Arizona Home Selling Guide

Researched November 2026.

Selling a home in Arizona is most successful when the preparation, the pricing, and the paperwork all support one another. Presidential Realty represents sellers throughout the Phoenix East Valley — Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Tempe, Apache Junction, and Fountain Hills — with a straightforward standard: A Higher Standard of Representation.

This guide explains the typical resale path, the disclosures Arizona sellers are expected to make, how costs are commonly allocated, and where to estimate proceeds. It is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.

Start with a clear picture of value and net proceeds

Pricing a home well requires more than a quick comparable-sales glance. Condition, location, association rules, recent activity in the immediate subdivision, and the terms you are willing to accept all matter.

Request a personal, broker-reviewed opinion of value from Presidential Realty on the home valuation page. You can also use the ungated seller net proceeds calculator to explore how mortgage payoff, negotiated brokerage compensation, title and escrow fees, prorated taxes, and prep or repair costs can affect what you walk away with. The calculator is a planning estimate, not a closing statement. Compensation is negotiable; there is no standard or required rate.

Prepare the home

Buyers in Arizona inspect thoroughly, and the AAR purchase contract sells the property in its present physical condition as of contract acceptance, subject to the seller’s disclosure and maintenance duties. Thoughtful preparation still pays off. Consider:

• Completing needed repairs and gathering invoices, permits, warranties, and prior inspection reports, which also make the Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement easier to complete accurately.
• Addressing visible maintenance items — paint, landscaping, filters, lamps, and a general clean — so showings and photographs present the home honestly and well.
• Checking association rules if you plan to stage, store items off-site, or make exterior changes.
• Making early decisions about leased items such as solar equipment. Under the AAR contract, leased items do not convey, and the seller must deliver notice of all leased items within three days after contract acceptance.
• Confirming that utilities can remain on through closing. The AAR contract requires the seller, at the seller’s expense, to have all utilities on, including any propane, until close of escrow so the buyer can inspect and walk through the home.

What to invest in, and what to leave for negotiation, depends on the property and the current market. A listing conversation with Presidential Realty can help you set that plan before the first photograph is taken.

Price and list the home

Your listing agreement with the brokerage should describe the services to be provided, the listing period, and the compensation you have negotiated. Broker compensation is not set by law, by any board or association of REALTORS®, or by the MLS. It is fully negotiable.

After the 2024 National Association of REALTORS® settlement, offers of compensation to a buyer’s broker are no longer communicated through the MLS. You may still choose, in consultation with your broker, to offer compensation or a concession to a buyer’s broker outside the MLS, or to address it later in the purchase contract. You are not required to offer it, and any amount is negotiated.

Once the home is listed, showings, inquiries, and offers should be handled promptly. The AAR contract reminds buyers that a seller may accept subsequent offers until close of escrow, but any later accepted offer must be a backup contingent on cancellation of the first contract.

The offer, escrow, and the AAR contract

Most East Valley resales are written on the AAR Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract (the February 2026 form was reviewed for this guide). When you accept an offer and delivery is complete, a binding contract is formed and several short deadlines begin.

Close of escrow occurs when the deed is recorded at the county recorder’s office, on the date written in the contract. Possession is typically delivered at closing unless you have a written agreement for a different date. Pre- or post-possession arrangements carry legal and insurance questions; the contract recommends independent counsel on those risks.

The contract itself is used as the escrow instructions. A licensed escrow company holds the funds and documents and closes when the conditions of the contract are met. Unless the contract says otherwise, escrow fees are allocated equally between seller and buyer.

Disclosures Arizona sellers should take seriously

The legal duty, and the SPDS

Arizona law requires a seller to disclose known material facts about the property — facts that affect value or desirability and that the buyer would not reasonably discover. That principle is set out in Hill v. Jones, 151 Ariz. 81, 725 P.2d 1115 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1986). The Arizona Association of REALTORS® Seller Advisory puts it plainly: when in doubt, disclose. The legal duty remains even if you and the buyer agree that no Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS) will be provided.

If you are using the AAR resale contract, you must deliver a completed AAR Residential SPDS form to the buyer within three days after contract acceptance. Failure to do so can be a breach and can give the buyer a path to cancel and recover the earnest money. Complete the form yourself, answer truthfully and thoroughly, attach supporting documents, and use the explanation lines rather than guessing. The current residential SPDS form (with Seller Advisory) is dated February 2023.

The buyer may disapprove SPDS items within the inspection period or five days after receiving the SPDS, whichever is later. If something about the property or your prior disclosures changes during escrow, you must notify the buyer immediately. That notice is treated as an update of the SPDS, and the buyer generally has five days to disapprove the changed item unless you are already obligated to correct it.

