Buying a home with solar panels in the RGV: the complete guide

If there are panels on the roof, your closing has two contracts: the house — and the solar system attached to it. Here's what to know before you sign.

Owned vs financed vs leased — why it decides everything

Owned outright: the panels convey with the house, free and clear. Financed: there's a loan that has to be paid off, assumed, or transferred. Leased / PPA: you're stepping into someone else's contract with a third party that owns the equipment on the roof. These three paths look the same from the curb and behave very differently at closing.

The five questions to ask before you write the contract

1. Who actually owns the equipment, and where's the paperwork?
2. What's the system producing right now vs. design output?
3. What's the seller's current retail electric plan, and does it pay for exported solar?
4. Are the inverters, monitoring, and any battery still under warranty — and transferable?
5. If there's a loan, lease, or PPA, what are the assumption / payoff terms?

What a solar inspection actually checks

• · The array: count, condition, mounting, flashing.
• · The electronics: inverter health, rapid shutdown, comms gateway, monitoring access.
• · Battery (if present): state of health, capacity test, warranty status.
• · The paperwork: interconnection, permits, warranties, lease/loan docs.
• · The production history: what it's been doing, not just what was promised.

What happens to the electric plan

The seller's "great bill" is partly the panels and partly the plan. When you move in, the meter goes in your name and you pick a new retail electric provider. The wrong plan can turn a great solar home into a mediocre one overnight.

Last updated: July 18, 2026