REAL ESTATE AGENT INTERVIEW PROTOCOL Introduction

Overview of the Market for Solar Homes in Wisconsin

O1. How would you characterize the market for solar homes in Wisconsin?

O2. Do you think the number of new solar electric homes constructed by builders and developers in WI will increase, decrease, or stay about the same in the next 5-10 years?

O3. What factors, if any, do you think will tend to stimulate growth in the solar market in WI?

O4. What do you perceive are the primary impediments to growth of the solar market in WI?

General Factors in Home buyers’ Purchase Decisions for Tim O’Brien Homes

G1. What types of home buyers tend to be interested in Tim O‘Brien Homes? [PROBE IF NEEDED: What differences, if any, do you see between buyers of Tim O‘Brien Homes and other homes in your market area?]

G2. When the matched pairs of Tim O‘Brien solar and non-solar homes were on the market, did either type of house have a higher level of interest among prospective home buyers?

G3. Did either type of house sell more quickly than the other?

G4. Did most of the prospective home buyers want to look at both a non-solar and a solar house, or did they tend to prefer to look at only one type or the other?

G5. Did you work with any prospective home buyers who told you upfront they were interested in a house with a solar electric PV system? [IF YES, what were the reasons?]

G6. When you sell a Tim O‘Brien home, without a solar electric PV system, what are the primary factors in the home buyers‘ decisions to buy the house?

G7. Did you sell any of the homes with a solar electric photovoltaic system? [IF YES, What were the most important factors in home buyers‘ decisions to purchase these houses?] G8. Did any of the home buyers you worked with tell you they were not interested in a

home that had the solar electric photovoltaic system? [IF YES, what were the reasons?]

6. Phase 2 Comparison of the Energy Use Behavior of Solar and Non-Solar Households

A-7 G9. Do you think you would want a solar electric PV system on a home that you lived in

someday? [Why? / Why Not?]

Reactions to the Solar Electric PV System

R1. When you first saw one of the Tim O‘Brien homes personally, what effect did you think the solar panels had on the appearance of the house?

R2. When you showed the houses with a solar electric PV system, what were prospective home buyers initial reactions to the appearance of the solar panels? What was their initial reaction to the idea of a solar electric PV system?

R3. What specific comments—either positive or negative—did you hear about the solar electric PV system from prospective home buyers?

R4. What kinds of questions did prospective buyers ask about the solar electric PV system? What concerns, if any, did they express? [IF NOT MENTIONED, ask about any expressed concerns about the appearance of the solar panels, maintenance or durability, or safety]

R4. Did anyone ask specifically about the cost of the solar electric PV system or how much it added to the price of the house? [IF YES, what did you tell prospective home

buyers?]

R5. Does adding a solar electric PV system to a house increase the commission that real estate agents receive from selling the house?

R6. Did anyone ask you about the amount of reductions or savings on their electricity bill? [IF YES, what did you tell prospective home buyers who asked this question?]

R7. Overall, do you think that a solar electric PV system, like the ones on these Tim O‘Brien Homes, has any effect on the ease or difficulty of selling the house? What effect?

R8. Do you think the solar electric PV system has any effect on the resale value of the house? What effect?

R9. Based on your experience, if one of your clients asked you about whether they should look into buying a house with a solar electric PV system, what advice would you give them?

Agents’ Preparedness and Additional Sales Tools Needed

A1. From your perspective as a Real Estate Agent, what are the differences in marketing and selling a solar home as compared to other homes without solar electric systems? [PROBE IF NEEDED for additional knowledge and training in specific areas.]

6. Phase 2 Comparison of the Energy Use Behavior of Solar and Non-Solar Households

A2. Looking back at the process of showing and selling the Tim O‘Brien solar homes, do you feel like you were well prepared or would you have liked to have some additional preparation?

A3. Were there any types of additional sales tools or additional information that you would have liked to have when you were showing and selling the Tim O‘Brien solar homes? A4. Is there anything else you recall or that you learned from showing and selling the Tim