Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0142 homes sold in Carefree in the last year, at a typical $1.2M
About one sale in 3 is a condo. Below: what each kind of home sells for, what your budget buys, the best months to buy, how hard you’ll have to bid, and a shortcut to every site where Carefree homes are listed.
Every place Carefree homes are listed, in one stop
We don’t copy listings: the agents’ sites have the photos and the latest price changes. Set what you want once and we open each site already filtered to Carefree.
For sale
Rent
New, land & open houses
Links open the listing sites; TownRatings isn’t paid for them and doesn’t rank one above another. Rentals and government-owned homes come from sources outside the MLS.
Houses are 70% of Carefree’s sales, at a typical $1.4M
142 homes sold in the year to May 2026.
typical sale · 99 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $436AZ $251
- Days to sell
- 86
- Sold over asking
- 3%
- Listings with a price cut
- 23%
Multi-family (2–4 units): 1 sold, typical $2.5M
Townhouses: 33 sold, typical $628K
Condos: 9 sold, typical $384K
Too few sales in 12 months for reliable figures.
About as many homes sell as usual, at twice the 2016 price
142 sales in the last year, against 229 in 2020 and a low of 102 in 2014. The typical sale went from $603K in 2016 to $1.2M.
Source: Redfin Data Center, MLS sales. Typical price and $/sq ft are the monthly medians, weighted by sales.
What $1.2M buys in Carefree
Check a listing against what Carefree homes sold for
Against the town’s median price per square foot over the last 12 months. A rough check: condition, lot and location within town move a price more than this can see.
Bidding wars in Carefree are back to pre-pandemic levels, but 17% fewer homes come up for sale
We read every month of Carefree’s home sales since 2012 so you don’t have to. Each figure covers 12 months, because a single month in a town is too few sales to mean much. Latest: the year to May 2026, 142 sales.
If you’re buying in Carefree
- Shop in October. It brings about 25 new listings a month, close to the busiest month, with fewer bidding wars (11% over asking).
- Some room to negotiate. 23% of listings cut their price, about as many as before the pandemic.
- Offer under asking. Buyers paid 95.8% of the list price on average; 3% paid over.
- You’ll usually have time. Only 15% of homes go under contract within two weeks; the typical one takes 91 days.
Winter brings the homes; spring brings the bidding wars
January has the most new listings (about 29 a month), but April is the most competitive: 20% of April sales close over asking. October offers nearly as much choice with fewer homes bid up (11%). August has the least competition (4%) but only about 14 new listings.
Averages for each calendar month, 2015 on.
Calmer than the 2021 frenzy, and calmer than Arizona
| Carefree now | 2017–19 | 2021 peak | AZ now | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold over askingShare of sales that closed above the list price | 3% | 4% | 29% | 13% |
| Gone within two weeksShare of homes under contract within 14 days | 15% | 18% | 38% | 22% |
| Listings with a price cutShare of homes for sale that cut their price | 23% | 22% | 13% | 29% |
| Price paid vs. askingAverage sale price ÷ list price | 95.8% | 95.8% | 99.3% | 97.8% |
| Days to sellMedian days from listing to contract | 91 | 113 | 47 | 67 |
78 homes for sale on a typical day
That’s twice the 2022 low (39), 17% fewer than in 2017–19 and well under 2016’s 123.
1 in 4 listings has cut its price
23% in the last year, against 22% in 2017–19 and 29% across Arizona.
Since 2019, houses are up 81%, condos 13%
A house typically sold for $1.4M in the last year (99 sales), a condo for $384K (9).
Median sale price, weighted by sales each month. Years with fewer than 4 sales of a type are left out.
Carefree ranks 95th of 97 busy Arizona markets for bidding wars
Share of sales over asking in the last year, among towns with 60 or more sales. Carefree is one of the state’s calmer markets.
Source: Redfin Data Center, city market tracker, January 2012 to May 2026 (MLS sales, not seasonally adjusted). Ratios are weighted by homes sold; price cuts by homes for sale.
Owning the typical Carefree home costs about $6,371 a month
Price: Carefree’s typical sale, last 12 months. Property tax at Carefree’s 0.3% (median bill ÷ median value, Census ACS); insurance at 0.35% of price a year. Before PMI, HOA dues, upkeep and the tax deduction. Whether Carefree is affordable on local pay is on Cost of living.
Six things worth knowing
New listings in January
The month with the most choice. July has the fewest, about 11.
Best time to buyProperty tax, a year
Of a home’s value: the median bill over the median home value. On a $1.2M home, about $3,200 a year.
Taxes vs. neighborsSchools
The schools grade for Carefree, from test results, graduation and how much students grow.
Schools in CarefreeTypical commute
The average one-way trip to work for people who live in Carefree.
Work & commuteCheck the flood map
Flood insurance isn’t in a standard policy, and lenders require it in FEMA flood zones. Check the address before you make an offer.
Natural hazardsLook up any property
Assessed value, lot size and every past sale of a home you’re eyeing are public, at the town or county assessor and the registry of deeds.
New River, Anthem, Rio Verde and Fountain Hills sell for less a square foot
The busier markets within 25 miles of Carefree, by what sold. Prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes next door are on Cost of living.
| Sold | Typical sale | $/sq ft | Over asking | Days to sell | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottsdale | 5,593 | $914K | $429 | 7% | 68 |
| Fountain Hills | 679 | $697K | $341 | 8% | 67 |
| Anthem | 438 | $565K | $270 | 7% | 69 |
| New River | 265 | $828K | $328 | 7% | 106 |
| Carefree | 142 | $1.2M | $402 | 3% | 91 |
| Cave Creek | 130 | $1.1M | $413 | 5% | 91 |
| Rio Verde | 91 | $734K | $309 | 2% | 112 |
Redfin Data Center, June 2025 to May 2026. Towns with fewer than 20 sales are left out, and Redfin doesn’t report every town separately.
Post your home to Carefree, free
Selling it yourself, renting out an apartment or looking for a roommate? Post it to Carefree. People who follow the town see it, and so do people comparing Carefree with their own town. No commission, no listing fee.
Questions about buying a home in Carefree
What do homes sell for in Carefree, AZ?
142 homes sold in the year to May 2026 at a typical $1.2M, $402 a square foot.
Is Carefree a buyer’s or seller’s market?
A buyer’s market: 73 homes were for sale in May 2026 and 9 sold, about 8.1 months of supply. Buyers paid 95.8% of asking on average, and 23% of listings cut their price.
When is the best time to buy in Carefree?
January brings the most new listings. The sales history shows which months have fewer bidding wars.
How much are property taxes in Carefree?
About 0.3% of a home’s value a year. On a $1.2M home that’s near $3,200.
Where can I see homes for sale in Carefree?
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com all carry Carefree’s MLS listings; the search links above open each one filtered to Carefree.
Sales, prices, days on market and listings: Redfin Data Center (MLS, monthly, not seasonally adjusted). Property tax rate: Census American Community Survey. Two-bedroom rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. Typical home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Schools grade: TownRatings (how grades work).