Selling Arizona land when you live out of state

Many owners of Arizona land have never lived here. Some bought it decades ago, some inherited it, and some picked it up at a tax sale or online. If that's you, selling from a distance is normal and very doable. The things that trip up out-of-state owners are mostly the same few: not knowing exactly what they own, letting taxes slip, and being targeted by people who know absentee owners don't watch their land.

Verify what you own, from home

Everything you need to understand your parcel is online.

1. Start with the APN. Your parcel number is on the tax statement and the deed.
2. Search the county assessor. Confirm the owner of record, acreage and assessed value. Links for every county are in our directory of Arizona county assessors.
3. Look at it on the county GIS map. See the roads, the neighbors, and the terrain around the parcel. Our list of county map viewers has every county.
4. Pull the deed from the recorder. Confirm how title is held and whether anything has been recorded against it.
5. Check the treasurer. Confirm the taxes are current.

Our free Arizona parcel research tool pulls several of these together for a single APN or address.

Do you need to visit?

No, not to sell. A visit can tell you things records can't: whether the road is passable, whether someone is dumping or camping on the land, what the neighbors have built. If you can't go, satellite imagery on the county GIS gives you part of that picture. Some owners hire a local surveyor or ask a trusted local contact to take photos. A buyer who wants to see the land will usually go look themselves.

How a remote closing works

Arizona land sales close through a title and escrow company. For a seller in another state, the escrow officer typically sends the deed and closing documents for you to sign in front of a notary where you live and return by courier. Arizona also authorizes remote online notarization. According to the Arizona Secretary of State, an Arizona remote online notary may notarize for a signer located outside Arizona, including in another country, as long as the notary is physically in Arizona. Whether your closing uses mail-away signing or remote notarization is up to the title company. Proceeds can be wired to you. You never need to be in the state.

Taxes keep coming, wherever you live

Arizona property taxes are due whether or not the tax statement reaches you. Out-of-state owners whose address changed are among the people most likely to fall behind without knowing it. If taxes go unpaid, the county treasurer can sell a tax lien on the parcel; you then have three years to redeem before the lien holder can sue to foreclose your right to redeem. Update your mailing address with the county assessor and check the treasurer's site once a year. If you're already behind, read about selling Arizona land with back taxes.

Deed fraud and how to protect yourself

Vacant land owned by someone far away is an attractive target for seller-impersonation and deed fraud. A scammer pretends to be you, "sells" your land to an unsuspecting buyer, and records a forged deed. There is no house and no tenant to notice. Some steps that help:

• Sign up for recording alerts where they exist. The Maricopa County Recorder offers Maricopa Title Alert, a free program that alerts subscribers when a document is recorded under their name. The Pima County Recorder offers Fraud Notify, a free service that emails you when a document with your name on it is recorded. If your land is in another county, ask its recorder whether it offers something similar. Owners in Maricopa County and Pima County can sign up online.
• Check the recorder yourself. Search your name and APN on the county recorder's site once or twice a year.
• Be wary of unsolicited offers that rush you, ask you to sign a deed outside of a title company, or want to "handle the paperwork" without escrow.
• Know the law is on your side. Under A.R.S. 33-420, a person who records a document they know or have reason to know is forged or groundless is liable to the owner for at least $5,000 or treble damages, plus fees, and an owner can bring a special action to clear title. If you find a deed you didn't sign, contact an Arizona attorney and the title company right away.

Your options

• List with a local land agent. A local agent can visit, photograph, and show the land for you. Expect a commission and more time.
• Sell to a neighbor. The county map shows who owns the parcels next to yours; a letter costs a stamp.
• Owner-finance it. Terms can widen the buyer pool, but managing a note from another state takes care; a loan servicing company can help.
• Keep it. If the taxes are low and you have a plan for it, there's no rush. Just keep the taxes paid and watch the recorder.
• Sell for cash. A direct buyer like us handles the research and closes remotely. Faster and simpler, usually not the top retail price.

How we handle sales for out-of-state owners

First 48 Offers is an Arizona company that buys land directly with cash. We buy as-is, charge no commissions, cover normal closing costs, and close through an Arizona title and escrow company, which sends your documents wherever you are. We aim to give you a written offer quickly, with no obligation; land with title or access issues may take longer to research. Read what selling your land to us looks like, or call (480) 818-4105. If you inherited the parcel, see our guide for heirs too.

Questions sellers ask

Do I have to come to Arizona to close?

No. Title companies routinely close with out-of-state sellers through mail-away signing with a local notary, and Arizona authorizes remote online notarization by Arizona notaries for signers outside the state.

How do I know a buyer is legitimate?

Insist on closing through a licensed Arizona title and escrow company, never sign a deed outside of escrow, and look the buyer up. A real buyer won't object to any of that.

Someone recorded a deed on my land that I never signed. What now?

Call an Arizona real estate attorney. A.R.S. 33-420 gives owners a way to clear title and recover damages from whoever recorded it.

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.