Why Must we Barbecue on the 4th of July?

Finally, we can get back to the American tradition of having friends and family over for a BBQ—and what better day to do it than on the 4th of July.
Traditionally we celebrate our nations’ independence from Great Brittan on this day, and this year we add to that our independence from isolation during the pandemic.
You may already have decided what you will be cooking for your celebration, but do you know why we carry on the tradition of cookouts on the 4th?

The theme originated when politicians would hold rallies on the 4th of July (which was not yet a national holiday) to commemorate our nation’s independence and have a captive audience. To feed the throngs of people they resorted to barbeque—whole hogs in particular.
The move from barbecue rallies on the fourth to backyard cookouts probably had less to do with people not wishing to endure the preaching of politicians, than it was simply more people were choosing to live in the suburbs after WWII.


GRILLING VS. BBQ—What’s the difference?

Barbeque cooking is typically cooking meat low and slow over indirect heat whether over an open pit or in a covered box where wood is used to create smoke for flavoring and preservation.
Grilling is typically done using direct heat in a gas grill or open style kettle grill using charcoal wherein the food is cooked more rapidly.

Trivia for your get-together:

DID YOU KNOW…
It wasn’t until 1941 that Congress declared Independence Day to be a paid federal holiday.
5% of all US beer consumption takes place on the 44th of July.
The name barbeque came from the Arawak tribe of the Caribbean and South America who used sticks to create a flame over a fire and place the meat on it. They called this method of cooking “Barbacoa”. The Spaniards eventually brought this form of cooking to the southern states where it took on the name Barbeque.
Kingsford charcoal was invented by Edward G. Kingsford who helped Henry Ford—yes, the car manufacturer—procure a stretch of timberland to supply wood for his auto plants. The burnt wood was repurposed as it is today into briquets for grilling.

Happy Independence Day, and thanks for reading along.

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 25 years of experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. As Diamond recipients, Drew and Christine are ranked in the top 50 RE/MAX agents nationwide and the top 3 in Northern California.  They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

For all you need to know about Belmont, subscribe to this blog right here. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Morganhomes and on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/morganhomes

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax, insurance or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

California to Offer $3,000 Subsidy for Earthquake Retrofitting

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re living near a major earthquake fault. Now if you’re unsure if you live near an active fault, this web site . Temblor, co-founded by Ross Stein from the USGS, is very useful for determining the proximity to, and estimating the damage from, an earthquake near your home.

We don’t have to go into graphic details about what could happen to your home and those who may reside within in the event of a significant earthquake, but here’s a good image from the California Earthquake Authority as to what damage can be done to homes with older unbraced foundations.

Sure one can purchase earthquake insurance, but that only helps to rebuild after the devastation of an earthquake has occurred. What earthquake retrofitting is designed for is to help prevent damage to your home, property or lives during or after an earthquake.

We did a blog post not long ago about the benefits of an automatic gas shut off valve. This article has to do with the program California is offering of up to $3,000 of a subsidy towards retrofitting your home’s foundation to help withstand an earthquake under a program entitled Earthquake Brace and Bolt, or EBB.

Limitations apply, for example Belmont didn’t even make the cut this year for retrofits, while San Carlos, Foster City, San Mateo and Redwood City along with a whole host of other cities nearby did. This is a link to a complete list of towns covered by the program this year. 

Additionally, this is not for homes with a slab foundation, or homes built after 1979, and there are other restrictions such as the height of your home’s cripple wall, so follow this link to get some more details from their short video.

