News and Insights

Everyone has them: broken electronics, lamps with shorts, and coffee pots that suddenly stop working mid-brew. 

But repair clinics are popping up to replace those neighborhood tinkerers who used to be able to fix anything.

The average price of residential rooftop systems dropped by 30 percent from 2014 to 2016, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association®. That may speed the adoption of residential solar. Here are some findings on the topic from the National Association of REALTORS’® REALTORS® and Sustainability 2017 Report, including REALTORS'® observations of residential solar panels on homes in their market, as well as the perceived impact solar PV may have on home value and time on market.

 Discussions about energy performance, climate change, sustainable communities, and a focus on environmental and building health, were prominent features during the May meetings, and my takeaway is that green has stamina and tentacles. This is all, of course, thanks to a driven and vocal membership who understand the intrinsic value sustainability has in the real estate conversation. 

Here are just five indications that green truly is being embraced across the NAR family and steadily gaining ground.  

Understanding and measuring a home’s energy use, features, and cost-effectiveness can get complicated and confusing, especially for home buyers and sellers. 

But nearly everyone can relate to the concept of miles per gallon (MPG).

You can prepare for the increasing consumer demand for residential solar by taking Elevate Energy’s class, Selling the Sun: Establishing Value for Solar Homes.  

It developed a 3-hour training course in residential solar systems for the real estate and appraisal industries after receiving a $445,000 cooperative award from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative.