Guides
Each guide answers its question up front, then covers the details, the tradeoffs and its sources.
- Arizona property tax basics: Full Cash Value, Limited Property Value and the 5% capEach year the Maricopa County Assessor sets two values for a home, the Full Cash Value (market value) and the Limited Property Value, and most property taxes are figured from the Limited Property Value, which can rise by no more than 5% a year unless the property changes. A primary residence (Class 3) is taxed differently from a second home or rental (Class 4), so the seller's tax bill isn't a reliable guide to yours.
- Buying land in the Phoenix area: water, lot splits and due diligenceBefore buying a lot or a larger parcel around Phoenix, confirm where its water will come from, because the State has said it won't approve new assured water supply determinations in the Phoenix Active Management Area based on groundwater. Then confirm the parcel can legally be built on as you intend, from zoning and how it was split to access, utilities, septic and any hillside or desert-preservation rules. In unincorporated areas, the seller's affidavit of disclosure covers many of these points.
- How buying a home works in Arizona, from offer to keysIn Arizona, most resale homes are bought on the Arizona REALTORS® Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract, which sets an inspection period, the seller's disclosures and the closing date. During the inspection period the buyer investigates the home, reviews the seller's disclosure statement, insurance claims history and any HOA documents, and can ask the seller to address what they find, usually through the BINSR. Title and escrow companies usually hold the earnest money, clear title and close the sale.
- Postal city vs. city limits: which town is that address really in?The city in a mailing address is the post office's name for that delivery area, not proof of which city or town governs the property. Around Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and central Phoenix, the municipality decides zoning, the rules for short-term rentals, police and fire service, sewer and trash, and city sales tax, so check the parcel's jurisdiction before you rely on any of them.
- Rising or falling inventory: what it means for a seller, and how to read the figures on this siteRising inventory means a listing has more homes to compete with, and falling inventory means fewer, but neither tells you what a specific home will sell for. In the Phoenix metro, active listings rose from 9,335 in September 2023 to 18,437 in September 2026, with most of that rise coming by September 2025. The RentCast figures on this site's area pages are list prices and days on market for one ZIP code, not closed sales, so use them for context and price a home from comparable recent sales.
- What to fix and what to leave before selling a home in Scottsdale or PhoenixFix what's broken, what a buyer's inspector is likely to flag and what you'd have to disclose anyway, then look at paint and small repairs before considering any remodel. In the 2025 NAR and NARI report, a complete kitchen renovation recovered an estimated 60% of its cost at resale and a bathroom renovation 50%, so a large project done only for the sale may not pay for itself. Before starting, check permits, contractor licensing, HOA rules and, in Scottsdale's desert areas, natural open space limits.
- When to list a home in the Phoenix and Scottsdale market: what the seasonal data showsIn Realtor.com's Phoenix-area data for the 12 months through September 2026, new listings ran highest from January through April, and median days on market was shortest in February and March. Active listings peaked in April, so the months when homes moved fastest were also the months with the most competition. These are metro-wide listing counts, not closed sales or Scottsdale-only figures, so they can inform your timing but shouldn't decide it.
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