The window for registration is open now and closes fast:

2019 EBB Program ZIP Codes – Registration Period will Open October 9 – November 13, 2018

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years of experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. As Diamond recipients, Drew and Christine are ranked in the top 50 RE/MAX agents nationwide and the top 3 in Northern California.  They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

For all you need to know about Belmont, subscribe to this blog right here. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Morganhomes and on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/morganhomes

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario

 

 

1812 El Verano Way, Belmont OPEN SAT & SUN 8/4 & 8/5

1812 El Verano Way, Belmont LISTED FOR $1,598,000

  • Remodeled and enhanced with contemporary finishes
  • Three generous bedrooms
  • Two full taupe-tiled baths
  • Rich Oak hardwood flooring
  • Owners ensuite with walk-in shower, dual pane windows and recessed lighting
  • Freshly updated kitchen with newer sleek modern Samsung® appliances including silent-style dishwasher, five burner gas stove, microwave, stainless basin sink—granite counters
  • Large open communal living room with gas insert fireplace, recessed lighting, and new hardwood floors
  • New electrical panel
  • New front and rear landscaping
  • Multiple outdoor dining and entertainment patio areas—grass play area
  • Two car attached garage with new modern garage door
  • Approximately ~1,220 sq. ft.
  • Substantial ~7,102 sq. ft. lot
  • Built in 1955– and updated by current owners
  • Freshly painted interior with designer colors
  • Award winning Belmont schools, near Carlmont High School
  • Sought after Central Belmont location, nearby Carlmont Village Shopping Center
  • Several blocks from Barrett Park Community Center with its many recreational activities, childcare, dog park and socializing
  • Conveniently close to San Francisco International Airport, Half Moon Bay and Coastal towns, major commute arteries, nearby parks and plenty of excellent shopping and dining options

Reports available to qualified parties

1812 El Verano Way, Belmont

HANDSOME REMODELED CALIFORNIA RANCH | COVETED BELMONT HILLS AREA | INCREDIBLE BACKYARD

Designed and constructed by famed engineer and builder, ‘Andy’ Oddstad, this rolling hills location was chosen for its idyllic surroundings and its warmer microclimate—insulated from the cooler western hills exposure–hence the name El Verano, meaning “The Summer”. This post-WWII enclave of modest homes offer spacious lots, wide streets and community friendly sidewalks—rare for Belmont’s rural surroundings.

This single level home resides upon a bluff and enjoys level topography on an oversized lot. The home has undergone extensive enhancements and has been nicely updated with contemporary finishes. New hardwood flooring is throughout the home, along with the generous use of LED recessed lighting.

The nicely updated kitchen features Maple colored soft-close style drawers, granite counters, all new Samsung®stainless appliances including a quiet style dishwasher, five burner gas stove with self-cleaning oven, and French door stainless refrigerator.

Conveniently located in the galley kitchen is a dinette area for casual meals, and the adjacent more formal dining area opens to the spacious living room, augmented by a centerpiece wood burning fireplace, and highlighted by LED recessed lighting. Access to the expansive entertainment patio and newly sodded sunny flat grassy backyard is also available from this room. The amazing rear yard is perfect for evening get-togethers and outdoor enjoyment.

The two-car garage has fresh Shield-Crete epoxy slurry flooring, and new modern roll-up garage door with sidelights and Wi-Fi compatible belt drive Lift Master opener.

It’s coveted location also benefits from its proximity to both downtown areas of Belmont, as well as convenient travel corridors. Located near the Carlmont Village Shopping Center with a variety of retailers, restaurants and popular gathering spots, such as Starbucks, Vivace and Waterdog Tavern with pet friendly outdoor dining. Other businesses include ACE Hardware, and the upscale Lunardi’s Grocery.

For shopping, Hillsdale Mall is a short drive away and is undergoing a complete renovation, with stores such as Nordstrom, Macy’s, Williams-Sonoma, Sephora and Trader Joe’s. Enjoy dining options like Paul Martin’s American Grill, The Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, and The Counter.

Belmont is ideally located on the Peninsula between the Silicon Valley and San Francisco. It’s popular because of its close proximity to major travel arteries—Highways 101, 280, 92. Caltrain and San Francisco International Airport is also conveniently nearby.

Contact us to find out why more people are moving to the Mid-Peninsula. 650-508-1441

Waterdog Tavern in Belmont-What’s in a Name?

Waterdog Tavern

We were delighted as were many Belmont residents with the opening of a new restaurant, Waterdog Tavern in the Carlmont Village Shopping Centre last year. This past Spring, they opened the spacious outdoor area for sociable dining in a “dog friendly” environment, and we now visit frequently with our dog, Wyatt.

