If you're considering selling in the imminent future it is pretty safe to say not.
There are two main reasons for this:
1) You won't recover the full cost when you sell, and
2) whatever the solar companies may tell you, a lot of people simply don't like the look of them!
Let's consider the financial aspects first. It is an unwritten law of the property market that if you're looking to sell, it is simply not worth investing in any costly home improvements. Spending, say, £20,000 on a new roof or double glazing does not suddenly make your home worth £20,000 more than it was.
That's all very well, you might argue. But solar panels are different, surely? After all, what about all these schemes that offer free panels?
Well, as it happens, those very schemes are a persistent source of concern to the property industry - particularly the RICS, the Law Society and the Council of Mortgage Lenders. By signing up to one of them, you may not only have unwittingly violated the terms of your own mortgage agreement, but actually made your home less saleable to boot! Why is that? Basically because potential buyers and lenders alike tend to take a rather dim view of properties where someone else effectively owns the roof! Besides, many buyers simply won't like the idea of being tied into a contract that you chose to sign.
As for whether people simply don't like the look of solar panels, it purely is a matter of taste. Comparing it to wine, solar panels are the Pinotage of the wine world! From an estate agents perspective the majority of buyers we meet and talk to don't like the look of them and it can contribute to their desire to even view a property, let alone offer on it. But... on the other hand there are the buyers out there who have acquired a taste for the unique grape variety after a fabulous holiday in South Africa - these are the buyers who appreciate the green benefits and cheaper electricity offered by solar panels.
What I am trying to stress is that it really is a matter of personal taste. So do what is best for you or leave it to your future buyers to implement if they desire to. But if you plan to stay put for the foreseeable future and want to invest in solar panels then ensure you are able to buy the system outright.
One day solar panels all over the roof may become aesthetically pleasing to most, but at the moment, they aren’t. So if you are really serious about selling your home in the near future, save your money – why run the risk of alienating prospective buyers.
