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Featured local agent — Carefree, AZ
Sarah Mitchell
Compass Real Estate · Carefree, AZ
“Your trusted relocation specialist since 2009. 350+ homes sold. Zero-pressure, data-first approach.”
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Carefree, AZ Housing Market
The typical home in Carefree, AZ is worth $1.28M, rose 1.7% over the past year (Zillow Home Value Index, July 2026). The last median sale price Redfin published was $1.43M, -9.5% year over year (through May 2026). With 8.1 months of supply and homes going under contract in about 86 days, Carefree is a buyer's market. At today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate, 20% down on a $1.28M home is about $6,605/mo in principal and interest.
Key numbers for Carefree, AZ
Typical home value
$1.28M
+1.7% in 12 months
Zillow, July 2026
Median sale price
$1.43M
-9.5% year over year
Redfin, through May 2026
Days on market
86
Slow-moving
Redfin, through May 2026
Active listings
73
8.1 months of supply
Redfin, through May 2026
30-yr fixed rate
6.66%
Freddie Mac weekly average
Freddie Mac via FRED, August 2026
Median household income
$141,331
Home costs 9.1x income
U.S. Census ACS, 2023
Sale-to-list ratio
94.8%
Selling below asking
Redfin, through May 2026
Zillow figures are as of July 2026 and refresh monthly. Redfin figures are through May 2026 — Redfin stopped publishing its public market trackers in June 2026, so those numbers are final, not current. Mortgage rates come from Freddie Mac via FRED and update weekly.
Is Carefree a buyer's or seller's market?
Carefree, AZ is a buyer's market, based on 8.1 months of supply and homes selling in about 86 days. Above 7 months of supply is a glut: inventory is well ahead of the sales pace, and buyers can take time to inspect, compare, and negotiate concessions.
Inputs are Redfin's final published period (May 2026). How we classify markets · Where the data comes from
What does the Carefree housing market data show?
Every row below is Redfin's final published month for Carefree, AZ. Redfin, through May 2026
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Median sale price | $1.43M |
| Median list price | $1.11M |
| Year-over-year price change | -9.5% |
| Median price per sq ft | $413/sq ft |
| Median days on market | 86 days |
| Active inventory | 73 listings |
| Months of supply | 8.1 months |
| Sale-to-list price ratio | 94.8% |
| Homes sold (that month) | 9 |
| New listings (that month) | 18 |
| Listings with a price cut | 21.9% |
| Market condition | Buyer's market |
How to read these numbers
- Median sale price
- Half the homes that closed sold for more than this, half for less. It moves with what kind of home sold that month, so a quiet month with two big sales can swing it. Redfin's figure for Carefree is frozen at May 2026.
- Typical home value (ZHVI)
- Zillow's estimate of what a mid-market home in Carefree is worth right now, whether or not it sold. It is smoother than the median sale price and it still refreshes monthly, which is why this page leads with it.
- Months of supply
- How long it would take to sell every active listing at the current pace. Under 3 favors sellers, over 6 favors buyers, and 3 to 6 is the balanced band.
- Days on market
- Median time from listing to accepted offer. Short means you should have financing ready before you tour; long means there is room to negotiate on price and repairs.
- Sale-to-list ratio
- Sale price divided by the last asking price. Above 100% means bidding above asking is normal here; below 100% means the typical buyer got a discount.
- Price per square foot
- The size-adjusted price. Use it to compare a 1,400 sq ft house to a 2,600 sq ft house, not to value your own home — lot, condition and age move it a lot.
- Listings with a price cut
- Share of active listings that dropped their asking price in the month. A high share is the earliest visible sign that sellers are ahead of what buyers will pay.
- Typical asking rent (ZORI)
- Zillow's repeat-rent index for asking rents on new leases. Paired with the home value it gives the price-to-rent ratio in the rent-vs-buy section below.
How have Carefree home prices moved?
