What's the Scene Like for STR or Snowbird Investing in the Phoenix Area?

[Matt J.]

Very general question as I know Phoenix is a huge market, lots of differences in neighborhoods. But overall, what is the viability of purchasing a vacation rental in the Phoenix MSA? Are there certain markets with looser regulations than others? 

I had seen elsewhere that Arizona had put out some legislation making it illegal for cities to ban STRs but has that been changed/overturned? 

I currently own and operate two STRs in Minnesota (1 in the Brainerd Lakes Area and one in Duluth) and think owning a vacation rental in a market where the winter and spring are the busy seasons would be nice to offset my current slow seasons being in northern Minnesota. 

[Bruce Woodruff]

Yes, Arizona does have legislation making it impossible for cities to outright ban STRs. But cities can still regulate them somewhat....it depends on each city. HEre is a guide to each city's requirements: https://azrtr.org/compliance/

Overall AZ is pretty STR friendly, but of course you need to choose carefully as you already know. There are lots of possibilities....do you want to rent to snowbirds or weekenders? You will get quite a few partiers too IMO...