Purchasing a home in Phoenix Metro?
Read this first!

Arizona Sex Offender InfoSite
The Department of Public Safety's Web site which enables you to search for registered Arizona sex offenders by name or ZIP Code. You may wish to check this site before purchasing a home.

Beneficiary Deed
By signing and recording an Arizona Beneficiary Deed, an owner of an interest in real property located in Arizona may cause the owner's interest in the real property to be conveyed to people or entities on the owner's death. Learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of a beneficiary deed.

Buyer Advisory 
Read this document before you sign anything concerning the purchase of a home:
Buyer Advisory.

Consumer Check List
Read this before you sign a contract to purchase a new or used home or raw land.

Expansive Soil Survey
For a map indicating where expansive soil deposits are in the Phoenix area, please click here.

Fannie Mae
Information of interest to first-time home buyers

Flood Insurance
If you are purchasing a previously owned home, check with the owner and the appropriate city or county agency to determine whether the property has ever been flooded, or whether the property is within a 100-year floodplain. You will find more information through the following link: Flood Control District of Maricopa County (FIRM).
To determine whether property is with a floodplain, Click on the 'Site Map' button, then on the resulting page, toward the bottom of the right column, click on 'Form for the Flood Hazard Information Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM).' You may print the resulting form, fill in the information, then fax it to the fax number given. Five dollars will be charged to your telephone bill. The Flood Control District of Maricopa County will fax back zone information and a map. Five dollars will be charged to your telephone bill. The Flood Control District of Maricopa County will fax back zone information and a map.

Call Phoenix Flood Plain Management at 602-262-4960 to determine whether a property in Phoenix is in a flood plain. If it is, they will fax you a form which you fill out and fax back, then they will fax you a map of the flood plain. There is no charge for this service.

City of Scottsdale
The City of Scottsdale offers free flood zone information through the 'One Stop Shop'. To find out if you live in a flood zone, call Records at 480-312-2356.

Pima County Flood Control District
Other county flood control districts and other floodplain information

Freeways -- Where are they being built and when?
Is a freeway planned near the home I want to buy in the Phoenix area?
This Arizona Department of Transportation site provides maps of new freeway construction in the Valley.
Road & Freeway Construction Alerts
Statewide list of road and freeway construction

Home Buyer's Guide to Environmental Hazards
Information about Home- Buying Considerations, radon, asbestos, lead, hazardous wastes, ground water contamination, formaldehyde and sources of additional information.

Home Buyer's Guide to Geologic Hazards in Arizona now available
The 36-page color publication contains photos, illustrations and maps depicting the hazards as well as information describing the hazards, how to minimize them and where more information may be obtained.  The publication may be purchased for $6.95 (plus tax for Arizona residents and shipping charges for mail orders) from the Arizona Geological Survey.

Home Owners Association Information
For information about home owners association and community association matters, read this brochure from the Bureau for Better Community Associations and Management a part of the National Institute of Community Management.

Lead-Based Paint Safety
National Lead Information Center
Lead Paint Safety, HUD's Field Guide for Painting, Home Maintenance and Renovation Work in PDF format.

Mold in the home; is it dangerous?
You read and hear many stories about the presence of mold in homes and schools.
These web sites provide good information about mold, the problems it may cause, and how it may be removed.
August 2001 issue of the Arizona Real Estate Bulletin
April 2001 issue of the Arizona Real Estate Bulletin
Center for Disease Control
State of California, Environmental Health Investigations Branch

Mortgage 101
Information about appraisals, bankruptcy, calculators, credit ratings,
commercial loans, down payments, FHA loans, insurance,
interest rates, loan programs, refinancing, relocating, second mortgages and VA loans.

Sellers Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS) and Seller Advisory
Sellers are obligated by Arizona common law to disclose all known material facts about a property to the buyer. This SPDS is designed to assist you in making this disclosure. Contact the Arizona Association of Realtors® at 1-800-426-7274 to purchase a copy of the SPDS.

Termites
What you should know about Wood Infestation Reports
Homebuyer's Guide to Termite Pretreatments