Other contract and statutory disclosures

Under the AAR contract, you also deliver, within five days after acceptance, a written five-year insurance claims history (or a history for the period you have owned the home, if shorter).

If the home was built before 1978, federal lead-based paint rules apply. The contract requires you to notify the buyer of any known lead-based paint or hazards, provide any reports you have, and provide the required disclosure and pamphlet.

If the property is in an unincorporated area of a county and you are transferring five or fewer parcels other than subdivided land, A.R.S. § 33-422 requires you to furnish a written Affidavit of Disclosure to the buyer at least seven days before the transfer. The buyer has a statutory right to rescind for five days after the affidavit is furnished, and the executed affidavit is recorded with the deed. The AAR contract additionally requires delivery of the affidavit within five days after contract acceptance, and gives the buyer a contract-based disapproval window.

If the property is in a planned community or a condominium, Arizona law requires a resale disclosure package. For planned communities, see A.R.S. § 33-1806; for condominiums, see A.R.S. § 33-1260. The association (or, in smaller communities, the seller in the manner the statute describes) must provide the governing documents, financials, assessment information, and related items, generally within ten days after the required notice. The association may charge the seller a fee of not more than an aggregate of $400 for resale disclosure, lien estoppel, and other transfer-related services. It may also charge a rush fee of not more than $100 if the work must be done within 72 hours, and a document-update fee of not more than $50 if an update is requested 30 days or more after the original report. Those fees may be collected no earlier than close of escrow and only once per transaction.

A.R.S. § 32-2156 limits certain claims. A seller or licensee is not subject to criminal, civil, or administrative action for failing to disclose that the property was the site of a natural death, suicide, homicide, or other felony; that it was occupied by a person with HIV/AIDS or a disease not known to be transmitted through ordinary occupancy; or that it is in the vicinity of a sex offender. That statute does not reduce your duty to disclose other material facts about the property itself.

Foreign sellers should speak with a tax advisor early. The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) may require withholding of up to 15% of the purchase price unless an exception applies. The AAR contract requires the seller to certify whether the seller is a foreign person.

What the inspection period means for sellers

Unless the parties agree to a different period, the buyer has ten calendar days after acceptance to inspect and investigate. The buyer may cancel during that period by delivering a signed notice that specifies disapproved items, or may ask you to correct or address items.

If the buyer asks you to address items, you have five days (or another period written into the notice provisions) to respond in writing. If you do not respond, the contract treats that as a refusal. If you agree to repairs, you must complete them in a workmanlike manner and deliver paid receipts by the deadline in the contract — three days before close of escrow, unless a different number is written in.

You must also maintain the property so that, at the earlier of possession or closing, it is in substantially the same condition as on the date of acceptance, and you must remove debris and personal property that is not included in the sale. Risk of loss remains on the seller until closing or possession, whichever is earlier; if repair costs from a covered casualty would exceed 10% of the purchase price, either party may cancel.

A realistic timeline

Every sale is different, and days on market vary with price, condition, and demand. What does not vary are the contract clocks once an offer is accepted. A typical sequence looks like this:

• Before listing: valuation, prep, photography, listing agreement, and assembly of disclosure documents and association contacts.
• Under contract, first several days: earnest money is deposited; you deliver the SPDS (within three days), insurance claims history (within five days), notice of leased items (within three days), and any lead-based paint or Affidavit of Disclosure materials on the contract timetable.
• Inspection period: ten days unless otherwise agreed, followed by any repair negotiations and written responses.
• Loan and appraisal (if the buyer is financing): the buyer’s loan-status and approval deadlines run through escrow; an appraisal may affect price or timing if it comes in below the contract price.
• Title and association review: the buyer has five days after receiving the title commitment, and after receiving governing documents, to disapprove items as the contract and buyer attachment describe.
• Close of escrow: the date the parties chose in the contract, which must allow time for payoff, recording, and, if applicable, loan funding. There is no statutory default closing period.

Presidential Realty will map these dates on your specific contract so nothing important is left to memory.

Seller costs, and what they are not

Your net proceeds depend on the sale price, your loan payoff, negotiated brokerage compensation, title and escrow charges, prorations, association fees, agreed credits or repairs, and any other obligations in the contract. Use the net proceeds calculator for a planning view, then ask escrow for an estimated settlement statement as the file progresses.

Brokerage compensation. This is negotiated in your listing agreement and, if applicable, in any agreement to contribute toward a buyer’s broker. It is not set by law and is not a fixed percentage.

