How We Buy Land in Arizona

We buy vacant land in Arizona directly from owners, for cash, as-is. There's no listing, no commission and no showings. This page explains each step, what we ask of you, and what we commit to.

1. What we need from you

• The parcel. The APN (assessor's parcel number) is best. An address, a legal description or a copy of the tax bill also works. Not sure where to find it? See how to find a parcel by APN.
• How to reach you. A name, phone number and email.
• Anything you already know. Back taxes, an old survey, a well, a dispute with a neighbor, other heirs. None of these stop a sale; knowing early just makes our offer more accurate.

You can reach us at (480) 818-4105.

2. What we research

We look at the same public records our parcel research tool shows anyone: the assessor's parcel data, recorded ownership, taxes with the county treasurer, zoning, ADWR water designations and nearby registered wells, the FEMA flood map, and access. If something important is unclear, we'll ask you rather than guess. The questions we work through are the ones on our due-diligence checklist.

3. A written offer, with no obligation

We give you our offer in writing. It's yours to consider. You're under no obligation to accept, and you can take as long as you need, check it against comparable sales, or show it to family or an attorney. If you want to understand how we arrive at a number, read how to value Arizona land; we're happy to walk you through the factors that affected ours.

4. Title and escrow, explained

If you accept, we open escrow with an Arizona title and escrow company. That company is a neutral third party, not on our side or yours. Here's what it does:

• Title search. It searches the public record for the parcel's ownership history, liens, judgments, easements and other encumbrances.
• Title commitment. It issues a preliminary report or commitment, which Arizona law describes as an offer to issue a title insurance policy "subject to the stated exceptions" in the report (A.R.S. 20-1562). Anything that needs to be cleared before closing shows up here.
• Title insurance. Title insurance protects owners and others with an interest in the property "against loss or damage suffered by reason of liens, encumbrances upon, defects in or the unmarketability of the title" (A.R.S. 20-1562).
• Escrow. Under Arizona law, escrow means money and documents are delivered to a person with no interest in the property, to be released only when specified events happen (A.R.S. 6-801). In practice: our funds and your signed deed both go to escrow, and neither is released until everything required for closing is in place.

When escrow closes, the deed is recorded with the county recorder and the escrow company pays you.

5. Who pays what

• Commissions: none. We're buying directly; no agent is involved on our side.
• Normal closing costs: we cover them.
• Taxes and liens: delinquent taxes and recorded liens have to be cleared for title to transfer. The escrow company's settlement statement shows how each one is handled, line by line, before you sign.
• Your own advisors: if you choose to hire an attorney or accountant, that's your decision and your cost.

6. Closing when you don't live in Arizona

If you live in another state, or inherited land you've never seen, you don't have to travel to Arizona to sell it. The title company will tell you exactly which documents need signing, what has to be notarized, and how signing can be arranged where you live. If there are several heirs or owners, each one signs. See selling Arizona land from out of state and selling inherited land.

If the owner of record has died, someone has to have legal authority to sign. Depending on the estate, that may be a personal representative appointed in probate or, for smaller estates, a successor using Arizona's small estate affidavit, which for real property applies when the value at death less liens is $300,000 or less and at least six months have passed (A.R.S. 14-3971). We can't give legal advice, but we'll tell you what the title company is asking for.

What we don't do

These are commitments:

• We don't charge you fees. No application fees, no "processing" fees, nothing deducted from your price for using us.
• We don't sell your information. What you tell us is used to evaluate and buy your land.
• We don't re-trade without a documented reason. If we ever ask to change the price after you've accepted, it will be because the title work or records turned up something material that we didn't know when we made the offer, and we'll show you the document.

When we're not the right buyer

A direct cash sale isn't the best choice for everyone. You'll likely net more by listing with a real estate agent if your parcel is easy to sell (good access, power, water, buildable) and you're willing to wait and pay a commission. We're also not the answer if no one yet has legal authority to sign for an estate, or if what you hold is a lease or other interest rather than ownership. In those cases we'll tell you so.

Where we tend to be a good fit: land with back taxes, landlocked or hard-to-reach parcels, inherited land with several heirs, large acreage, and owners who live far away and want a straightforward sale. See hard-to-sell land.

Start with the facts

Whether or not you sell to us, start by looking up your parcel in our free research tool. When you're ready for an offer, call (480) 818-4105.

General information, not legal, tax or survey advice. First 48 Offers LLC is a real estate investment company that buys land. It is not a law firm, brokerage, surveyor or title company. Arizona statutes, county procedures and agency boundaries change, and every parcel turns on its own facts. Verify anything important with the county, the agency named, or an Arizona attorney before relying on it.