Sunny Ray sits down with Addison Houston, founder of Arbit Financial, to discuss building affordability infrastructure that does not depend on public policy. Addison explains how his engineering background in the solar industry taught him to break transactions into parts and strip out excess margin. After the federal solar tax credit ended on January 1, 2026, he focused Arbit on returning savings directly to consumers. The conversation covers Dwell, a rental marketplace offering 20% or more off first month rent with a portable one-time $48 background check, and Loomis, a solar cash incentive of up to $2,000 funded by sales profits. Addison shares how he met his co-founder Michael Sore through a Reddit post, why he advises founders to build products they would use themselves, and which partners fit best, including landlords, housing authorities, and solar sales organizations. He closes with 90-day goals of onboarding 10,000 listings and executing 3,000 leases, plus ways to reach him.
After the solar tax credit vanished, Addison Houston built Arbit Financial to put real cash savings back in people's pockets.
What did your time in engineering teach you about how people's finances hold up when an industry shifts?
In solar, I saw affordability depended heavily on the federal tax credit. When it went away, the savings story went with it. Engineers break problems into parts, so I lay out every piece of a transaction, look at margins for sellers and customers, and ask how we can cut the excess and route savings back to the customer without relying on public policy.
What did the rental application process show you that most people never notice?
Renters can be out a few thousand dollars before they get their keys, between application fees, deposits, and first month rent. Applicants also pay again for every listing even though their information does not change. With Dwell, you pay one background check and can use it across every listing on the site, while also getting a cash incentive of 20% or more.
Was there a specific moment you decided to go all in on Arbit Financial?
Yes. I lost my job in the middle of last year, and after the solar industry got shaken up I spent a few months reflecting. I wished a privatized affordability solution existed that stabilized the sector. People's lives should not hinge on deals made in Washington that none of us have a say in. That pushed me to build it.
Why start with solar and rent, out of all the costs people care about?
Energy has been noted as a main driver of inflation, and housing costs are the next big one. Solar had a strong value proposition and urgency because the tax credit ended January 1, 2026. Rentals help landlords fill vacancies faster, and that gives us a large base of property owners who also want to cut expenses, which creates a natural cross-selling funnel.
What would you warn another founder about?
I do not think of anything as wrong, since everything shaped how we got here. My advice is to keep things as simple as possible and build something you would actually use as the customer. Do not enter a market just for the business model. That personal connection keeps you going on the hard days, and I follow that advice myself.
Can you walk us through how Dwell works for a renter?
Go to dwell.arbitfinancial.com and browse listings nationwide, from single family homes to condos and even land. Click that you are interested, and if the landlord is too, you complete a one-time $48 background check that is portable across the whole site. Every listing offers 20% off the first month or more, and some offer 10 weeks or even three months off.
How does Loomis put up to $2,000 toward a solar purchase, and who is it built for?
Loomis is for homeowners who want direct cash savings. We partner with a nationwide solar sales company, PowerPVC, and take part of the profits that would normally stay in house and give them back as a cash incentive. A cash payback is more compelling than a discount, and our long-term goal is a 30% incentive to match what the government once offered.
What are your goals for the next 90 days?
We aim to onboard 10,000 listings, which we estimate means roughly 200 to 300 landlords on Dwell, and to execute at least 3,000 leases. On the solar side, we want to close another 100 to 200 residential installs. Our team of engineers and financial modelers keeps iterating on the product constantly.
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