If you see us outside with this friendly little guy, stop by to say hello!

One of the questions we often hear: Where did they get the name Waterdog Tavern?

Since Belmont is our home, and we’re quite familiar about our local history, we knew at once where they got the clever name. We asked the owners, Toby and Anne, who often get asked the same question, to weigh in for our readers about the backstory of why they picked the name they did. Enjoy!

Toby McMillan (Owner):

Our family moved to Belmont from Sacramento in 2006. Not long afterwards Anne & I were strolling through Carlmont Village for the first time, when we came upon the outdoor area where the old Carlmont Nursery used to display their huge selection of Japanese Maples. We both remarked how beautiful the space was, and hoped that someday the adjacent restaurant (Hola!) might make arrangements to serve food & beer in the outdoor space – a few picnic tables would be great. I remarked, not very seriously at the time, that if it were ever possible to get both of those spaces, we should jump on the chance.

Fast forward to the Fall of 2015. After seriously searching for a couple of years for the right space to open a new restaurant that had outdoor seating and great parking, Carlmont Nursery and Hola! decided to close their doors within a month of each other. We pinched ourselves that two spaces had become available simultaneously and set out to create a casual, comfortable, warm, inviting restaurant, where the community and those traveling by The Village could gather to enjoy great food & drinks – The Tavern concept was born. Now…what to name it?

We had come up with different names for other concepts, but they were all location specific and would not work with what we had planned for this restaurant. As Belmont residents, we wanted the name to reflect the surroundings and the casualness of the concept. One day I was talking to a friend, and they mentioned they had taken their dog for a walk at Waterdog Lake, and a light bulb went on: Waterdog Tavern! Waterdog Lake is not only a long time Belmont landmark, but is known by folks up & down the Peninsula. To add to that, we had already begun tossing around the idea of making the Beer Garden dog friendly, and with so many local residents walking their dogs at Waterdog Lake on a regular basis it seemed a perfect fit.

Now with that being said, we are aware that the name of Waterdog Lake has nothing to do with dogs, but was coined because the lake (officially named Notre Dame Lake) used to teem with salamanders, and ‘waterdog’ is a salamander nickname. Anne has fond childhood memories of spotting waterdogs in her Grandma’s fountain in Belmont. Having made the decision to make the Beer Garden dog-friendly, we came up with our ‘Shaking Dog’ logo as a bit of a play on words. A recognition of all of the waterdogs that we all know and love, including our Australian Shepard, Buddy… We mean no disrespect to salamanders and have enjoyed sharing our story with guests!

 

1918 Hillman Avenue, Belmont

1918 Hillman, BelmontCOMING SOON TO AN MLS NEAR YOU!

1918 Hillman Avenue, Belmont

Check out this Coming Soon Trailer…

  • Three bedrooms on the main level, including an Owner’s ensuite
  • Two updated full baths upstairs
  • Updated kitchen with new stainless appliances including Frigidaire® side-by-side refrigerator, 5-burner gas stove, microwave and Bosch® dishwasher,
  • Large open living room with wood burning fireplace, hardwood floors and access to the view deck
  • Centerpiece wood burning fireplace on the upper level
  • New engineered hardwood flooring upstairs
  • Fourth bedroom, kitchen, full bath, and 2nd fireplace downstairs
  • Lower level Great Room has so much space—and potential for countless uses including a possible legal income producing ADU
  • Sliding door leads to outdoor covered patio and gentle sloping rear yard
  • Approximate ~2,135 sq. ft. (per appraisal)
  • Substantial ~6,000 sq. ft. lot (per county records)
  • Two-car attached garage—laundry inside
  • Conveniently close to San Francisco International Airport, Half Moon Bay and Coastal towns, major commute arteries, nearby parks and plenty of excellent shopping and dining options
  • Reports available to qualified parties

Situated on a ridge above the Belmont Country Club Area in Central Belmont awaits this recently refurbished home stylistically offering an open layout and capturing the allure of casual elegance. This bi-level design floorplan offers a multitude of living and entertaining options.

