Where to Buy a Short-Term Rental in Scottsdale and Phoenix in 2026: A Neighborhood Guide

Oct 7

6 min read

Buyers ask us which part of the Valley is best for a short-term rental. There is no single answer, because the nine markets we manage are nine different businesses. An Old Town condo, a Gilbert family home and a Pine cabin have different guests, different seasons and different homes that win.

Across these markets the average short-term rental earns about $208 per available night, or roughly $76,000 a year in gross revenue, according to AirDNA. The spread around that average is wide, and most of it comes down to buying the right home for the area. We break the numbers down in what a Scottsdale short-term rental earns in 2026.

This guide covers who books in each market, what to buy there, and what to check before you make an offer.

Three checks before you look at any neighborhood

1. The HOA. Arizona law stops cities from banning short-term rentals, but it does not override private covenants. If the HOA prohibits rentals under 30 days, that rule stands. Read the CC&Rs before you write an offer, not during escrow.

2. The city on the address. Scottsdale requires an annual license, Phoenix a registration, Paradise Valley a permit with more steps. A home marketed as North Scottsdale can sit in either Scottsdale or Phoenix. Our Arizona rules, permits and TPT guide has the details for each city.

3. The whole year, not the best month. Most of the Valley earns a large share of its revenue between January and April and slows from June through September. Underwrite a purchase on full-year revenue per available night. A March nightly rate tells you very little about August.

Scottsdale and Paradise Valley

Old Town Scottsdale

The highest-demand corridor in the state. Guests are groups: golf trips, bachelorette parties and spring training crews who want to walk to dinner and nightlife. They pay for location first.

Buy: a walkable home or condo with three or more bedrooms that sleeps six or more, with a pool or hot tub and usable outdoor space
Season: year-round demand with a sharp February to April peak. Phoenix Open and spring training weekends fill months ahead.
Watch for: this is where the city's party-house enforcement is concentrated. Scottsdale caps adult occupancy by bedroom count, so count bedrooms, not beds.

Scottsdale Kierland area

The resort and shopping corridor next to TPC Scottsdale. Guests are couples, families, golf groups and snowbirds working remotely. It is calmer than Old Town and guests spend more per stay.

Buy: a well-finished condo or single-family home. This is one of the few areas where a good condo competes with houses. A heated pool and a real workspace help.
Season: January to April, with steadier shoulder months than Old Town. Guests book earlier and cancel less.
Watch for: peak nightly rates run a little below Old Town. Condo buyers should read the building's rental rules closely.

Paradise Valley

Arizona's estate market, with the highest nightly rates in the state. Guests are multi-generation families, executive retreats and milestone celebrations who want privacy, views and a resort-grade pool.

Buy: an estate that can be fully staged and photographed at a luxury level. Design is not optional here.
Season: February to April, plus holiday weeks. Occupancy is lower by design. The model is fewer, larger bookings.
Watch for: the highest buy-in in the Valley and the most involved permit. You need a TPT license and county registration first, and approval takes about seven business days.

Phoenix, Tempe and the East Valley

Phoenix and North Scottsdale

Two markets in one. Phoenix is the volume side: spring training, downtown concerts and conventions, and steady family and business travel. North Scottsdale is golf country around Troon, Grayhawk and DC Ranch, where winter golf groups pay premium rates.

Buy: in Phoenix, a mid-priced family home. These lead on occupancy and cash-on-cash return. Arcadia and Biltmore lead on nightly rate. In North Scottsdale, a golf villa or a view home.
Season: February to April. Spring training alone can carry February and March.
Watch for: which city the address is in, since the rules differ. Most golf communities have an HOA, so read the rental rules before anything else.

Tempe

Tempe runs on Arizona State. Guests are parents, alumni, event travelers and spring training fans, and many rebook the same weekends every year.

Buy: a home that is walkable or a short ride to campus and Mill Avenue, sleeps six or more, and has easy parking
Season: February to May. Graduation week in May is the biggest date of the year, followed by football Saturdays and spring training.
Watch for: distance from campus. The premium drops quickly once guests need a long drive.

