Buying land out here.
Rural Arizona is one of the last places a regular person can still buy a piece of ground outright. It is also a place where people get sold a landlocked square of desert they will never reach. This page is the difference between the two.
How buying from us works
Look at the parcel
Every parcel we list gets a narrated walkthrough video — satellite view down to the property line, with access and terrain called out. Watch it, then go stand on it if you can.
Pick cash or financing
Pay it outright, or put money down and pay the rest monthly. On owner-financed parcels the deed goes in your name at closing either way.
Close and record
We handle the paperwork and the county recording. You get a recorded deed in your name, not a promise of one later.
How owner financing works here
Banks generally will not write a small loan against raw dirt. That is the whole reason owner financing exists in this business. Here is how ours works.
Terms vary from parcel to parcel. Ask about one and you get the numbers in writing.
Five things to check before you commit
These are the same five we run on every parcel before we buy it ourselves. Run them on us, and on anyone else selling you land.
Can you get there, and are you allowed to? A dirt track on a satellite image is not the same thing as a recorded right to use it. Ask how the parcel is accessed and what that access is recorded as.
What the county says you may put on it. If you are planning a cabin, an RV, livestock or a shop, confirm it with the county planning department before you buy — not after.
How far the nearest power line runs, whether there is a water district, and what your neighbors actually did. Off-grid is normal out here and perfectly livable, but it should be a decision, not a surprise.
Whether the parcel sits in a mapped flood area. It affects where you can build and what insuring it looks like. FEMA's map service is free to search.
Who owns it of record, and what is attached to it — liens, back taxes, easements. Look up the current owner with the county assessor or recorder, and use a title company for the closing.
We are not attorneys or accountants and nothing here is legal or tax advice. For anything that needs a professional opinion, talk to your own attorney, a CPA, a title company, or the county directly.
Buyer guides
Plain English, no sales pitch. Written to be useful even if you never buy anything from us.
How to check out a land seller before you send money
Anyone can put up a website with a picture of a mesa. Here is how to confirm a seller actually owns the parcel, what a legitimate one will hand over without being asked, and the specific answers that should end the conversation.
Read the guide →What to check before you buy raw land in Arizona
The five checks above, done properly — where each record actually lives, what the county will tell you for free, and the order to do them in so you are not paying for a survey on a parcel you were never going to buy.
Read the guide →Water, power and roads: what off-grid really means
Hauled water, a well, or a shared system. Solar, a generator, or a utility drop that costs more than the land did. And the difference between a road you own a right to and a road you have simply been driving on.
Read the guide →How to read a plat map before you buy Arizona land
Lot lines, dimensions and easements in one drawing the county already has on file. What to look for, and what it will not tell you.
Read the guide →Selling a parcel instead of buying one? The land owner guides cover that side.
Questions buyers ask us
Straight answers before you send anything.
Do I need a bank loan to buy land from you?
Not necessarily. Most banks will not write a small loan on raw land, which is why owner financing exists in this business. On parcels where we offer it, we carry the note ourselves and you pay us directly.
Do you run a credit check?
No. Terms are set per parcel and written on the note before you sign.
Whose name is the deed in while I'm still paying?
Yours. On our owner-financed sales the deed transfers to you at closing and we record a lien against the parcel until the balance is paid. You own the land from day one — that is the whole point of doing it this way.
Can I pay the balance off early?
Yes, in part or in full, whenever you want. There is no penalty and no premium for paying early. You pay what you still owe plus the interest actually accrued through the day the money reaches us.
Can I see the parcel before I buy it?
Please do, and we would rather you did. Every parcel we list gets a narrated walkthrough video so you can see it before you drive out — but nothing replaces standing on the dirt yourself. Ask us for the coordinates and go look.
How do I know you actually own the land you're selling?
Ask for the parcel number and look up the current owner of record with the county assessor or recorder. It is free and public. Do that with any land seller before you send money, us included.
What happens if I stop paying?
Talk to us first — a conversation fixes most of what a missed payment turns into. What happens formally is written into the note and the addendum you sign, in plain terms, before any money changes hands.
Get first look at new parcels
Tell us what you're after and you'll hear about a parcel before it hits the page. No spam, no drip sequence, nothing until there is something real to send.
Rather just ask a question? Email tom@reddirtlandco.com.