Selling a Home With Solar Panels in Florida

Owned vs. Leased: The Whole Story in One Line

Owned, paid-off solar panels are a selling point. Leased panels are a complication. Everything in this guide flows from that difference.

Selling With Owned Panels

If you own your system outright — paid cash or paid off the loan — solar is an asset when you sell. Here is why buyers like it:

• Lower electric bills from day one. In Orlando's heat, a buyer looking at two similar homes will notice the one with a $40 electric bill.
• Locked-in power costs. Utility rates rise over time. Your panels make power at a fixed cost — zero, once paid off. That is attractive in any market.
• Hurricane resilience story. Florida buyers think about storms. Panels plus the option to add a battery is a real selling feature.

What to give the buyer

Put together a simple solar folder for the sale:

• System size, panel and inverter models, and install date.
• A year of electric bills showing before-and-after savings — this is your best sales tool.
• Warranty paperwork (panel, inverter, and workmanship warranties transfer to the new owner).
• Monitoring app login instructions.
• Net metering paperwork with Duke Energy or OUC, and any transfer forms the utility needs.

If you still have a solar loan

You have two options: pay it off at closing from your proceeds (cleanest), or have the buyer assume it (possible with some lenders, but adds friction). Talk to your lender early — not the week before closing. Most sellers just pay it off and price the home to reflect the owned system.

Selling With Leased Panels (or a PPA)

This is where deals get complicated. With a lease or PPA, the solar company owns the equipment — and the new buyer has to take over your contract.

What has to happen

• The buyer must qualify. The leasing company runs the buyer's credit, just like they ran yours. If the buyer does not qualify, the deal stalls.
• The buyer must agree to the payments. Some buyers love the lower bills. Others do not want a 20-year obligation they did not choose.
• Paperwork takes time. Lease transfers add weeks to a closing timeline. Start the process the day you list, not the day you get an offer.

Your options if the buyer balks

• Buy out the lease yourself before listing, turning leased panels into owned panels.
• Offer a credit at closing to sweeten the transfer.
• Have the system removed — the expensive last resort, and the leasing company may charge removal fees.

None of these are deal-killers, but they are real friction. This is one of the honest trade-offs of leasing — see our lease vs. buy guide.

What to Tell Your Realtor

Many agents have never sold a solar home. Brief yours:

• Is the system owned or leased? (This is the first question every buyer's agent will ask.)
• What are the actual bill savings? Show real bills, not estimates.
• How old is the system, and what warranties transfer?
• List the panels as a feature in the MLS description — owned solar, $35 average electric bill gets attention.

Does Solar Raise Your Appraisal?

Appraisers can count owned solar as a home improvement, but practices vary. Give your appraiser the system cost, the age, and your bill savings documentation. Leased systems generally add no appraised value since you do not own them. We will not quote you a national solar adds X% statistic — local appraisers decide, and it varies.

Thinking of Selling? Plan Ahead

The smoothest solar home sales start planning months before listing — especially with a lease transfer. If you are thinking about selling, or about getting solar before you sell, fill out our contact form and we will give you straight advice for your situation.