deserve?
If you're interested in installing solar but are worried about its appraised worth when it’s time to sell or refinance, begin your Pearl Certification journey by opening the Green Door — Pearl’s one-stop-shop to learn about, manage, maintain, and improve your home’s performance — and obtain your very own Pearl Certification.