Enter the front porch and the owner is immediately alerted to your presence with the Ring® 1080p HD video alter doorbell with night vision. Ever forgotten your keys? With  the Schlage keyless door lock system, you can even remotely unlock the front door!

The entire main floor is thoughtfully laid out with a great room hosting a dining area adjacent the all new kitchen and eat-at bar. On this level, you will find three bedrooms, including the Owner’s ensuite, two additional bedrooms, and another full remodeled bath. The main rooms are illuminated with large windows, skylights, and a sliding door that expands the usable space to the outdoors. A capacious covered entertainment deck is ideal for you and your guests to feast on views encompassing the Belmont agrarian landscape, punctuated by vistas of glowing sunsets.

Casual hardwood flooring flows gracefully throughout much of this level with a wood-burning fireplace as the centerpiece.

The kitchen is deeply functional and yet stays true to a place for casual meals and conversations. New Frigidaire Professional® stainless appliances include a side-by-side refrigerator, built-in microwave, five-burner stainless gas stove as well as a Bosch dishwasher is at your disposal for creating impressive meals and cleaning up. Rich sheik cabinetry augments the kitchen area and crushed quartz counters adorn the surfaces. A deep roll out pantry and corner caddy makes sense of the spacious area, while the natural illumination from the kitchen’s skylight helps save on electric bills.

The expansive lower level is ideal for having some separation in living spaces with its own enormous family room, fireplace, kitchen and private patio. Enjoy access to the immense rear lot with gentle slopes and create your own backyard retreat. Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) is a single-ply reflective roofing membrane made from polyprophylene and ethylene-propylene rubber polymerized together.

Located near Central Belmont, this picturesque location, known for its warm microclimate, is also popular because of the close proximity to major travel arteries—Highway 101, 280; and Caltrain. San Francisco International Airport is conveniently nearby. Belmont is ideally located on the Peninsula between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley and San Francisco.

Farm House Restaurant Soon to Open in Belmont!

We’re excited about the upcoming opening of the Farm House at 1301 Sixth Street in Belmont, which many of you may recall was the location of the old Belli Deli.Farm House Restaurant

The place sat empty for the last several years but we recently stopped by to check out what’s going on since there’s a new sign out front.

The chef, Josh, was doing some work on the refrigeration, (they picked a good day since we’ve been in a mini-heat wave).

We get a lot of techies in Belmont since were so close to the action, and Josh is no different. He was a chef for Google before landing a spot as head chef for the new Farm House restaurant.

Josh is an affable guy who seems genuinely interested in doing some simple good food.

What’s in store? We’ll let the owner Katie weigh in on the details, but Josh hinted that the menu will be down to earth farm staples like rotisserie chicken. They’ll also be open for dinner soon which is always welcome news for Belmont foodies. Josh said they’ll probably keep the menu simple at first and grow it along with the business. It appears to be more of a real restaurant than it’s predecessor with a full kitchen and sit-down dining inside an out.

Watch for them to open sometime in July, if all things go as planned.

We welcome the new Farm House and wish them the best in their new endeavor!

Belmont’s Housing Market Woes

Is the local Belmont housing market slowing?

We’re hearing a few rumblings from sellers thinking it might be a good time to cash out before there’s a full market correction. We’ve also heard from buyers that they might try and wait out the market, and see if there’s a decrease in home values anytime soon. And many of our colleagues are sharing the same sentiments, as the number of multiple bidders appears to them to be waning.

And they’re not necessarily wrong. The market has shifted as we have been espousing in several of our more recent blog posts.

But our observations on why the market seems to be “cooling” has more to do with home values surpassing the purchasing power of the average buyer, than a market experiencing a correction. Because while the mid-peninsula may be realizing a chill in the air when it comes to the number of multiple bids, the lower priced cities such as South San Francisco have never seen more activity. In reality what has happened is that the strong demand for homes under $1,200,000 has forced buyers to look elsewhere.

Housing markets tend to move a little slower than the stock market, where one may see sizeable swings in individual stock or sector valuations on a daily, even hourly basis.