Gilbert

The East Valley's family market. Guests are visiting relatives, in town for youth sports tournaments, or scouting a move. They stay longer and are easy on a home.

Buy: a family home with a pool and a bunk room or game room
Season: steady all year, with a lift from February to April
Watch for: nightly rates are mid-market. The case for Gilbert is a lower purchase price and a steady calendar, which lets a good home hold its own on cash-on-cash return.

The West Valley

Glendale

Glendale is the event market: State Farm Stadium, Desert Diamond Arena and the Westgate district. Guests come for a specific date and book close to the venue.

Buy: a home with group capacity and easy parking within about 15 minutes of the stadium. Within 5 minutes earns the premium.
Season: October to April
Watch for: this is the spikiest market we manage. The year is won or lost on 25 to 30 dates, so the home depends on event pricing being right.

Peoria

Peoria hosts the Padres and Mariners for spring training, and their fans return every year. In summer, Lake Pleasant brings boaters.

Buy: a home with a pool, a garage and room to park a boat trailer
Season: February and March are the profit months. Lake traffic softens the summer dip that other Valley markets feel.
Watch for: how much of the year rides on March. Stadium events in neighboring Glendale add some weekends.

Pine and Northern Arizona

Pine and Strawberry sit about two hours from Phoenix and run roughly twenty degrees cooler in summer. Guests are Valley families driving up for cabin weekends, and many come back every year.

Buy: a real cabin. Guests want knotty pine, a fire pit, a deck and a hot tub, and they want to bring the dog.
Season: June to August, plus fall color and holiday weekends. Winter weekdays are slow.
Watch for: you earn the year in about five months. The buy-in is lower than the Valley, which makes a cabin a reasonable first rental.

A cabin's season is the reverse of the Valley's. Owners who hold one of each even out their income across the year.

All nine markets side by side

Market	Who books	What to buy	Peak season
Old Town Scottsdale	Golf and nightlife groups	Walkable home or condo, 3+ bedrooms	Feb to Apr
Scottsdale Kierland area	Couples and families	Well-finished condo or home	Jan to Apr
Paradise Valley	Multi-generation families, celebrations	Staged estate	Feb to Apr
Phoenix and North Scottsdale	Spring training, events, golf	Family home or golf villa	Feb to Apr
Tempe	ASU parents and alumni	Walkable home near campus	Feb to May
Gilbert	Family visits, tournaments	Family home with bunk or game room	Feb to Apr
Glendale	Stadium event weekends	Group home near the venue	Oct to Apr
Peoria	Spring training fans, lake visitors	Home with pool and boat parking	Feb to Mar
Pine and Northern Arizona	Valley families escaping the heat	True cabin with hot tub	Jun to Aug

What makes a home win in any of them

The neighborhood sets the range. The home decides where in the range you land.

Bedrooms that match the guest. Groups in Old Town and Tempe need six or more sleeping spots. Families in Gilbert want a bunk room. Couples in Kierland want finish quality more than size.
A pool you can heat. Peak season in the Valley is winter. A pool guests cannot use in February is worth much less in the listing.
Parking. Event guests in Glendale and Tempe drive. Lake guests in Peoria tow a trailer.
A design budget. Plan for furnishing and photography when you price the purchase. We explain why in how interior design changes your nightly rate.
A manager lined up before closing. Licensing, setup and photos take time. The sooner they start, the fewer peak weeks you miss.

Looking at a specific home?

Send us the address before you make an offer. Our free rental analysis projects occupancy, nightly rate and annual revenue for that property, using live comps and our own portfolio data, usually within 24 hours. If the home will not perform as a short-term rental, we will tell you.

Buying several homes, or placing a 1031 exchange? We can run the same numbers across a shortlist so you can compare them side by side.

BonvoyageAZ manages short-term rentals across Old Town Scottsdale, Kierland, Paradise Valley, Phoenix and Pine/Northern Arizona. 5,000+ five-star reviews, Airbnb Superhost, Vrbo Premier Partner and Marriott Homes & Villas partner. 480-770-0709 · hello@bonvoyageaz.com

Market figures reflect AirDNA data for the twelve months ending June 2026. Individual results vary by property, condition and season. This is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice.