What Your Agent Should Tell You Before You Buy a Home in Phoenix

What I Wish Someone Had Said Before They Bought

I met with clients recently who bought their home in 2023 and are ready to move. The hard reality is they are going to lose money on the sale.

They are not in a bad situation because of anything they did wrong. They are in a bad situation because a critical conversation never happened before they bought — and it should have.

What Happened

They bought at the height of the market in 2023 with a two to three year timeline in mind. Values have not recovered to what they paid. And on top of that the community around them has continued to grow — more new construction, more builders, more incentives and rate buydowns that resale sellers simply cannot compete with.

It is not that buyers are not purchasing resale homes. They are. But when a buyer is standing in front of two options — a resale home and a brand new one with warranties, fresh finishes, and builder incentives — the resale has to make sense by comparison. Right now for these clients it does not. And that gap was predictable before they ever signed a contract.

The Conversation That Should Have Happened

If your goal is to only be somewhere short term, that has to shape what you buy from the very beginning.

Not after you fall in love with a floor plan. Not after you are already under contract. Before any of that. Because the home that checks every box on your wish list and the home that makes financial sense for a two to three year window are not always the same home.

Here is what that conversation should include:

How long are you actually planning to be here? A short timeline changes everything about what you should be buying. Appreciation takes time. The purchase price, closing costs, and eventual selling costs all factor into whether you come out ahead — or behind — when you are ready to leave. If the numbers do not work on a short timeline, you need to know that before you buy.

What does the resale story look like in this specific community? Not every neighborhood appreciates the same way. Some areas have strong resale demand. Others are surrounded by new construction that will compete directly against your home when you go to sell. Understanding what you are buying into — not just the home but the community — is part of making a smart decision.

Are builders still active in this area? If you are buying in a new build dense community, you need to understand that when you eventually sell, you will be up against new inventory with warranties, incentives, and rate buydowns that resale sellers cannot match. That is a real disadvantage and it is worth knowing about before you commit.

What happens if your timeline changes? Life moves fast. Jobs change, families grow, plans shift. A good agent helps you think through what your options look like if you need to move before you planned to — not just what happens if everything goes according to plan.

What I Am Watching in the North Valley

This is not an isolated situation. It is something I am watching play out across parts of the North Valley right now. New construction is everywhere and sellers in new build dense communities are feeling the pressure. The market has not recovered to 2023 peak pricing in many of these areas and the competition from builders is real.

The buyers who are in the strongest position right now are the ones who bought with a long term mindset, in communities where resale demand is strong and new construction competition is limited. That is not luck. That is strategy — and it starts with the right conversation before you buy.

The Bottom Line

A good agent does not just help you find a home you love. They help you think through the full picture before you commit — including what the exit looks like and whether the home makes sense for where you are in life right now.

If that conversation is not happening before you write an offer, it should be. Because the time to figure out whether a home makes financial sense for your timeline is before you are in it — not when you are ready to leave and the math does not work.

I also share deeper homeowner and market insights every Wednesday morning in my weekly newsletter, from lifestyle stories to practical real estate guidance rooted in what's really happening here in the Valley. If you'd like those delivered straight to your inbox each week, you can subscribe here.