Is owner-financed land a scam? How to check the seller before you pay

By Noam & Carmit · Last checked November 2026

Cheap land, no bank, and a seller you've never met. If that makes you a little nervous, good. That's the right instinct.

Owner financing itself isn't a scam. Banks rarely lend on small pieces of raw land, so a lot of rural land is sold with the seller carrying the payments. But Arizona's Attorney General has warned that vacant land is a favorite target for deed fraud. So check. Here's how, for land in Apache County, and all of it you can do from home.

1. Find the parcel yourself

Every lot has a parcel number, the APN. Ask for it, then look it up on the Apache County Parcel Viewer (jt.co.apache.az.us). Check that the lot is where the seller says it is, and that the size matches. The county notes that the map is for assessment and taxes, not a legal description, so treat it as a first check.

2. Find out who owns it on record

Ask the seller for a copy of their recorded deed. Then confirm it with the Apache County Recorder, (928) 337-7515. The names should match.

One thing that confuses people: the Assessor's and Treasurer's records can lag behind a newly recorded deed. If the tax bill still shows the previous owner, the Recorder is the place to check.

3. Make sure the taxes are paid

Look up the parcel with the Apache County Treasurer and check whether any taxes are delinquent. Unpaid taxes on vacant land can turn into a tax lien, and you don't want to inherit one.

4. Ask for the Affidavit of Disclosure

In Arizona, when someone sells up to five parcels of land that isn't part of a subdivision, in an unincorporated part of a county, the seller has to give the buyer an Affidavit of Disclosure at least seven days before the transfer (A.R.S. § 33-422).

It covers the things you'd want to know anyway: legal and physical access, who maintains the road, the FEMA flood zone, utilities, water, and septic. Under the same law, you can cancel the purchase within five days after you receive it.

5. Know how your purchase is protected

A recorded deed protects you. In Arizona, a deed that isn't recorded doesn't hold up against a later buyer or creditor who didn't know about it (A.R.S. § 33-412). If you pay cash, make sure the deed in your name is actually recorded, and get the recorded copy.

On a payment plan, ask the seller what you'll sign and whether anything will be recorded while you pay. Then ask a title company or a real estate attorney if that's enough for you.

6. Know what happens if you miss a payment

If you buy on an agreement for sale, Arizona law gives you time to catch up before a seller can cancel the contract (A.R.S. § 33-742). The time depends on how much of the price you've already paid:

• Less than 20%: 30 days
• 20% to 30%: 60 days
• 30% to 50%: 120 days
• 50% or more: nine months

The seller also has to send you a written notice first. Read your own contract too, and ask about anything that isn't clear.

Red flags

• The seller pushes you to pay fast, before you can check anything.
• They can't, or won't, show you a recorded deed.
• They ask you to wire money to an account in someone else's name.
• The price is far below every similar lot nearby.
• They get vague when you ask for the APN.

After you buy

Arizona law requires every county recorder to offer a free alert service: you get an email or text when a document is recorded under your name (A.R.S. § 11-467). Ask the Apache County Recorder's office to sign you up. And a 2026 Arizona law, SB 1479, made recording a forged deed a felony and added photo ID requirements at the recorder's counter.

Check us the same way

Our lot pages list the APN and the county phone numbers. Run every one of these checks on us before you pay anything. If something doesn't line up, ask us, and we'll show you the documents.

See the two lots