The Arizona Home-Selling Process: Your Step-by-Step Checklist

Read every written offer carefully with your agent. Don't just look at the price — also check the closing date, financing type, contingencies, inspection period length, and how much earnest money the buyer is putting up. A lower offer from a cash buyer with no contingencies can net more than a higher offer that may fall apart.

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Ask for the buyer's pre-approval letter or proof of funds. A pre-approval from a real lender is much stronger than a 'pre-qualification.' For cash buyers, ask for a recent bank statement showing the funds are actually there.

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If an offer is close but not quite right, send a counter-offer changing price, closing date, repair credits, or other terms. Counters are normal and expected. Don't change something you can't live with just to keep the negotiation going.

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If you get more than one offer, your agent can set a 'highest and best' deadline that asks each buyer to submit their strongest offer by a specific time. Stay even-handed — playing favorites or sharing one buyer's offer terms with another is a fair-housing and ethics risk.

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Once you and the buyer agree on terms, both sides sign the purchase contract. The signed contract starts all the clocks — inspection period, financing deadlines, and closing date — so make sure you understand each deadline before signing.

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Send the signed contract to the title or escrow company. The escrow officer will hold the earnest money, prepare closing documents, and record the deed once the sale is final. Your agent usually opens escrow within a day or two of contract signing.

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Your agent should confirm the buyer's earnest money check or wire was received and deposited into the title company's trust account within three banking days, as Arizona broker rules require. Earnest money sitting around past that point is a red flag worth raising.

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Send the buyer your completed property condition disclosure, lead-based paint disclosure for any home built before 1978, and any other known reports such as past inspections or repair records. The buyer's inspection period typically begins from when they receive these documents.

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If your home is in a homeowners association, make sure the HOA's resale package reaches the buyer as soon as it comes back from the HOA. Arizona law requires this disclosure for planned communities and condominiums, and a missing or late delivery can give the buyer rights to cancel.

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If you're selling unimproved land in an unincorporated part of Arizona — and it's one of five or fewer parcels you've sold this calendar year — Arizona law requires you to deliver a signed Affidavit of Disclosure to the buyer at least seven days before closing. The affidavit covers legal access, available utilities, flood risk, and other rural-specific issues.

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Make sure the inspector can reach every part of the home — the attic, crawl spaces, electrical panel, water heater, and furnace. Replace burned-out lightbulbs and turn on every pilot light. A clean, accessible home gives the inspector less to flag.

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The buyer has a negotiated window in the contract to do inspections. Expect a general home inspection and, often in Arizona, a termite or wood-destroying-pest inspection because of the desert climate. You'll usually need to leave the home during these visits so the inspector and buyer can work freely.

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After inspections, the buyer will send a written response asking for repairs, credits, or both — or in some cases, walking away. Read it carefully with your agent and don't react emotionally. Some requests are reasonable, some you can negotiate, and some you can refuse outright.

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Decide which items you'll fix, which you'll offer a closing credit for, and which you'll refuse. Credits are often easier than DIY fixes — the buyer chooses their own contractor and you avoid scheduling repair work mid-sale. Put any agreement in writing through your agent.

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Hire licensed contractors to handle the repairs you agreed to. Keep receipts and a paid invoice from each contractor — the buyer will want to see proof during the final walk-through, and you'll want it for your own records.

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The buyer's lender will order an appraisal to confirm the home is worth what the buyer agreed to pay. The appraiser will need access to the home for about an hour. You don't need to be present, and you usually can't talk to the appraiser about the price.

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If the appraisal comes in below the agreed price, you have options: lower the price to match, ask the buyer to bring extra cash to closing, split the difference, or order a rebuttal challenging the appraiser's comparable sales. Talk through which path works best with your agent before responding.

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The buyer's lender may ask you for documents — HOA contact info, proof of insurance, permit history, or recent utility bills. Send them back quickly. Slow responses are the most common reason closings slip a week or two.

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Once the buyer's loan is fully approved — sometimes called 'clear to close' — the financing risk drops to almost zero. Your agent should confirm this milestone directly with the lender and let you know. That's the green light to finalize your move and turn full attention to closing logistics.

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If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident, sign a short certification stating you are not a 'foreign person' under federal tax law. This tells the buyer they don't need to withhold a portion of the sale price for the IRS. If you are a foreign seller, the buyer must withhold a percentage of the sale price and send it to the IRS — talk to a tax professional before closing.

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The escrow company will run a title search and flag anything that needs to be resolved — unpaid liens, judgments, an old mortgage that was never released, or a missing signature on a past deed. Get on these as soon as they come up so they don't push your closing date.

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A day or two before closing, the escrow company will send a closing statement showing every credit and debit — the sale price, the buyer's earnest money, your mortgage payoff, agent commissions, prorated taxes, and your net proceeds. Read every line and ask questions if anything looks off.

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Arizona law requires your agent to disclose in writing the source, nature, and amount of any compensation they are receiving in the transaction. Your closing statement should match what you signed in the listing agreement, including any compensation offered to the buyer's broker outside the MLS — under NAR settlement rules, that offer can no longer be advertised through the MLS itself.

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Contact each utility — electric, gas, water, internet, trash — and schedule service to end on the closing date. Some buyers prefer you keep service on through the day of closing so they don't lose hot water or air conditioning right away; check what the contract says.

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The buyer will do a final walk-through, usually 1-3 days before closing, to confirm the home is in the agreed condition and any negotiated repairs were completed. Have repair receipts ready, leave the home clean, and remove all your belongings unless the contract says specific items stay.

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On closing day, you'll sign the deed, settlement statement, and a stack of supporting documents at the escrow company. Bring a government-issued photo ID. Sellers usually sign before buyers, and most documents will be explained line-by-line by the escrow officer.

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After both sides have signed, the escrow company records the deed with the county recorder, which is what legally transfers ownership. Arizona has no state real estate transfer tax — instead you'll pay a small county recording fee charged per page, which is much cheaper than the percentage-based transfer taxes most other states charge.

Cost: $15-50 typical

Once the sale officially closes — the deed is recorded and funds are released — hand over all house keys, garage door remotes, mailbox keys, gate codes, alarm codes, and any appliance manuals or warranties. Leave them in an agreed spot or give them to your agent to pass along.

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After the sale records, the escrow company sends your net proceeds — either by wire or check. Wire is faster but watch out for wire fraud: confirm wiring instructions by phone using a number you found independently, never one sent over email.

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Keep a copy of the signed closing statement, deed, and all sale-related documents in a safe spot. You'll need them when you file taxes — capital gains rules and the primary-residence exclusion depend on the numbers in those documents, so don't toss them after closing.

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