How to Buy Arizona Land – 7 Things to Watch Out For

⬜ IMAGE: Aerial or ground-level photo of vacant desert land in Arizona: open terrain, cacti, scrub brush. Suggest searching 'Arizona desert vacant land' on Adobe Stock or Unsplash.

In this article, Felicia talks about how to buy Arizona land and the 7 key things you need to watch out for. If you're looking for rural or vacant land in Arizona for sale, knowing what points to look for can really help you find the right property for you.

The 7 Key Things to Watch Out For

When my company invests in Arizona land, we follow these same 7 points. You don't want to skip any of these steps because it could really derail your whole land purchase.

1. Confirm Who Owns the Property

The obvious first step – you need to confirm who owns the property. There are unfortunately some bad people out there who will try to scam you, and you need to protect yourself. You need to know that the seller actually has the right to sell you the property. Verify ownership records through your county assessor or recorder's office. Most Arizona counties have this available online for free.

2. Check for Delinquent Back Taxes

This is a really crucial one because you could be buying Arizona property that has hundreds or even thousands of dollars of property taxes owing, and as the new owner, you would be responsible for these debts. As the new property owner, you take on any existing debts for the property, so don't skip this one. Check delinquent tax status through the county treasurer's office or the Arizona Department of Revenue.

3. Understand the Property Uses

You really need to understand the property uses. I've seen lots of people get their heart broken because they've bought land and they wanted to camp on it or RV, but it's not allowed. Land use can be limited by 3 factors:

• County zoning
• City bylaws
• HOA level restrictions

Start at the top, and work your way down the list to really understand what you can and can't do on your property.

4. Check for Legal Access

You need to check for legal access. This is not a given for Arizona desert land! You don't want to end up with a totally landlocked property that you can only reach by county easement or an unofficial, privately owned trail. There are also properties that have access but it's difficult – you might need an ATV or horseback. Those properties are great if you want privacy, but they're not for everyone.

5. Check for Utilities

Included in the utility umbrella is well and septic. You're going to want to know if you're allowed to bring in septic and if you can drill a well, and how deep. For well permits, check the Arizona Department of Water Resources. For septic permitting, contact the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).

6. Check the Property Soil Type

Based on the type of soil, you might have difficulties building a house or growing a garden. There's a free tool that will break down the soil type for you: the NRCS Web Soil Survey.

⬜ IMAGE: Screenshot of the NRCS Web Soil Survey website (websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov) showing a soil type map for an Arizona parcel. Highlight the soil classification legend on the right side.

7. Check for a Desert Wash

Most parts of Arizona get over 300 sunny days a year, but when there is a big rainfall, it will come flowing into the washes. Check if your property has a wash running through it because it can lead to flash floods. On the upside, it also means greener vegetation and more wildlife.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this helps you buy Arizona land. Don't forget to grab your free copy of the Arizona Land Buying Checklist guide. And if you have questions about any of these 7 points, leave a comment below.

Want to go deeper? Check out our Arizona Land Buying Questions video series for more answers to common buyer questions.

⬜ CROSSLINK: Add links to '5 Signs of a Bad Land Deal in Arizona' (/bad-land-deal-arizona/) and 'Why Buy Land as an Investment in Arizona?' (/why-buy-land-in-arizona/) once those pages are published on the site.