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Real estate professional guides
Closings · UCC liens · PACE · permits · NEMThe solar glossary for home buyers, sellers, and agents
Every solar term that matters at a home sale — NEM, UCC-1, PACE, PPA, TPO, SREC, buyout, escalator, PTO — defined in plain English.
Solar and HOA problems at resale
Approval records, covenants, condo roof questions, and the solar access laws that limit what an HOA can demand — what to resolve before listing.
Net metering by state: what actually transfers to the buyer
A grandfathered rate can be worth thousands a year — and it doesn't always pass to the buyer. How transfer works and what to verify.
Who owns the SRECs when a solar home sells?
In SREC states, certificates can be worth thousands a year — and the contract, not the deed, decides who keeps them. What agents, buyers, and sellers must verify.
How to read a solar contract before you buy the house
A clause-by-clause guide to escalators, buyouts, transfer terms, production guarantees, and liens — with a printable checklist.
100 solar bankruptcies: what every agent must check before listing a solar home
Harvard Business School reports ~100 U.S. solar companies have filed bankruptcy since 2023. The five ways a failed solar company kills a deal, a pre-listing due-diligence checklist, red flags by financing type, and scripts for sellers and buyers.
Solar leases and real estate closings: the complete guide for agents and title officers
Every way solar can delay or kill a closing — solar lease transfers, UCC-1 liens, open permits, PACE assessments, NEM tariff risk — with a pre-transaction checklist. The foundation article for anyone handling solar properties.
“Owned” isn’t the same as “clear”: the solar caveat Utah agents miss
Owned solar adds value and leased doesn’t — but “owned” isn’t “lien-free.” The UCC-1 fixture liens, bankrupt-installer warranties, unfinaled permits, and downgraded NEM rates that can erase the value of an owned system — and what the UAR Solar Panel Addendum and Utah’s disclosure act don’t cover.
The solar problems that surface after closing — and the liability that follows the agent
The lien search is only half the risk. Roof removal-and-reinstall costs, insurance non-renewal, property-tax reassessment, financing fall-through, mechanics liens, and failed lease/account transfers — the post-closing gotchas that come back on the agent as an E&O claim, with primary-source citations.
PV Value® and solar appraisal: where the Sandia income method helps — and where it falls short
A structural critique of the income-capitalization tool most appraisers use to value residential solar. Where it earns its place, the discount-rate sensitivity that swings five-figure outcomes, the post-bankruptcy blind spot, and how to pair it with comparable sales for a defensible number.
Owned solar panels and home value: what agents, buyers, and sellers need to know
Owned, paid-off solar adds 3–4% to home value on average — but only if you know how to present it. Framing utility savings, handling appraisal gaps, getting documentation ready, and answering every buyer objection before it stalls your deal.
Solar is holding up your closing: what to do for each scenario
Solar lease stuck, open permit, bankrupt UCC holder, PACE lien, payoff shock — an action guide with specific next steps for every solar closing complication.
How to find out if a home has a solar lease before making an offer
Five steps buyer's agents can take — UCC search, utility bill review, permit records, and visual clues — to identify solar lease obligations before going under contract.
Solar UCC-1 liens: what title companies and escrow officers need to know
Where solar UCC-1 filings are made, who actually holds them, how to execute transfer or payoff, and what to do when the solar lease company is bankrupt.
What happens to a solar lease when the installer goes bankrupt
Over 200 solar companies have gone bankrupt or ceased operations since 2018. How to find the current UCC holder after bankruptcy, and resolution paths for closing.
PACE liens and real estate closings: what agents in California and Florida miss
PACE assessments travel with the property at sale and block conventional financing. How to find them in county tax records before they surface in title search.
Open solar permits at closing: how to find them before they kill your deal
Rushed 2018–2022 solar installations left thousands of permits open. How to check permit status early, and how to resolve open permits without blowing your closing timeline.
NEM tariff transfer at resale: what the rate change means for buyers and sellers
NEM 3.0 in California reduced solar export credits by 75%. State-by-state transfer rules, the financial impact for buyers, and what agents are required to disclose.
Get a complete solar disclosure report before your transaction opens
SolarDisclosure™ checks UCC liens, permits, solar lease company status, PACE assessments, warranties, and production — delivered in 48 hours.
Homeowner guides
Warranties · installer bankruptcy · battery · net meteringSolar Installer Bankruptcy Tracker (2024–2026)
Every major residential installer bankruptcy in one place — Freedom Forever, Sunnova, Mosaic, SunPower, Titan — with what each filing means for your warranty, monitoring, and home sale. Start here, then open the company-specific guide below.
Bankrupt solar installer contact directory: who to call now
Direct warranty, service, and successor-company contacts for the major failed residential installers, so you know exactly who to reach for your panels, inverter, battery, and loan or lease.
Solar company went out of business, stopped answering, or lied about your savings? Tell us what happened
Free intake for homeowners whose installer disappeared, whose panels do not work, or who are paying a solar loan on savings that never came. We pass it to an independent consumer attorney who decides whether you have a case.
A solar rep will knock on your door. Here is how to come out ahead.
Pros and cons in 2026, how reps are paid and where the markup sits, buying direct vs. at the door, your leverage, the eight questions that change the price, and the calculator with exactly what to enter.
Considering solar? The 27 questions to ask before you sign
Questions for the company, the system, the money, the roof, the utility, the HOA and resale; the sales tricks named in 2026 AG lawsuits; your three-day cancellation right; a one-page checklist.
