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Golf course living in the Northeast Valley is not only a seven figure purchase. Of the 47 Northeast Valley golf communities on our golf course communities table, 19 had a median sale price under $1 million over the past 12 months, and together they accounted for 1,449 of the 3,209 home sales, about 45%. Here is how to find them on our map, and what the numbers do and do not tell you.
What the data says
- Golf community homes for sale, county wide: 4,151 listed across the golf communities on our map page (ARMLS via Flexmls, as of November 3, 2026)
- Northeast Valley golf communities under a $1 million median: 19 of 47, with 1,449 of 3,209 sales, about 45% (calculated from the golf course communities table, 12 months to November 3, 2026)
- Busiest under $1 million communities: Desert Ridge (Wildfire) 377 sales at $720,000 and Grayhawk 197 sales at $775,000 (12 months to November 3, 2026)
- Private clubs under $1 million: Verde River $936,950, Tonto Verde $917,500, Anthem Country Club $695,500, Rio Verde $648,750, Tatum Ranch $626,500 (12 months to November 3, 2026)
- Lowest Northeast Valley medians: Scottsdale Shadows $255,000, Stonecreek $315,000, Pointe at Tapatio Cliffs $335,000 (12 months to November 3, 2026)
- Just over the line: McCormick Ranch $1,027,000, Terravita $1,066,250, McDowell Mountain Ranch $1,111,500 (12 months to November 3, 2026)
For this count we used every community on the table in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Carefree, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Rio Verde, Anthem, and north and central Phoenix, and left out Ahwatukee and the South Mountain area.
How to find golf homes under $1 million on the map
Open our golf course communities map and start with the price shading. Each community outline is colored by its 12 month median sale price, and the map key steps from $400K to $600K, $1M, $2M, and $3M. Match each outline's color to the key, and you can spot the communities below $1 million in an area in a few seconds.
Step 1: Zoom to your area
Use the Zoom to buttons above the map. When we clicked "Scottsdale and Paradise Valley," the map framed Scottsdale from McCormick Ranch north to Troon North, with Desert Ridge, Carefree, and the west edge of Fountain Hills in view. Other buttons cover Carefree, Cave Creek and Fountain Hills, Phoenix, and the rest of the county, and the plus and minus buttons zoom further. To see how these golf areas fit with the towns and non golf neighborhoods around them, compare with our Northeast Valley map.
Step 2: Filter by how the course works
The All, Private clubs, and Public courses buttons change which communities show. When we tested it this week, Private clubs narrowed the list to 38 communities and courses county wide. Under $1 million, the Northeast Valley list is close to evenly split: 10 public course communities, 8 private club communities, and 1 resort course community, by our count from the table.
Step 3: Search or tap a community
Type a name in the search box, or tap an outline. The map zooms in, and the side panel shows the city, the 12 month median sale price, the access label, the courses, and a button to that community's homes for sale page. That page has the live listings and the full 12 months of sales.
Where the under $1 million golf homes are
The under $1 million group clusters in four places.
- North Scottsdale and Desert Ridge. Grayhawk homes for sale ($775,000 median, 68 for sale) and TPC Scottsdale ($700,000, 2 for sale) sit in the 85255 ZIP code. To the west in Phoenix, Desert Ridge homes for sale around the Wildfire courses had the most sales of any community in this group, 377, with 106 for sale.
- Cave Creek. Tatum Ranch homes for sale ($626,500, private club) and Dove Valley Ranch ($625,000, public) both had more than 50 sales.
- Rio Verde and Fountain Hills. Verde River homes for sale ($936,950, 64 for sale), Tonto Verde, and Rio Verde are private club communities east of north Scottsdale. In Fountain Hills, SunRidge Canyon homes ($900,000) and Eagle Mountain homes ($842,500) are public course communities.
- Central Scottsdale and Phoenix. Scottsdale Shadows homes for sale ($255,000, a 9 hole private course with 32 for sale), Scottsdale Silverado ($560,000), and Moon Valley homes for sale ($539,200, private club) round out the list.
If you are open to anything in Scottsdale homes for sale, note that McCormick Ranch, Terravita, and McDowell Mountain Ranch all have medians within about $112,000 of $1 million, so smaller homes there can come in under that number.
What it means
The under $1 million golf communities are not a small corner of the market. They carried about 45% of Northeast Valley golf community sales in the past year, and they had 558 of the 1,198 homes for sale in our count, by our calculation. A buyer with a $700,000 to $950,000 budget has real choices across public, private, and resort courses.
The tradeoffs are usually home size, lot position, and age. Many lower medians reflect condos, townhomes, and smaller homes inside the community, and older communities often have older homes. Private club communities can also carry dues on top of the home price.
Practical steps
- Set a total monthly budget first, including HOA dues and any club dues, then use the map shading to find communities that fit.
- Open each community page and filter the sales by property type, so you compare single family homes with single family homes.
- Ask each club how membership works and whether it is tied to the home. If fees are not published, ask in writing.
- Drive the course edge at tee time and in the evening to judge golf traffic, cart paths, and lighting.
- Avoid this mistake: treating the community median as the price of a course lot. Pull the sales of homes that actually back to the course before you set your budget or your offer.
