Can you buy a house in Scottsdale, Arizona if you live out of state?

Yes. The sources I read say that living in another state doesn't stop you from buying a home in Arizona. A legal services firm that writes about Arizona says non-residents, meaning people without a primary residence in the state, can buy property here without significant restrictions, and the real estate education site FastExpert says there are no restrictions on buying real estate in another state. What changes when you live somewhere else is the logistics: how you see the house, who looks at it for you, which lender you use, and how you sign and pay at closing.

I'm Jen Keene, a REALTOR® with eXp Luxury in Scottsdale, AZ, and I'm the agent people call at every stage of their life. This post covers how each of those steps works when you aren't here, and it doesn't tell you whether buying a home you haven't walked through is right for you.

This is general information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Both of those sources are secondary, so an Arizona real estate attorney, your lender or a title officer can tell you what applies to your own situation. I checked each source on November 9, 2026.

The sources I read don't single out any one state. FastExpert's statement is about buying in another state in general, and the legal services firm describes non-residents as anyone who doesn't have a primary residence in Arizona. So a buyer in California, Illinois or New York is in the same position under what I found.

A community can also have its own rules about how a home can be used, and those come from the community's own documents, not from state law. If you're looking at a specific community, I'll ask for those documents early so you read them before you commit.

Usually on video first. FastExpert calls virtual viewings a standard practice that can be especially helpful to out-of-state buyers, The Mortgage Reports suggests going on virtual tours as soon as properties hit the market, and Homebuyer.com recommends virtual tours, 3D walkthroughs and Street View to size up a property from a distance. All three also say to work with a local agent, and Homebuyer.com says to choose one who can provide those tours.

Ask any agent you are thinking of hiring how they handle showings for a buyer who isn't here yet. Before that, I'll walk you through pre-approval and the buyer broker agreement, the same as I do for every buyer. If you're also deciding where in the Valley to look, I've written about moving to Scottsdale and about the order to handle things in when you're buying from another state.

A licensed inspector does, and you decide how much of it you see yourself. FastExpert lists virtual inspections among the things a local agent can do for you, but it also says that scheduling in-person inspections of your top choices is crucial. The Mortgage Reports says not to waive your professional inspection contingency on impulse, and it suggests timing a trip so you can be there during the inspection period.

If you can't be on site, ask the inspector how they deliver the findings, because a written report with photos is something you can read on your own schedule and send to a contractor. I wrote about how the inspection period works in Arizona, and what's in your contract is what sets the dates, so read that part with me on the phone.

You can ask, and the first thing to check is whether the lender does loans in Arizona. The Mortgage Reports says the most difficult part of buying out of state is finding a reliable lender that can do loans in the state where you're buying, and that loan officers have to be licensed state by state. Homebuyer.com gives the same advice in plain words: pick a mortgage lender that does business where you're buying. FastExpert says to get pre-approved before you start looking.

So the question I'd put to a lender is whether they lend in Arizona and whether they've closed loans for buyers who live elsewhere. Here's how financing works when you buy a home. If you're considering a second home, I've also written about buying a second home in Scottsdale.

There are two common ways, and which one you get isn't only your choice. One is remote online notarization, where you appear before a notary over live video. The Arizona notary has to be physically in Arizona at the time, and the National Notary Association says that notary can act for a signer in any physical location. Proof, a company that provides the technology, says the same thing about signers in any state. The other is a mobile notary who comes to you with the papers. Pioneer Title Agency says it can send someone to you, and a fee may apply, and a Qualia article about out-of-state closings talks about needing notaries on the ground for signings.

Everyone involved has to accept it. Pioneer Title Agency says buyers, sellers, lenders and underwriters must all approve remote online notarization before you use it. Qualia says it's not always accepted by all parties and that the settlement agent has to check the title insurance underwriter's rules, and Proof tells signers to confirm the people receiving the documents will accept them. Two title company websites, listed in the sources below, each say signers can complete a remote online notarization from wherever they are.

So ask your escrow officer as soon as you're under contract, and ask your lender at the same time, which way they'll accept your signature and what it costs. Pioneer Title Agency says to tell your escrow office right away if you want a fully online closing. Here's what escrow is in Arizona.

Your closing agent tells you how. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says you will typically pay the cash to close with a cashier's check or a wire transfer, and that you should ask your closing agent how to make the payment. It also says the closing agent may be called a settlement agent, an escrow agent or a closing attorney, depending on where you are.

Wire fraud is the one part I'd slow down for. In its guidance on closing scams, the CFPB says to verify the closing instructions, including the account name and number, by calling a number you set up beforehand, not one from a message, and that you should never follow instructions in an email. That's the CFPB's wording, so ask your title company how they confirm wiring instructions with you.

I can't answer that one, and I won't guess. What you owe depends on your own situation, and a tax professional who knows both Arizona and your home state is the person to ask before you make an offer. Ask them what changes if you live in the home, rent it out or use it part of the year, and bring the answer to your lender and title officer if it affects how you take title.

Here's how buying a home works in Arizona, step by step, and here's my post on buying a home in Arizona from another state, which covers the order to handle things in.

If you're buying from somewhere else and want to talk it through, get in touch or call me at (480) 203-6605. For anything that depends on your own loan, your own taxes or your own documents, your lender, a tax professional or a title officer is the one to ask.