Solar savings calculator: enter your proposal, see your real break-even year
Real monthly cost, break-even, true loan cost with the dealer fee, lease and PPA escalators, what a battery is worth now and at resale, and what the loan does to your credit report. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
PosiGen went bankrupt: Renewbrook, SunStrong or GoodLeap, who services your system now
The case, the dates, the three servicers and their contacts, and what to get in writing before you sell.
Duke Energy's solar Bridge rate ends December 31, 2026
The Bridge rider closes to new customers January 1, 2027, has a yearly cap, and runs 15 years from your application date. Rider NM customers must switch. From Duke's tariff.
Arizona's solar export rate drops every September: the 2026 cut explained
APS now pays $0.05554 per kWh for new systems. How the 10-year lock works, and the 180-day install window a slow installer can make you miss.
Why every solar pitch is a lease now: the 2027 tax credit deadline
The homeowner credit ended after 2025. The company that owns a leased system can still claim one until December 31, 2027. What to compare before you sign.
Idaho Power solar export credit: frozen until 2028, legacy netting to 2045
The 2025 cut, the April 2028 update filing, and why grandfathered systems keep one-to-one netting through 2045, even after a sale.
Solar policy history by state, in order
Net metering, tax credits and solar sales laws, dated and sourced, with the deadlines still ahead.
Solar consumer protection laws by state, 2026: what is new, what is coming, and where the sales teams are going
Texas, Colorado and Oregon now regulate solar sales. What each law requires, pending bills in Hawaii and California, and the North Carolina and Arizona rate deadlines driving door-to-door selling.
Your solar company disappeared. Texas has new rules. Here is what to do.
What SB 1036 and the new TDLR solar rules change, the disclosure form that must list dealer fees (enforced November 1, 2026), what a company must do before it shuts down, and what still protects contracts signed earlier.
Six state attorneys general sued solar companies in 2026: what it means if you are a customer
Ohio, Virginia, New York, Texas, Michigan and Kansas. Every case in one table, the five allegations they share, why the lenders are being sued, and what to do if you bought from one of these companies.
Sunnova Protect: is your plan still covered?
No company has publicly claimed responsibility for Sunnova Protect plans since the bankruptcy. Enphase says it will not honor them; SunStrong says it does not serve owners. Who says what, and what to do.
100 solar companies have gone bankrupt since 2023: what it means for your system
The Harvard finding, explained for owners: what changes for your panels, warranties, and financing (and what doesn’t), a 4-question exposure self-check, six things to do now, and how to protect your home’s value at resale.
How to get out of a solar contract
The three-day federal cancellation right and longer state windows, paying off a loan, buying out a lease or PPA, and what to do if you were misled at the sale.
Selling a house with solar panels: what to do, based on how your system is paid for
Owned, loan, lease, PPA or PACE: payoff and transfer steps, who to call at each solar company, notice periods, fees, and how solar affects your appraisal.
10 red flags in a solar home you're about to buy
Hidden leases, UCC liens, open permits, bankrupt installers, non-transferring net metering — the ten checks that separate a solar asset from a liability.
How old are these solar panels? Degradation, warranty & resale value
How to read a system's age, estimate remaining production and warranty, and understand what that means for value.
Storm, outage & battery: what a solar home buyer inherits
Solar alone usually won't power a home in an outage. What backup, battery age, and storm resilience a buyer actually inherits — and what to check.
Your solar installer went out of business — the complete owner's guide
A step-by-step framework that works for any installer. Identify your equipment, separate workmanship from manufacturer coverage, protect your net-metering rights, and keep your system producing for its full 25+ year life.
Sunnova filed for bankruptcy: what its ~500,000 customers need to verify now
Sunnova filed Chapter 11 in June 2025 and SunStrong now services many accounts. Why your contract still binds, why your equipment warranties are likely intact, the seven things to verify in writing, and what it means when you sell.
Adding a battery to existing solar: does it actually pay off?
NEM 3.0 made exported solar worth a fraction of what you use yourself. The self-consumption math, what storage adds at resale, backup-power value, and the 2026 catch: the 30% federal battery credit ended December 31, 2025.
ADT Solar wound down: what existing customers need to do
ADT exited the residential solar business. Here's how to handle monitoring, warranty claims, and post-install service when your installer is gone.
SunPower Chapter 11 and the Complete Solaria transition: your warranty explained
Complete Solaria acquired SunPower's dealer network. Maxeon still stands behind the panels. Here's who holds what and how to file a claim.
Titan Solar Power shut down: a warranty recovery guide
Titan installed systems across Arizona, California, Texas, and the Southwest. Here's how to trace your equipment and file warranty claims directly with manufacturers.
Pink Energy (Power Home Solar) bankruptcy: your warranty guide
Pink Energy filed Chapter 7 liquidation in 2022 — the company is gone for good. Why the Generac SnapRS defect and its repair program matter, the FTC Holder Rule path for financed customers, and how to file equipment warranty claims directly.
Freedom Forever is in Chapter 7: file your claim by October 16, 2026
The case converted to Chapter 7 liquidation on August 7, 2026 and the claims bar date is October 16, 2026. Why your workmanship warranty is gone, why your equipment warranties are intact, and how to claim from the manufacturers directly.
TriSMART Solar closed: what Texas customers should do now
TriSMART Solar wound down in late 2025. What it means for your warranty, your monitoring, and a loan on a system that stopped working.
Get a personalized warranty report in 2 minutes
Tell us your system — we'll map every manufacturer warranty still in force, with direct claim links.