Establish who owns the array
The first question is whether the system is owned outright, financed with a loan, or subject to a lease or power purchase agreement. Those are three different situations and only the first is straightforward.
If there is a loan, find out whether it is being settled at closing or whether anything is expected to pass to you, and get that in writing as part of the transaction rather than as an assurance.
If there is a lease or a power purchase agreement, you do not get the array by buying the house. A third-party owner holds it and you would generally have to qualify for and assume the agreement, so ask for the agreement itself and read the transfer terms and the buyout cost.
Ask what the remaining term is and what the payment schedule looks like, including any escalation. A payment that rises annually for another fifteen years is a liability attached to the house and it belongs in your arithmetic about what to offer.
What transfers, and what you have to ask about
Ask the utility directly what net metering arrangement the property is on and whether it transfers to a new owner. Virginia Code Section 56-594 compensates a residential system of not more than 25 kW one-to-one at the retail rate, but net metering provisions have been under revision, so confirm the current position for that address in writing.
Ask whether the system is above or below 15 kW AC if Dominion Energy serves the property, since residential systems greater than 15 kW AC in Dominion territory are subject to standby charges. That is a recurring cost you would inherit.
Ask who is entitled to the certificates. To sell them the system is registered and sold through a broker, and the arrangement may run for years. Ask who is registered as owner, whether the certificates are committed to anyone, and what happens on a sale.
Ask the commissioner of the revenue whether the locality has adopted an ordinance under Section 58.1-3661 and what it covers, since the exemption attaches to the property and is worth knowing about before you offer.
Condition, documentation and warranties
Ask for the permits, the inspection sign-offs, the interconnection approval, the certificate registration and the equipment specifications with model numbers. A system without documentation is difficult to warranty, difficult to service and difficult to sell on again.
Establish who honours each warranty and how much term remains. Panels, inverter and workmanship are commonly covered by three different parties, and a company that has left the market cannot support a workmanship warranty however well written.
Ask about the roof underneath. If the covering is near the end of its life you will eventually pay to remove and reinstall the array, which is a real cost attached to the house that a listing will not mention.
Ask for production history if any exists. Actual generation over a year or two is far better evidence than a projection, and a system that has quietly underperformed is worth knowing about while you can still act on it.
Ask your locality about the property tax exemption
Virginia Code Section 58.1-3661 allows any county, city or town to exempt or partially exempt certified solar energy equipment from local property taxes by adopting an ordinance. This is the detail most often got wrong about Virginia solar, because it is a local option rather than a statewide rule.
A guide that tells you Virginia exempts solar from property tax is only right where the locality has actually adopted an ordinance, and it may be a partial exemption rather than a full one. Ask your county or city commissioner of the revenue directly whether an ordinance is in place and what it covers.
Where adopted, the exemption is effective beginning in the next succeeding tax year and is permitted for a term of not less than five years. Ask what term applies locally, since that is the horizon you can plan against.
On the federal side, the 30 percent Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D expired for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a cash or loan purchase now receives no federal credit. Section 48E survives at 30 percent for third-party owners under leases and power purchase agreements, so ask any such provider what they claim and what of that value reaches you, and confirm with a tax advisor.