Is Solar Energy a Good Investment in the Silicon Valley?

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Sellers often ask me, “Is solar a good investment for my home?” To understand the different options for solar energy out there, it’s important to rank the options from worst to best. Based on my professional opinion and experience as a local agent, I’ve ranked some options for you today from worst to best.

• Solar lease: Although this was the most popular when solar came out, it’s now become the least favorable. Particularly, if a prospective buyer isn’t interested in solar, they might ask you to pay that lease off. It can be expensive if you’ve leased it for fifteen to twenty years.
• Financing solar with a principal and interest payment: If a buyer asks you to pay this off, you’re only paying off the principal balance without penalty.
• The Power Purchase Agreement: This is currently the most popular out of all options. For the most part, a solar company -- your new electric company -- will install solar for free into your home. They’ll also maintain and monitor the system without money out of pocket. You sign a twenty-year deal with this company typically, but there’s no extra cost and this reduces your electric bills.
• Buying solar outright: This is the best option if you have or borrow the money. You essentially eliminate your electric bill when you do this. This is attractive to buyers because that’s hundreds of dollars they save each month.

When you invest in solar, you add value to your home! If you have any questions about solar, please give me a call today.

Don't Leave Money on the Table When Selling in the Silicon Valley

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A lot of people ask us what they can do to get ready for a home sale. They want to know things they can do to increase their final sale price without putting too much time or money back into their property. Here is what we tell them:

1. Use good photography, especially on the exterior of your home. This will require some updated landscaping, fresh paint on your siding or front door, and perhaps you could even paint your grass green.

2. Decluttering the home is huge when we move on to the interior of the home. A buyer wants to walk into a neat, well-organized home. It makes them think the home is in better condition, and it makes it appear as if you really took good care of the home. Put away unnecessary photos and artwork to neutralize the feel of your home. Show off your counter space.

3. Staging the home is also extremely important. We can bring in a third party stager if you list with us, and we find that our stager can make your home more appealing and it can start bidding wars that result in a top dollar sale. We highly recommend staging your home if you're not planning on living in it during the sale.

If you'd like more tips on how you can prepare your home for sale, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would be happy to speak with you!

Where Is the Silicon Valley Market Heading?

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What's the state of our marketplace and where is it heading moving forward? This is the question we're asked more than any other, and we want to address it for you here today.

Here's what we've seen the market do since last year:

- 10% increase in sales price ($795,000 to $875,000)
- Days on market has dropped by a day
- The number of sales has increased (16,426 to 17,112)
- 17.5% fewer active listings (4,284 to 3,523)

During this time of year, we're often asked whether it's better to wait until spring to sell. With the numbers we're seeing now, and with as few homes available as we're currently seeing, it may be the perfect time to sell depending on your neighborhood. If there's not a single house from your neighborhood on the market, it might just be the perfect time to sell quickly and get top dollar for your home.

The combination of less competition and low inventory make now possibly the best time to sell your home. If you think now might be the best time for you and your family, or if you're unsure and want sound real estate advice, we would love to hear from you. We're always here to help!