Solar home sales on the rise in Arizona

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Homeowners are increasingly worried that solar panels on their roof will deter future buyers, but a comparative look at closed home sales with solar panels in Arizona is showing a different trend.

"There's more homes being sold with solar panels now because we can actually track the data," says Melisa Camp.

Melisa Camp, a realtor with HomeSmart Elite Group, says the numbers go up every year and that 2018 already has the highest percentage of market share of homes with solar panels sold in Arizona since 2013.

"It's still only four percent but every single year that we have been able to measure how many homes are being sold, every year that number is increasing,"said Camp.

Camp installed panels on her home nearly eight years ago, an investment she says has already paid for itself and can pay off for others as well, but both sellers and buyers have to be armed with knowledge.

"There are some certain steps that you want to take to make sure if you're a seller when you sell your home you're going to recoup some of that value on your side," says Camp. "If you're a buyer, you understand what you are getting into and everything has been disclosed to you."

Camp says first find out if the panels are leased or owned, if there is any warranty and when they were installed.

"We want to make sure we know how old the system is," said Camp. "At a certain point in time you're going to have to replace the inverter. It's usually around 12 to 15 years."

Aside from saving money and resources, Camp says there are other incentives.

"Arizona will give you up to $1,000 state tax credit," explained Camp. "Right now what we can offer people is a 30 percent tax credit with no limit until the end of 2019."