Maricopa County

Scottsdale

The prettiest market in the Valley and the hardest to make pencil

Scottsdale is the prettiest market in the Valley and the hardest one to make work. You're paying for the address, the golf, and Old Town, and outside a few pockets the rents don't keep up with the prices. The short-term rental rules have tightened too, so the "Airbnb it out" math a lot of people still quote doesn't hold everywhere anymore. If I'm looking here, it's central and south Scottsdale — 85251 and 85257 — where an older house on a decent lot can still trade near the price of a new build out in the suburbs, with a much better location.

What will bite you

The HOA tax. Most of Scottsdale lives under an HOA with rules about rentals, and some communities cap or ban them outright. Read the CC&Rs before you count on renting anything.