North Phoenix · Second Homes
Resort and Second Homes in North Phoenix
Buying a second home in Scottsdale, from someone who holds the Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist designation.
The thing that confuses buyers here works in your favor
On every other page about this area I describe the two-association structure as the trap. For a second home it is the feature, and it is the main reason to look here rather than somewhere with more land.
A property in a second association frequently has the exterior, the roof and all the landscaping handled for you. For somebody in the house eight months a year that is a monthly cost. For somebody here three months a year it is the entire empty-season problem solved by one decision at purchase.
I hold the RSPS designation, the resort and second-home certification, and most of what it is genuinely useful for is this: matching the structure of the property to how much of the year you will actually be in it.
Talk to me about a second home
What to look at, in order
Toscana is gated luxury condominiums immediately beside High Street, and it is the most walkable address in this part of the city. Restaurants and events are outside the gate rather than a drive away, which for a second home is worth more than square footage.
Villages at Aviano is the attached version of Aviano, roughly 1,200 to just over 2,000 square feet, with access to the Aviano residents' center. Bella Monte is condominiums and townhomes from the mid 2000s into the 2010s, generally 1,400 to 1,900 square feet.
A detached home in Aviano, Fireside or Sanctuary is also perfectly viable, and it moves you back toward having a list while you are away. That is a fine trade if you want the space. It should be a decision rather than something you discover.
If you buy detached, this is the empty-season list
Irrigation checked at the start of summer rather than assumed. A controller that fails in June is discovered in October by which point the planting is gone, and replacing established landscaping is expensive.
Pool service with somebody reporting back to you, not simply invoicing you.
A pest contract, which matters more on a desert lot than people coming from other states expect.
Somebody with a key who physically walks the property monthly. Not a camera. A person who will notice a smell, a stain on a ceiling or a dead tree.
And a call to your insurer, because many policies change terms once a property sits unoccupied for an extended period, and that is worth confirming rather than discovering after a claim.
If renting it out is part of the plan
Settle this before you buy, because it changes which properties make sense.
Short-term rental rules in Arizona are set at state level and cities are limited in what they may impose, but registration and local requirements still apply and they do change. Separately, an association can restrict rentals regardless of what the city permits, and that is common in exactly the attached communities that otherwise suit a second home best. Minimum lease terms that rule out short stays are the usual form.
So the order is: decide whether renting matters, let me confirm the association's actual governing documents and the current city requirements for that specific address, then shortlist.
I will point you at the current rules rather than paraphrase them from memory, because this is an area where being roughly right is worse than useless.
What you are within reach of
Desert Ridge Marketplace carries more than a hundred brands across an open-air layout, with a central district, outdoor gathering space and a splash pad. High Street sits alongside it. The JW Marriott resort campus and Wildfire Golf Club are inside the same master plan.
The freeway position is the practical advantage for somebody flying in and out. The Loop 101 runs along the south side and State Route 51 meets it just to the west, so Sky Harbor is not a project at either end of a trip.
And north Scottsdale is a few minutes east, which means Kierland, Scottsdale Quarter, TPC Scottsdale and the golf are all available to you without owning an address there.
Buying this from somewhere else
Most second-home buyers here are not in Arizona when they decide, and that works when the process is built for it.
I walk properties with a camera and give you my own read, including the empty-season problems a listing will never mention. I confirm the full association position, the rental restrictions and what the property will need while you are gone, before you get attached to it.
If a particular property is going to be more work than you want, I will say so. A second home that becomes a chore is a bad purchase at any price.
Call me on (480) 203-6605.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the two-association structure a problem for a second home?
For a second home it is the advantage. A property in a second association frequently has the exterior, the roof and all the landscaping handled. For somebody here eight months a year that is a monthly cost. For somebody here three months a year it solves the entire empty-season problem with one decision at purchase.
Where should I look for a lock-and-leave here?
Toscana is gated condominiums beside High Street and the most walkable address in this part of the city, with restaurants and events outside the gate. Villages at Aviano is the attached version of Aviano with access to its residents' center. Bella Monte is condominiums and townhomes from the mid 2000s into the 2010s.
Can I rent out a second home in Desert Ridge?
Settle it before buying. Arizona sets short-term rental rules at state level and cities are limited in what they can impose, but registration and local requirements apply and change. Separately, associations can restrict rentals regardless, and that is common in exactly the attached communities that otherwise suit a second home best, usually via minimum lease terms.
What if I buy a detached home instead?
Then you have a list while you are away: irrigation checked at the start of summer rather than assumed, pool service with someone reporting back, a pest contract, somebody with a key walking it monthly, and a call to your insurer since many policies change terms once a property sits unoccupied. That is a fine trade for the space, but it should be a decision.
North Phoenix
What second homes looks like in North Phoenix
Desert neighborhoods with mountain views and more home for the money than comparable addresses further east.
This part of North Phoenix sits right against the Scottsdale line, and that one fact is most of the argument for living here. Kierland, Scottsdale Quarter, the Airpark, Grayhawk, DC Ranch and Mayo Clinic are all an easy drive. You get to use north Scottsdale without paying for a Scottsdale address.
Most of what people mean by North Phoenix here is Desert Ridge, which is larger than it sounds at roughly 5,700 acres. It came out of a City of Phoenix plan adopted in 1991, on state land held under ground lease, and the first homes were occupied in 1995. Everything in it was decided before any of it was built.
- The homes
- One name covering a very wide range. Amenity communities with their own residents' centers, Aviano and Fireside chief among them. Newer construction inside an established area, Sanctuary from around 2015 and Talinn from about 2022. Lock-and-leave condominiums and townhomes at Toscana, Bella Monte and Villages at Aviano. Established single-family from the late 1990s at Stonecrest, Lockwood Estates, Sierra Pass and Ironwood Greens. And entry points without a private clubhouse at Wildcat Ridge, Fiesta and Glen Eagle. Sky Crossing and Tatum Highlands sit just outside and belong in the same search.
- Why people choose it
- The common thread is people who worked out that the things they drive to are mostly east of here, and that they did not need the address to use them. The other draw is that the houses stop about fifteen minutes north and the desert starts.
- Schools people ask about
- Paradise Valley Unified serves much of this area. District boundaries here do not follow neighborhood names, and a listing is not a reliable source for the assignment, so confirm it for the specific address before it matters to you.
- Getting around
- The freeway position is better than almost anywhere further north. The Loop 101 runs along the south side, State Route 51 meets it just to the west, and the 101 carries you west to the I-17 for Sedona or Flagstaff. Sky Harbor, downtown Phoenix and north Scottsdale are all reachable without any of them being a project.
- Nearby
- Desert Ridge Marketplace with more than a hundred brands in an open-air layout, High Street next to it, the JW Marriott resort campus and Wildfire Golf Club. Mayo Clinic is a short drive east. Tatum Highlands has John W. Teets Park, a City of Phoenix park with grass, basketball, sand volleyball, playgrounds, fitness stations and paths, instead of a private clubhouse.
- The trade-off
- Against north Scottsdale you get much of the same access for less money, and you give up the Scottsdale address and Scottsdale city services. Against the newer communities further out you give up land and get a far better freeway position. And against a single-association community anywhere, you take on the work of checking what the total across two associations actually buys at your specific address.
The method
How we do it in North Phoenix
Second Homes: keep exploring
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