Solar Power - Shingles/Panels? Who's got what?

As I mentioned in the other thread, the wife and I are moving up to a bigger house. I'm already dreading the utility bills since the house is a monster at about 4k square feet (well...monster compared to the little house we're in now).

The only thing about this house that has me biting my nails is the heating expenses. Since it's well out in the countryside, almost all heating & cooking comes from propane The house has a 1k gallon underground tank, and the owners told me they are under contract to have it filled monthly. So 10 months out of the year, they pay $380/month. Is it just me or is that crazy high? The electricity is about $200/month.

We're getting ready to go after financing on the property starting tomorrow since we officially put it under contract Friday. Has anyone rolled in additional improvements, like solar panels, or maybe some improvements (like say furniture or appliances our granite countertops) into the actual mortgage financing. Let's say we got the house for $100k, and wanted to add $10k worth of solar panels. Will banks loan you the $110k, and just make you put $5.5k down?

Lastly, I'm not looking to create a giant solar array on my new house...nor do I want to have it look like an eyesore because it's a pretty nice neighborhood. So I have the back of my roof, and maybe the back of a detached 2 car garages roof I could use. Here's a few shots (hey, gotta show off a bit....it's definitely our dream home!)

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s671.photobucket.com/user/jdlever/embed/slideshow/Casa%20De%20Lever"></iframe>

 

Dude, you're all over the map. You won't get financing for anything near those ratios, particularly if you are keeping your other house and mortgage.

I just went through some similar scenarios. You are going to need 20% down cash plus closing costs on the new house. The bank will lend you 80% of the sale price, not appraised. The extra stuff you were talking about financing like solar won't happen. If you have the 20% cash to put down on the new place, without selling your first house, then I would pay for the efficiency upgrades with cash, assuming they were even worth it.