We’ve been talking about the shift to a more normal market, where the number of homes for sale is at equilibrium with the number of buyers looking for a place to purchase.

We believe that our market is not there yet, but it may be getting closer. Any decline in consumer confidence could make that shift happen more rapidly.

It’s important, however, to make a distinction between a much over used term “market correction” and a more accurate term “market shift”. In fact, we’d argue that there is no correction in the housing market like there is in the stock market.

A change in the balance of supply vs. demand is a market shift. A market correction is where the market itself decides values are too high, and forces a correction with a widespread sell–off.

Consider it this way. Thousands of homeowners on the peninsula would all have to be convinced at once that the market has reached an unsustainable level and cash out to create a flood of housing inventory to result in the type of market correction that is being bantered about.

A housing market shift is typically fueled by an outside force—such as the tech bubble bursting in 2000, where wide-spread job lay-offs in the sector forced many homeowners to sell at once, flooding the market with homes for sale. That was not a correction in home values, it was a market shift.

When will the market dynamics change so that buyers are once again in control? When inventory levels surpass demand. Imagine an hour glass where the sand is slowly flowing from top to bottom. The sand begins to pile up and form a small mountain at the bottom of the glass. Until all of a sudden, it collapses. When will that one grain of sand cause the entire pile to cascade down? That’s impossible to predict. So it is in the world of real estate, that while market shifts are inevitable, forecasting when they will occur is an impractical task.

And now a look at the numbers in Belmont for March 2017:

Belmont home sales indicated the number of units sold in 2017 increased by less than 1% over the same period last year. Sellers received 1.7% more of their asking price, and the time it took to sell their homes dropped from 11 days to 10.

And while the median price for a Belmont home in March at $1,723,000, increased 18.2% YOY, the size of homes selling this March were 16% larger than last year. Adjusting for the size of the homes selling in these two periods, the actual YOY appreciation might be closer to 2%.

 

 

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years of experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.

For all you need to know about Belmont, subscribe to this blog right here. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Morganhomes and on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/morganhomes

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

 

Homeowner’s Face Mandatory Upgrades

Homeowner’s face mandatory upgrades as the state legislature has determined that it’s time for us all to remodel our bathrooms. Well, not just bathrooms, actually any part of your home that contains older plumbing fixtures. Now there’s no excuse to put off that bathroom upgrade you so desperately needed. Of course, everybody knows that changing a plumbing fixture will open Pandora’s box, and of we’ll all then need fancy new bathroom vanities and glass tiled backsplashes to accentuate our new low flow faucet.Water Conservation

In the end this is good for our water conservation efforts, as well as stimulating our economy with hundreds and thousands of remodel projects about to get on the books. How long before you have to take on a multitude of remodel projects? Less than six months it turns out.

Though this new ordinance does not rise to the level of a point of sale requirement, it is a disclosure requirement at the point of sale. It also encourages cities and counties to adopt more stringent rules than the statewide mandated “disclosure only”, so don’t be surprised if a town near you rises this to the level of a new point of sale ordinance, assuring every home for sale would then be outfitted with the latest trendy look.

Below is the text we excerpted from the Civil Code, for your convenience.

 (a) On and after January 1, 2014, for all building alterations or improvements to single-family residential real property, as a condition for issuance of a certificate of final completion and occupancy or final permit approval by the local building department, the permit applicant shall replace all noncompliant plumbing fixtures with water-conserving plumbing fixtures.

****(b) On or before January 1, 2017, noncompliant plumbing fixtures in any single-family residential real property shall be replaced by the property owner with water-conserving plumbing fixtures.

****(c) On and after January 1, 2017, a seller or transferor of single-family residential real property shall disclose in writing to the prospective purchaser or transferee the requirements of subdivision (b) and whether the real property includes any noncompliant plumbing fixtures.

(Added by Stats. 2009, Ch. 587, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2010.)