The honest caveats
- Medians cover all residential sales inside each community boundary, from condos to estates, so they hide a wide range.
- Several communities had few sales. TPC Scottsdale had 15, Orange Tree 12, Phoenix Country Club 12, and Rancho Mañana 3, so one or two sales can move the median a lot.
- The Northeast Valley count is ours, using the cities listed above. A different boundary would change the totals.
- Access labels come from course directories and can change. Confirm with each club.
- These are 12 month figures dated November 3, 2026. Check each community page for its current as of date.
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy a home in a Scottsdale golf community for under $1 million?
Yes. In the 12 months to November 3, 2026, Grayhawk had a median sale price of $775,000 on 197 sales, TPC Scottsdale $700,000, Scottsdale Silverado $560,000, and Scottsdale Shadows $255,000, according to MLS figures on our golf course communities page. Those medians include condos and townhomes as well as single family homes, so prices for homes right on a fairway are usually higher.
Which Northeast Valley golf communities have the lowest median prices?
On our golf course communities table, the lowest 12 month medians in the Northeast Valley as of November 3, 2026 were Scottsdale Shadows at $255,000, Stonecreek at $315,000, and Pointe at Tapatio Cliffs at $335,000. Moon Valley ($539,200), Scottsdale Silverado ($560,000), and Rancho Mañana ($560,000) came next. Several of these have small sample sizes, so check each community page for the latest sales.
Do I have to join the golf club if I buy a home in a golf community?
It depends on the community. Many golf communities let owners buy a home without joining the club, while some private clubs tie certain memberships or fees to the property. Read the CC&Rs and ask the club directly before you write an offer, because membership rules and fees are set by each club and can change.
What is the difference between a private club and a public course community?
A private club limits play to members and their guests, while a public course is open to anyone who books a tee time. Resort courses are run as part of a resort and are usually open to resort guests and the public. The access labels on our map come from the Stymie and GolfLink course directories, so confirm current rules with the club.
Does a community median under $1 million mean homes on the course cost that much?
No. A community median covers every residential sale inside the community boundary, including condos, townhomes, and homes away from the course. Homes with fairway frontage or long views often sell above the community median. Look at the individual sales on each community page to see what course lots have brought.
How many golf community homes are for sale in Maricopa County right now?
As of November 3, 2026, 4,151 homes were listed for sale across the golf communities on our golf course communities page, based on ARMLS data. In the 47 Northeast Valley golf communities we counted from that table, 1,198 homes were for sale. Inventory changes daily, so the live search on each page is the best current count.
What do the colors on the golf course communities map mean?
Each community outline is shaded by its median sale price over the past 12 months, using the map key on the page, which steps from $400K to $600K, $1M, $2M, and $3M. Communities with no recent home sales get their own color in the key. Matching an outline to the key is a quick way to spot lower priced golf communities in an area.
Are private club communities in Rio Verde and Cave Creek priced under $1 million?
Some are. As of November 3, 2026, our table showed private club medians of $936,950 at Verde River, $917,500 at Tonto Verde, $648,750 at Rio Verde, and $626,500 at Tatum Ranch in Cave Creek. Club dues and initiation fees are separate from the home price, and many clubs do not publish them, so ask each club.
What should I check before buying a home on a golf course?
Ask about errant golf balls and whether the CC&Rs limit your recourse, how the course is irrigated and maintained, and whether any view or course easement applies to the lot. Check the HOA and any club financials for planned changes. A local inspector and, for legal questions, a real estate attorney can help you sort out what applies to a specific home.
How often are the figures on the golf community pages updated?
Listings in the search on each page update continuously from the MLS. The 12 month sales figures in the golf course communities table were dated November 3, 2026 when we checked on November 10, 2026, and each community page shows its own as of date. Always check the date before you compare communities.
The bottom line
Nearly half of last year's Northeast Valley golf community sales happened in communities with a median under $1 million. The fastest way to find them is our golf course communities map: zoom to your area, read the shading, filter by private or public, and tap through to each community's homes for sale. Then look past the median to the homes that actually sit on the course.
Read more: Private club vs. public golf communities in Scottsdale: what homes cost · How to use our Northeast Valley community map to compare neighborhoods
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Kyle Hermann
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Cheryl Solano
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Arizona Luxury Partners | Real Estate Group at RE/MAX Fine Properties
Sources
- Arizona Luxury Partners, Golf course communities in Maricopa County page: map, "Every golf community, by the numbers" table (ARMLS via Flexmls, 12 months of closed residential sales and active listings as of November 3, 2026), checked November 10, 2026. Link
- Stymie and GolfLink course directories, as cited on that page (accessed by the page October 31, 2026), for club access labels. Link
- Northeast Valley counts calculated by Arizona Luxury Partners: 47 golf communities on the table in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Carefree, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Rio Verde, Anthem, and north and central Phoenix; 19 with a median under $1,000,000; 1,449 of 3,209 sales (45.2%); 558 of 1,198 homes for sale; 10 public, 8 private, 1 resort.
All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. This article is for general information only and is not financial, lending, legal, or tax advice. Arizona Luxury Partners | Real Estate Group at RE/MAX Fine Properties, 21020 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. Brokerage License LC629808000. Equal Housing Opportunity.
