Buying A Home in Arizona? Read This

Arizona Airport Disclosure

Required disclosure that property is in the territory in the vicinity of either a military airport or public airport.

Arizona Real Estate and You (A Consumer's Guide)

If you are about to sell or buy a house, and you need some help navigating a smooth course through the real estate transaction process, you need to read this book! Click here to download.

Arizona Sex Offender Information

The Department of Public Safety's Sex Offender InfoCenter website enables you to search for registered Arizona sex offenders by name or ZIP Code. You may wish to check this site before purchasing a home.

Expansive Soil Survey

Expansive soil deposits can cause damage to homes built on them. Subdivision developers are required to disclose the existence of expansive soils and any remedies taken in their Public Report on file with the Department.

For a maps indicating where expansive soil deposits are in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, please click here.

Flood Insurance

Is the home or vacant land you are considering buying within a Special Flood Hazard Area? Do you need flood insurance? It is very important to have answers to these questions not only when purchasing a home in a subdivision, but when constructing a custom home or purchasing undeveloped (raw) land.

Your regular home owner's policy does not cover flood losses. Flood insurance is a separate policy. It is available to every resident in most if not all Arizona communities. Renters are eligible to purchase "contents only" flood insurance. Owners can purchase both building and contents coverage.

If you are purchasing a previously owned home, check with the owner and the appropriate city or county agency to determine whether the property has ever been flooded, or whether the property is within a 100-year floodplain. You will find more information through the following link:

County Flood Control Districts & Other Arizona Floodplain Information - Click on this link to determine whether any Arizona property is within a floodplain.

Freeways

Is a freeway planned in the area near the home you want to buy? The Arizona Department of Transportation Intermodal Transport Division website provides schedules, maps and other information of new freeway construction in the state.

Home Buyer's Guide to Environmental Hazards

Click here for information about home-buying considerations, radon, asbestos, lead, hazardous wastes, ground water contamination, formaldehyde and sources of additional information

Home Buyer's Guide to Geologic Hazards

This publication from the State of Arizona Geological Survey can assist those who are considering buying a house or raw land. The publication describes the most widespread and common geologic hazards such as floods, earthquakes, mass movement (landslides), subsidence and fissures, radon and other factors to consider before buying or building. The 36-page color publication contains photos, illustrations and maps depicting the hazards as well as information describing the hazards, how to minimize them and where more information may be obtained. The publication may be purchased from the Arizona Geological Survey website. You may also order the publication by calling the Arizona Geological Survey in Tucson at 520-770-3500.

Home Owners Association Information

For information about home owners association and community association matters, contact the National Institute of Community Management.

Lead-Based Paint Safey

For information about lead-based paint, read Lead Paint Safety, HUD's Field Guide for Painting, Home Maintenance and Renovation Work.

Mold in The Home

You read and hear many stories about the presence of mold in homes and schools. These web sites provide good information about mold, the problems it may cause, and how it may be removed.

Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS) and Seller Advisory

Sellers are obligated by Arizona common law to disclose all known material facts about a property to the buyer. This SPDS is designed to assist you in making this disclosure. Contact the Arizona Association of Realtors ® at 1-800-426-7274 to purchase a copy of the SPDS.

K. Michelle Lind, General Counsel for the Arizona Association of Realtors®, has written two important articles about seller disclosure. They are: "Residential Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement" and "Every buyer is entitled to a SPDS".

The fact that a property is in a homeowners association must also be disclosed.

Termites

The Structural Pest Control Commission website contains information about what you should know about Wood Infestation Reports. They also have a homebuyers guide to termite treatments made before or during construction.

Title Insurance

For a list of title insurance resources, visit the Arizona Department of Insurance website at www.id.state.az.us/consumerautohome.html#titleresource