Sell Your Solar Home on Long Island

Selling a home with solar panels in Nassau or Suffolk County? The panels are not the problem. The paperwork behind them is. I help you find that paperwork before a buyer, an appraiser, or a title company does.

Request a Solar Home Review · Call or text (631) 413-0494

I'm Christina Mathieson Segura, The Solar Lady of Real Estate™, a New York licensed real estate salesperson with Team Paley, Keller Williams Points North. I've worked in solar since August 23, 2010. I help Long Island homeowners sell homes that have solar, and I teach other real estate professionals how to handle these transactions.

Every solar home has something in the transaction you can't see from the curb:

If you own your system, there may be value nobody has documented. An appraiser can't consider what nobody puts in front of them.
If you lease it or have a PPA, there's work and time in the file. Approvals, buyer qualification, and forms all go to a company your buyer never chose, and its deadlines don't move for your closing date.
If you financed it, there's a loan, there may be a filing on the public record, and the loan may or may not be transferable.

Either way, it stays invisible until somebody looks. My job is to look early.

Watch: What happens when you sell a home with solar · More on my YouTube channel

Which kind of solar do you have?

The first question is always the same: who owns the system today, and what document says so? It doesn't matter who installed it, who sold it, or whose logo is on the panels.

If your system is…: Owned (paid in full); Who owns the equipment: You; What happens when you sell: The equipment conveys with the house; Start here: Selling a home with owned solar →
If your system is…: Owned with a solar loan; Who owns the equipment: You, subject to the lender's security interest; What happens when you sell: The equipment conveys, but the loan has to be dealt with. Some servicers don't allow transfers, so you pay off at closing.; Start here: Selling a home with a solar loan →
If your system is…: Leased (fixed monthly payment); Who owns the equipment: The solar company; What happens when you sell: Nothing transfers automatically. Your buyer generally has to be approved.; Start here: Selling a home with leased solar or a PPA →
If your system is…: PPA (you pay per kWh produced); Who owns the equipment: The solar company; What happens when you sell: Same approval process, with a different payment formula; Start here: Selling a home with leased solar or a PPA →
If your system is…: Not sure; Who owns the equipment: —; What happens when you sell: That's common, and it's where we start; Start here: Request a review →

Not sure which you have? Look at who you pay each month. If you get a bill from a solar company, you most likely have a lease, a PPA, or a loan. Your signed agreement will tell you which. If you can't find it, I can help you work out who to ask.

Why solar sellers on Long Island need a plan before they list

1. The company you signed with may not be the company you deal with now. Many Long Island systems are now serviced by a company the homeowner never chose. Former SunPower lease and PPA customers, and the legacy Sunnova fleet, are now serviced by SunStrong Management. Some solar loans have moved to new servicers too. Before anything else, we confirm who holds your agreement today. → SunStrong, SunPower & Sunnova home-sale transfers

2. Your installer may no longer be in business. On Long Island, EmPower Solar posted a notice dated March 30, 2026 saying it is no longer conducting business operations. When an installer closes, its workmanship warranty generally goes with it. Manufacturer equipment warranties are a separate document with a separate company behind them. → When your solar installer is gone

3. The timeline belongs to the solar company, not to your closing date. Lease and PPA transfers usually require written notice, a credit application from your buyer, signed transfer documents, and sometimes a fee. A loan payoff needs a payoff letter, and the public filing has to be released. None of those steps run on the real estate calendar, so we start them at the listing appointment.

4. The appraiser and the inspector may not see your solar unless someone shows it to them. National home-inspection standards exclude solar systems in writing. Lender guidelines tell appraisers not to give value to equipment the homeowner doesn't own. For owned systems, documentation is what gives the appraiser something to analyze.

5. Under New York rules, some solar value follows the house. Under New York's Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) framework, solar compensation is designed not to change just because the home changes hands, and PSEG Long Island's tariff implements it. A buyer may want to know what carries over and what doesn't. → PSEG Long Island solar: what follows the house

Guides by solar company

Look at who you pay, or who installed your system, and start with that company's guide:

How I work with Long Island solar sellers

Step 1: Solar Home Review (before we set a price). We identify your structure (owned, financed, lease, or PPA) from your documents and confirm who holds the agreement today. I ask the five questions I ask at every solar listing:

What kind of agreement is this: owned, financed, leased, or a PPA?
Who holds that agreement today, as opposed to who sold it?
What does the transfer process actually require, in writing, with a timeline?
Is there a UCC filing, and has anyone searched both offices where one can be recorded?
What happens if the company behind any part of it no longer exists?

Step 2: Build your listing-side solar file. This covers the complete agreement (every page, exhibit, and addendum), a payoff or buyout quote in writing where relevant, search results for any filings, 12 months of production data and 12 months of electric bills, the equipment make, model, and install date, warranty documents with the name of the company honoring each one, and, for owned systems, a completed Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum.