Over the last three years the median sale price in Carefree, AZ rose 39.0%, from $1.02M to $1.43M. The live Zillow value series has rose 1.7% in the last 12 months, which is the more current read now that Redfin's series has stopped. 21.9% of Carefree listings cut their asking price in the final Redfin month — a modest share, which is what a market looks like when sellers are pricing close to where homes actually clear. For prices to fall meaningfully from here, supply would have to keep building past 8.1 months while the sale-to-list ratio slips below its current 94.8%. Watch those two together — they move before the median does.
Redfin, through May 2026 — the chart ends at Redfin's final published month.
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What does it cost to buy a home in Carefree?
Priced off the typical home value of $1.28M at the current 6.66% 30-year fixed rate. These are principal and interest only — property taxes, homeowner's insurance, HOA dues and mortgage insurance are on top, and they vary enough by property that we will not guess them for you.
| Down payment | Cash at close | Loan amount | Monthly P&I |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | $256,966 | $1.03M | $6,605/mo |
| 5% | $64,242 | $1.22M | $7,844/mo |
Zillow, July 2026 for the price · Freddie Mac via FRED, August 2026 for the rate
What income do you need?
Lenders generally want housing costs under 28% of gross income. On the 20%-down payment of $6,605, that implies roughly $283,086 a year before you add taxes and insurance. The median household in Carefree earns $141,331, about $141,755 short of that threshold — the typical local household needs a larger down payment, a co-borrower, or a home below the typical home value to fit the 28% rule. That puts the price-to-income ratio at 9.1x — well above the 3x that was historically considered affordable, which is why down payment size drives who can buy here.
Run it with your own numbers: affordability calculator · mortgage calculator
Buying in Carefree in the next 12 months?
Tell us your timeline. We send the Carefree market brief: the price ranges that actually clear, how long homes sit, and what to fix on your credit before you apply.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Carefree?
Zillow does not publish a rent index (ZORI) for Carefree, AZ, so we cannot compute a price-to-rent ratio here without borrowing a nearby market's rents and calling them local — which we will not do. The rent vs. buy calculator works with a rent figure you supply.
Is inventory rising or falling in Carefree?
Active listings in Carefree, AZ went from 86 in May 2025 to 73 in May 2026, a -15.1% change. Falling inventory tightens competition. When supply drops while demand holds, sale-to-list ratios rise before the median sale price does.
| Month | Active listings | New listings |
|---|---|---|
| June 2025 | 72 | 9 |
| July 2025 | 57 | 9 |
| August 2025 | 59 | 17 |
| September 2025 | 76 | 31 |
| October 2025 | 78 | 19 |
| November 2025 | 84 | 23 |
| December 2025 | 87 | 15 |
| January 2026 | 97 | 26 |
| February 2026 | 101 | 24 |
| March 2026 | 81 | 14 |
| April 2026 | 75 | 13 |
| May 2026 | 73 | 18 |
Redfin, through May 2026
How does Carefree compare to Arizona and the U.S.?
Carefree homes sell for $1.43M — 214% above the Arizona median of $453,800. Against the national median of $410,700, Carefree runs 247% higher. Year-over-year, Carefree moved -9.5% against Arizona's +0.5% — a bigger swing than the state as a whole.
| Market | Median sale price | YoY | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carefree, AZ | $1.43M | -9.5% | 86 days |
| Arizona statewide | $453,800 | +0.5% | 62 days |
| United States | $410,700 | not published | not published |
City and state rows: Redfin, through May 2026 · U.S. row: Freddie Mac via FRED, April 2026 (MSPUS, quarterly)
What to do next in Carefree
What buyers should watch
- Months of supply, currently 8.1. It turns before price does — when it climbs past 6, sellers start taking offers they would have rejected a quarter earlier.
- The share of listings cutting price, currently 21.9%. A listing that has already cut once is the one most likely to accept below asking.
- The gap between 5% and 20% down here is $1,239 a month in principal and interest alone, before mortgage insurance. That gap, not the price, is usually what decides your timeline.
- Rate moves. At 6.66%, every full point of rate change moves the payment on a $1.28M home more than a 5% price change does.