 

Disclaimer:

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

Belmont Tries to Paint the Town Red

THIS JUST RELEASED: Belmont, has hastened its pace to become the leader in paint stores on the Peninsula.  When asked what initiated this race for dominance, a senior spokesperson from Belmont said, “Let’s face it, if we can’t compete with San Carlos’ or San Mateo’s dining and entertainment options, we can certainly go after their paint stores. By forcing the unpropitious Holiday Liquor store to close, we’re now just two paint stores shy of besting San Carlos.”

While San Carlos may be known for their wide array of dining options and a vibrant downtown, Belmont continues its goal to reign supreme when it comes to paint stores.  “This is great news for the citizens of Belmont, he continued, after all what’s more exciting than paint? Isn’t there even a saying about how fun it is to watch paint dry?”

Gray Paint450

Yet there’s a real and present threat to the livelihood for stores such as Starbucks and Pete’s Coffee in Belmont. Sherman Williams for example is serving FREE coffee in their establishment, becoming a one-stop-shop for entertainment and refreshments.

The citizens of Belmont are overwhelmingly in favor of more paint stores, with comments like, “Look how colorful their store front is now” and “Who needs more social dining and gathering places when you have some many chic new palates to talk about?”

The much anticipated Water Dog Tavern scheduled to open in September in the Carlmont Shopping Center couldn’t have picked a worse time to go head-to head with more deep-pocket paint stores.

When asked for further comment, a senior spokesperson in Belmont continued “If we can’t “Paint the Town Red”, like our neighboring cities with watering holes and fine dining, by golly we’ll paint it just the same.”

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441. And sometimes, we just like to poke fun at our own town.

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

Free Solar Panels May not be Such a Bright Idea

Solar power leases may have pitfalls. We’re seeing more and more solar panel popping up on home these days and with them come issue when trying to resell one’s home. Studies have suggested that the addition of solar panels on a home can boost a home’s value. But sometimes those solar panels can sabotage a deal when it comes time to sell.Solar Power Savings

Selling Green Homes

Making the Case for Energy-Efficient Homes

Energy-Efficient Mortgages Gain Popularity

More Builders Find the Sun Is a Selling Point

Do Green Homes Fetch Higher Sales Prices?

More companies are offering home owners a contract to lease solar panels where they pay no upfront costs for the installation and could start saving on their electricity bills right away. But some home owners who sign onto these deals are finding some snags when they go to sell.

Many potential buyers are leery of taking on the leasing payment contracts for the next 15 to 17 years because they often have to qualify on credit from the solar companies themselves, in addition to the mortgage. Also, some buyers are hesitant to sign a contract because they’re concerned the solar equipment will become obsolete or won’t amount to a big savings in the end after paying the leasing fee.

We asked Solar city over to our home in Belmont for an estimate. Of course the carrot is free installation, but the savings is minimal. Since they are leasing you the equipment, they take an override on the energy their panels on your roof produce–and they sell that energy to you at a reduced rate–but it’s not anywhere close to free, as if you owned the equipment.

But we’re seeing issues trying to re-sell home with leased solar panels. Some home buyers are refusing to buy the house unless the seller buys out of the remaining lease payment stream — which could be $15,000 or more. If you’re going to eventually buy-out the contract anyway, it’s a far better idea to but it up front and enjoy 100% of the energy dollar savings.

In Fresno, Calif., a couple trying to sell their house told The Los Angeles Times that it attracted multiple offers but two sets of buyers backed out of the contracts due to the leased solar panels on their roof. The buyers felt the long-term cost of the lease agreement was too high or they were concerned about the credit qualifications they had to meet in order to take over the lease. Ultimately, the couple selling the home had to pay $22,000 to break the lease with the solar company so that they could sell the house.

With the rising popularity of solar, we already have seen several disputes arise over solar panel leases, and we expect the problem will get nothing but more frequent.

Residential solar installations are rising dramatically — up by 50 percent per year since 2012, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Before you sign on the dotted line for a solar lease, check with your accountant for tax consequences if you purchase the system, you might qualify for a tax incentive write-off. A simple home equity line of credit may be all you need to qualify to own 100% of the power your home generates.

Source: “Leased Solar Panels Can Complicate – or Kill – a Home Sale,” The Los Angeles Times (March 22, 2015)