What do rooftop solar panels do to the price of a home when you sell it?

When it comes to being spotted in the wild, solar panels in New Hampshire are roughly at the stage that wild turkeys were a decade ago: They’re still rare, but I no longer pull the car over and gawk when I see one.

But just as the growth of the turkey population has led to unexpected complications – I haven’t run over one yet, but I’ve come darn close – the spread of rooftop solar panels raises complications about buying and selling homes, the biggest financial decision any of us will ever make.

First the good news for those with PV on their roof, according to Judi Farr, an agent with Keller-Williams Realty Metropolitan in Bedford, who teaches the state’s first Board of Realtors-approved class on selling homes with solar panels. “If you have two identical houses, same features, same time, etc., the one with the solar system should sell faster and for more money,” she said. In general, she said, the extra money will cover the cost of installation.

Solar wins! Well, mostly: There’s a cautionary note regarding home financing and leased panels, which I’ll get to in a moment.

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