- Your credit tier before you shop, not after — it sets the rate you are quoted. Run your numbers first.
What sellers should know
- The median Carefree listing goes under contract in 86 days. If yours passes that mark, the market is telling you the price is wrong — not that you need more showings.
- Homes here close at 94.8% of asking. Price to that ratio from day one rather than chasing the market down in cuts.
- In the last published month Carefree added 18 new listings against 9 sales — more competition arriving than clearing, so early timing matters.
- Your equity moved +1.7% in the last 12 months on the Zillow value series. That, not the price you paid, is what sets your net proceeds.
- Comparable ZIP-level pricing inside Carefree varies more than the citywide median suggests — check the ZIP pages below before you set a number.
Homes for sale in Carefree
There are currently 73 homes listed for sale in Carefree, Arizona. The median listing price is $1.1M.
Active listings
73
Homes on market
Median list price
$1.1M
Avg. days on market
86
Days until sale
New this week
18
Newly listed
How much do homes cost in Carefree by property type?
How the Carefree, AZ market breaks down across single-family homes, condos and townhouses. Redfin, through May 2026
| Property type | Median price | Price / sq ft | Homes sold | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family | $1.43M | $413/sq ft | 9 | 86 days |
| Condo / co-op | $640,000 | $347/sq ft | 3 | 331 days |
| Townhouse | $550,000 | $373/sq ft | 3 | 178 days |
Who lives in Carefree?
American Community Survey estimates for Carefree. U.S. Census ACS, 2023
Population
3,672
Households
1,849
Median income
$141,331/yr
Median age
64.5 years
Owner-occupied
91.1%
Median home value
$1.07M
Median gross rent
$1,685/mo
Mean commute
32.1 min
91.1% of occupied homes in Carefree are owner-occupied, and the rest are rented — which is the share that decides how much of the local housing stock ever reaches the for-sale market. The Census self-reported median home value is $1.07M against Zillow's $1.28M typical value; the gap is normal — ACS asks owners what they think their home is worth, Zillow models transactions.
Which cities are near Carefree, AZ?
Ordered by distance from Carefree, not by size. Compare Carefree side by side with any of them.
Carefree housing market FAQ
Is Carefree a buyer's or seller's market?
Carefree, AZ is currently a buyer's market. That read comes from 8.1 months of supply, homes going under contract in about 86 days, and sellers getting 94.8% of their asking price in the last month Redfin published (May 2026).
How much do homes cost in Carefree?
The typical home in Carefree, AZ is worth $1.28M (Zillow Home Value Index, July 2026). The median sale price in the last month Redfin published was $1.43M, about $413 per square foot.
Is Carefree cheaper than the rest of Arizona?
Carefree's median sale price of $1.43M is 214% higher than the Arizona statewide median of $453,800, and 247% above the U.S. median of $410,700. Both figures are for the same period.
How long do homes take to sell in Carefree?
Homes in Carefree, AZ spent a median of 86 days on market before going under contract, versus 62 days statewide. Over two months means buyers have time to inspect, compare and negotiate. (Redfin, through May 2026.)
What income do you need to buy a home in Carefree?
At the current 30-year fixed rate of 6.66%, 20% down on a $1.28M home is about $6,605 a month in principal and interest. Lenders typically want that under 28% of gross income, which works out to roughly $283,086 a year before taxes, insurance, HOA dues or mortgage insurance. The local median household income is $141,331.
Are home prices rising in Carefree?
The typical home value in Carefree, AZ rose 1.7% over the last 12 months, from $1.26M to $1.28M (Zillow, July 2026). This is the live series — it refreshes monthly.
What are the cheapest ZIP codes in Carefree?
Carefree ZIP-level sale prices are not all published for the same period, so ranking them would compare different months. The ZIP pages listed on this page show what we hold for each one individually.
Is now a good time to buy in Carefree?
That depends on your timeline, not on a headline. What the data says today: Carefree, AZ is a buyer's market with 8.1 months of supply, the 30-year fixed rate is 6.66%. Properties Incorporated publishes the data; it does not give financial advice.
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