Owner’s title insurance. Under the February 2026 AAR contract, the buyer is provided, at the seller’s expense, an ALTA Homeowner’s Title Insurance Policy or, if that policy is not available, a Standard Owner’s Title Insurance Policy. Premiums are filed by insurers and scale with the insured amount and the county. Get a quote from the title company. If the buyer wants extended coverage, the added cost is typically the buyer’s.

Escrow fees. Allocated equally under the AAR contract unless otherwise stated. On some loan programs, including certain VA transactions, investor rules may require a different allocation. Confirm with escrow and the buyer’s lender.

Recording and related government charges. A.R.S. § 11-475 sets the standard county recording fee at $30 per instrument. A seller with a mortgage commonly pays to record the release or reconveyance of that loan. An Affidavit of Property Value is generally recorded with the deed under A.R.S. § 11-1133. Arizona does not charge a real estate transfer tax; Article IX, Section 24 of the Arizona Constitution prohibits new state or local taxes or fees on the conveyance of real property (except taxes or fees already in existence on December 31, 2007).

Loan payoff. You are responsible for paying off existing loans and any prepayment penalty that applies. Order a payoff statement early so the figure on the settlement statement is current.

Property taxes and assessments. Real property taxes are prorated to close of escrow based on the latest tax information. Under A.R.S. § 42-18052, one-half of the tax is due October 1 and the remaining half is due the following March 1. Unpaid tax for the period you owned the home is typically a charge to you; tax you already paid beyond the closing date can produce a credit. Community Facilities District or other assessment liens or bonds are prorated as of closing under the AAR contract.

Association fees. The statutory resale disclosure fee is capped as described above and is charged to the seller (the member or unit owner). HOA transfer, capital improvement, or similar fees authorized in the declaration are a separate matter and are often negotiated in the contract. Regular assessments are prorated.

Repairs and concessions. Any repair work or buyer credits you agree to in writing come out of your side of the statement.

In Presidential Realty’s experience, seller closing costs in Arizona typically run about 1% of the sale price, not counting agent commissions. Title, escrow, prorations, HOA fees, and any loan payoff or repair credits vary with the property and the contract. For a personalized estimate, use the net proceeds calculator at presidentialrealty.com/tools/net-proceeds.

Closing day

Before recording, you will sign closing documents, provide payoff and identification information, and confirm how proceeds should be delivered. Be as cautious about wiring instructions as buyers are. Confirm any outgoing or incoming wire details by phone with the escrow company using a number you already know.

After the deed records, possession is delivered as the contract requires, along with keys and any means of access to locks, mailbox, security systems, and common-area amenities.

Work with Presidential Realty

When you are ready to talk through a listing plan — or you simply want a careful reading of value and net proceeds — we are here to help.

Presidential Realty LLC Designated Broker: Travis Larsen 4856 E. Baseline Rd, Suite 106, Mesa, AZ 85206 Office: 480-336-9222 Contact us · Home valuation · Net proceeds calculator

A Higher Standard of Representation.

Disclaimer

This guide is for general education only. It is not legal, tax, financial, insurance, or accounting advice, and it is not a listing agreement or a guarantee of sale price, timing, or net proceeds. Arizona statutes, case law, Association of REALTORS® forms, title rates, association practices, and market conditions change. The AAR contract described here is the February 2026 Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract; later editions may differ. Planning calculators and valuations are estimates. Consult an Arizona-licensed attorney, a tax advisor, and the escrow and title company before you act. Equal Housing Opportunity. Presidential Realty LLC is a licensed Arizona real estate brokerage, ADRE License #LC574199000.

Sources

• Arizona Association of REALTORS®, Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract and Buyer Attachment (February 2026): aaronline.com sample forms
• Arizona Association of REALTORS®, Residential Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement with Seller Advisory (February 2023)
• Arizona Association of REALTORS® and National Association of REALTORS® materials on August 2024 practice changes
• Hill v. Jones, 151 Ariz. 81, 725 P.2d 1115 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1986)
• A.R.S. § 32-2156 (limits on certain disclosure claims)
• A.R.S. § 33-422 (Affidavit of Disclosure)
• A.R.S. § 33-1806 (planned-community resale disclosures and fee cap)
• A.R.S. § 33-1260 (condominium resale disclosures and fee cap)
• A.R.S. § 11-475 (county recording fees)
• A.R.S. § 11-1133 (Affidavit of Property Value)
• A.R.S. § 42-18052 (property tax due dates)
• Arizona Constitution, Article IX, Section 24 (prohibition of new real property transfer taxes)
• Presidential Realty, Home Valuation and Seller Net Proceeds Calculator