Thinking about Solar? Stop and read.

Thinking About Solar? Call Me Before You Sign.

Solar can be a great thing.

But I want to tell you about a situation I’m navigating right now because it’s exactly why I wrote this.

A couple signed a 25-year solar lease five months ago. They were offered a free roof as part of the deal. It sounded like a win. Lower electric bills, a brand new roof, no money out of pocket.

Five months later, they have to sell.

And when we went back to the solar company to understand their options, here’s what we were told — no negotiation, no discounts, no exceptions:

Option one: Pay off the lease in full. We’re talking a six-figure obligation with a modest discount for early payoff — still more money than most sellers have sitting around at closing.

Option two: Transfer the lease to the buyer. The buyer assumes the full remaining obligation — decades of payments for a system they didn’t choose, on a home they’re just moving into.

Option three: Convert the lease to an ownership agreement, pay off that balance, and then transfer the system to the buyer free and clear. Two transactions, full cost absorbed by the seller, just to get to a clean handoff.

There is no Option Four. The solar company doesn’t negotiate. They don’t discount. They don’t care that circumstances changed.

That free roof is looking very different now.

Buying, leasing, or financing solar panels is not always as simple as the salesperson makes it sound — especially if you may sell your home before the agreement is paid off.

The line homeowners hear most often is: “Don’t worry. If you sell, the buyer can just assume it.”

That sounds simple. It is not.

When you sell a home with leased or financed solar, the buyer isn’t just accepting panels on the roof. They’re being asked to take on a financial obligation — sometimes for decades, with payments that may increase over time. That affects buyer interest, loan approval, debt-to-income ratios, negotiations, appraisal value, and how long the home sits on the market.

Even owned solar deserves a hard look. Many appraisers don’t automatically add significant value for solar panels. Many buyers don’t automatically see them as a benefit. Some do. Others have concerns about maintenance, roof access, insurance, or future resale. Paid-off solar is the cleanest situation — but leased or financed solar is a very different conversation.

If a payment is still attached, the buyer has to qualify to assume it, and the solar company has to approve the transfer. Many buyers are already stretched on mortgage, taxes, insurance, and HOA. Add a monthly solar payment for something they may not even want, and your home can quietly slide to the bottom of the list.

Be especially careful when a solar deal is bundled with something that sounds too good to pass up — a “free” roof, a “free” upgrade, “no money out of pocket.” Ask yourself: free according to whom? When a long-term lease or financing agreement is involved, that cost is often built into the structure of the deal. It may not feel like you’re paying for it today. But it follows the home — and becomes the buyer’s problem tomorrow.

My advice is simple: don’t take on a long-term solar obligation without thinking through what happens when you sell. Solar may still make complete sense for you. But before you sign, talk to a real estate professional who understands how this affects resale — not just the person whose job is to sell you the system.

“The buyer can just assume it” is not a strategy. It’s a hope. And hope is not how we protect your equity.

If you’re considering solar — especially leased or financed — call me first. I’ll help you think through the real estate side before you sign anything.

Before You Sign a Solar Agreement, Know the Answers to These:

•  Can a future buyer assume the agreement? Do they have to qualify? Does the solar company have to approve the transfer?

•  Is there a transfer fee?

•  What is the monthly payment, and does it increase annually?

•  How many years remain, and what is the total remaining obligation?

•  Is there a buyout or prepayment option — and does it actually terminate the agreement, or does it remain in place?

•  Is there a UCC filing the title company will need to address?

•  Can a payoff be paid from seller proceeds at closing?

•  Will an appraiser give value for the system? Will buyers in your market see it as a benefit?

These are not small details. They can become major deal issues.