5 questions to ask before selling your home with solar panels

Selling a home with solar panels is different from selling one without them, and many real estate agents admit they're not well-equipped to handle it. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2025 Realtors Residential Sustainability Report, understanding how solar panels affect a home sale was the single most-cited sustainability knowledge challenge among agents surveyed, with 58% flagging it as an issue. Valuing homes with solar came in second at 52%, while 48% said solar panels actually make homes more difficult to sell.

That's not the full picture. Research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that buyers have consistently paid about $4 per watt more for homes with owned solar systems, which works out to roughly a $15,000 premium for a typical installation. A 2025 SolarInsure study found the average price bump to be 5% to 10% of the home's value.

So solar can add real value—but only if your agent knows how to document, market, and explain it. Given that most agents admit they're still figuring out how solar affects transactions, the questions you ask before signing a listing agreement matter a lot.

One more thing worth understanding before you get there: the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) for homeowners who purchase systems expired at the end of 2025, which means leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs) now make up a growing share of new installations. If your system is owned outright, that's a big selling point. If it's leased, there are specific steps your agent needs to know how to navigate. Either way, an informed agent makes a real difference.

The NAR GREEN designation is the only NAR-recognized credential specifically covering energy efficiency and sustainability in real estate. It's a useful signal that an agent has put in the time to learn the category. Beyond credentials, ask how many solar homes they've sold, what issues have come up, and how they've resolved them. An agent who has navigated a solar appraisal dispute or helped a buyer assume a solar lease already understands territory that trips up most of their peers.

Given that 58% of agents in NAR's 2025 survey couldn't confidently explain how solar affects a transaction, finding one who can is worth the extra vetting.

References are standard. What makes this question specific to solar: ask for the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) addresses of recently sold solar homes so you can look up the listing details yourself. Pay attention to how the solar system was described—whether the listing called out production data or savings estimates—and whether the final sale price held close to the list price. A pattern of solar homes selling significantly under list price may indicate the agent isn't presenting them effectively, or isn't arming appraisers with the right information.

Most agents set value using comparable sales—similar size, age, and condition—from the past six months. A solar-experienced agent goes further: they actively seek comps that include solar systems, and they can explain in writing why certain non-solar comps were or weren't included in the analysis.

How your system was financed matters for valuation. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory research found that owned systems—purchased outright or financed with a loan—typically add measurable value to the sale price. Systems under active leases or PPAs generally don't carry the same premium, since the buyer is inheriting a payment obligation rather than an asset. That said, a well-structured lease can still be marketed as a feature; it just needs to be handled differently.

If you own your system, make sure your agent knows how to document it clearly for the appraiser.

Documenting solar well is half the battle. Before listing, pull these together and share them with your agent:

• System spec sheets and equipment warranties

• Two years of actual energy generation reports and utility bills

• Your original solar contract (purchase agreement, loan documents, or lease/PPA paperwork)

• Any easements tied to the system

Two tools worth knowing about: PV Value is a spreadsheet-based tool that calculates the market value of an existing rooftop solar panel system in a format that appraisers and lenders can work with. Pearl Certification provides a third-party evaluation of a home's energy features—including solar—and produces documentation that carries weight with appraisers and buyers. Pearl's process includes completing the Appraisal Institute's Form 820.05, which formally records energy-saving features in writing.

The NAR report found that 58% of agents believe highlighting energy-efficient features adds value to a listing, but 44% whose MLS includes green data fields don't actually use them. An agent who fills out those fields, prepares the right documentation, and comes to the appraisal meeting ready to answer questions is doing something most agents aren't.

The buyer's lender hires the appraiser to ensure the home has enough value to meet the sales price. Your listing agent should require that only an experienced solar-home appraiser be used by your buyer. While the listing agent can't control the appraiser's final valuation, the agent can provide detailed solar data and meet with the appraiser to help answer any additional questions they may have. The more details on the solar features the appraiser has, the less likely the home will be undervalued.

Before the inspection, all the solar system details, energy-generation reports, electric bills, PV Value®, and other marketing information should also be provided to the appraiser to ensure your solar home is appraised at the correct value. The agent should also give the appraiser the completed 820.05 form–which will add weight for an appraiser if completed by a third party such as Pearl–and their comparable and noncomparable property data with explanations.

The solar system on your roof is an asset—lower utility bills, energy predictability, and a premium that buyers have shown they're willing to pay. But that value doesn't communicate itself. The right agent brings the documentation, the market knowledge, and the confidence to make it count.

Ask these questions before you sign. The answers will tell you what you need to know.