Step 3: Market the home with the solar story told accurately. Buyers and their agents get clear, documented information up front, so the solar isn't a surprise found during attorney review.

Step 4: Manage the solar timeline alongside the real estate timeline. I coordinate with the solar company or servicer, your real estate attorney, the title company, and the buyer's lender so that each solar step starts early.

What I don't do: I'm not an attorney, an appraiser, or a tax professional. I don't interpret contracts, state what your system is worth, or advise on taxes or incentives. I find the documents, flag what needs attention, and point you to the licensed professional who can answer each question.

Why work with The Solar Lady of Real Estate™

In solar since August 23, 2010
Author of Solar Agreements in Real Estate and The Solar SOS: What Homeowners Need to Know Before They Buy, Sell, or Sign
LEED Green Associate and real estate continuing-education instructor. I teach agents and brokers how solar affects ownership, contracts, financing, title, appraisal, and transferability.
New York licensed real estate salesperson with Team Paley, Keller Williams Points North, serving Nassau and Suffolk Counties

Backed by Team Paley, Keller Williams Points North

I list and sell homes as part of Team Paley, Keller Williams Points North, based in Woodbury. The team's marketing, operations, and transaction staff work behind my solar listings. My job is the solar side of the file. Here are the team's figures as it publishes them on teampaley.com:

21+: Years Experience; 4,000+: Properties Sold; $563M+: In Sold Homes; 4,000+: Happy Clients

Figures as stated at teampaley.com, checked October 13, 2026. They describe Team Paley as a whole, not my individual sales. The site gives no as-of date, time period, or data source for them. Past results don't guarantee any future result.

Team Paley, Keller Williams Points North, Woodbury, New York. Each office independently owned and operated.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell my Long Island home if I have solar panels?

Yes. Homes with solar sell every day. What changes is the preparation. How the system was financed, who owns it today, and whether the company behind it still exists all affect your timeline and what you need to gather before you list.

Can I sell my house if my solar panels are leased or on a PPA?

Yes. A lease or PPA doesn't stop a sale. The agreement usually doesn't transfer automatically, though. Your buyer generally has to be approved by the solar company under criteria it sets, and those criteria are often unpublished. If a transfer doesn't work, the alternatives in many contracts (a prepay or a buyout) come out of your proceeds. That's why we look at your options before we price the home.

Do I have to pay off my solar loan when I sell?

It depends on your loan documents and your servicer. Some servicers don't allow a buyer to take over the loan at all. For example, Solar Servicing (which services many former Mosaic loans) says it doesn't offer loan transfers, so those loans are paid off at closing and the filing is released. Your loan documents and your servicer's written instructions decide this. Your attorney can explain your obligations.

Do solar panels increase home value on Long Island?

No honest agent can promise that. Here's what's true: equipment you don't own (a lease or PPA) generally gets no value in a lender appraisal. For systems you own, the appraiser makes the call, and the documentation you provide is what supports their analysis. I help owners assemble that documentation. I never state a value for the system.

What is a UCC filing, and will it hold up my closing?

A UCC-1 is a public notice that someone claims an interest in equipment. It isn't a mortgage. It can be recorded as a personal-property filing or as a fixture filing, in different offices, and a search of one office won't find the other. Title companies often require filings to be released or otherwise addressed before closing, and solar companies don't publish how long releases take. Finding filings before you list removes the surprise.

My solar installer went out of business. Can I still sell?

Yes. An installer closing doesn't cancel your obligations under a lease, PPA, or loan, and those usually sit with a separate company anyway. Workmanship and roof-penetration warranties generally end with the installer. Manufacturer equipment warranties are separate and are claimed directly with the manufacturer. We document which warranties exist and who stands behind each one.

When should I start the solar part of my sale?

At the listing appointment, or before it. Lease and PPA transfers, payoff letters, and filing releases all run on another company's schedule, so starting early is the single best thing you can do.

Do you give legal or tax advice about my solar contract?

No. I'm a licensed real estate salesperson, not an attorney, appraiser, or CPA. I locate and organize the documents, explain the real estate process in plain language, and refer you to the right licensed professional for legal, tax, or valuation questions.

Request a Solar Home Review

Thinking about selling a home with solar on Long Island? Tell me what you have, even if you're not sure. You don't need the answers figured out to start.

Call or text: (631) 413-0494 Email: hello@christinaeducation.com

If your home is currently listed with another broker, please keep working with your listing agent. I'm happy to share general educational resources.

Educational content only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice. Consult a qualified attorney, CPA, or appraiser licensed in New York about your situation. No sale price, sale timeline, appraisal result, or solar-company approval is promised or guaranteed. Company references reflect publicly available information checked in October 2026 and can change.

Christina Mathieson Segura, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, New York State. Team Paley, Keller Williams Points North, Woodbury, New York. Each office independently owned and operated.