Selling in Scottsdale or Fountain Hills?A flat fee, not a commission.
Moving to Scottsdale and Fountain Hills?
Licensed local agents who list, negotiate and close your Sonoran Desert home for one flat fee set by its price. Set before you meet your agent. Non-exclusive. Cancel anytime. Paid only at closing.⁶
Not locked in until your home is listed. Cancel from your dashboard.
A licensed local buyer's agent for one flat fee set by the price of the home you buy, usually covered by the seller's contribution.¹
Scottsdale (243,006 people by the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2025 estimate) stretches along the western side of the McDowell Mountains, Fountain Hills (23,625) sits just over the ridge around its famous fountain, and Landian works across both with licensed local agents. Sellers list on the MLS with a licensed local agent for one flat fee set by the home's price, not a commission: $6,999 flat for a home around $700,000. $9,999 flat for a home around $1,000,000. $14,999 flat for a home around $1,600,000. The fee is shown before you meet the agent, written into your agreement, and paid only at closing. Buyers get a buyer's agent on the same schedule, based on the price of the home they buy, usually covered by the seller's contribution; anything the seller contributes above it comes back as a rebate or closing credit where allowed.⁶
What's your home worth in Scottsdale?
Enter your address. We'll look up your home's value and show your flat fee, set by its price.
Scottsdale and Fountain Hills at a glance
Two sides of the McDowells, both well above the Valley’s typical price. The Census median owner-occupied home is $789,800 in Scottsdale and $622,900 in Fountain Hills, against a $475,000 median sale price for a Greater Phoenix single-family home in September 2026 (Phoenix REALTORS, via AZ Big Media).
Scottsdale
Maricopa County
Residents
243,006
July 1, 2025 estimate
Median home value*
$789,800
Homeowners
67.0%
Average commute
21.6 min
Fountain Hills
Maricopa County
Residents
23,625
July 1, 2025 estimate
Median home value*
$622,900
Homeowners
84.4%
Average commute
28.6 min
U.S. Census Bureau figures: residents are the Bureau’s July 1, 2025 city population estimates; *median value of owner-occupied homes, homeowners (owner-occupied share of occupied homes) and mean travel time to work are American Community Survey 2020-2024 figures, so recent sale prices can run higher. Scottsdale REALTORS’ RPR report put the median Fountain Hills sale at $700,000 in July 2026.
Living in Scottsdale and Fountain Hills
A resort city that still calls itself The West’s Most Western Town, a small town built around one of the world’s biggest fountains, and the mountain preserve both share.
Old Town Scottsdale in spring
Scottsdale
The West’s Most Western Town, grown up
Scottsdale began when U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott visited the Salt River Valley in 1888 and made a down payment on 640 acres. When the city incorporated on June 25, 1951 with about 2,000 residents, it adopted “The West’s Most Western Town” as its official motto, and Old Town still keeps the Western storefronts the Chamber of Commerce set as downtown’s design theme in 1947 (City of Scottsdale).
The resort city grew up around that core. Frank Lloyd Wright established Taliesin West, his winter home and “desert laboratory”, in the McDowell foothills in 1937, and it joined the UNESCO World Heritage list with seven other Wright buildings in 2019. On the south end, SkySong, the 42-acre ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, is planned for more than 1.2 million square feet at buildout, and the city’s 2025 airport study credits Scottsdale Airport and the surrounding Airpark with 5,171 jobs and about $1.1 billion in annual output.
A fountain taller than the Washington Monument, then the stars
Fountain Hills is named for the fountain Robert McCulloch built in 1970: it reaches 330 feet for everyday viewing and 560 feet at full height, taller than the Washington Monument, and runs every hour on the hour for 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The town’s tourism bureau bills it as the third largest fountain in the world. Incorporated in 1989, the town covers 24 square miles between Scottsdale, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, with the fountain sitting at 1,520 feet, about 500 feet above Phoenix (Town of Fountain Hills).
After dark is the other draw: DarkSky International named Fountain Hills the world’s 17th International Dark Sky Community in 2018, one of only two near a major metropolitan city, and the International Dark Sky Discovery Center under construction in town is set to open in early 2027 with a 27.5-inch telescope its builders call the largest in the Greater Phoenix area.
The mountains between the two cities are the shared backyard. Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve protects more than 30,500 acres, which the city calls one of the largest permanently protected urban desert preserves in the world, with over 230 miles of multi-use trails for hikers, bikers and equestrians.
On the Fountain Hills side, McDowell Mountain Regional Park adds 21,099 county-run acres with over 50 miles of trails, rising to 3,000 feet along the base of the McDowells. North of both, Pinnacle Peak Park puts a 150-acre granite landmark and a two-mile (one way) trail at the edge of north Scottsdale’s golf communities.
What the numbers say about demand on both sides of the McDowells.
A 5,500-job headquarters approved
Scottsdale’s city council voted on November 17, 2025 to approve the agreement for Axon’s new global headquarters campus: about 5,500 positions at an average starting salary of $135,000, plus a hotel, 1,200 homes, a public dog park and a one-mile trail around the campus (City of Scottsdale; AZ Big Media).
Scottsdale sales are up while the Valley cools
Phoenix REALTORS’ September 2026 figures put Greater Phoenix single-family sales down 4.9% in a year at a $475,000 median, with 4.3 months of supply, while Scottsdale closed sales rose 2.2% year over year and 10.6% year to date (AZ Big Media, October 2026).
Fountain Hills held steady
Scottsdale REALTORS’ July 2026 market report for Fountain Hills shows a $700,000 median sold price, 4.29 months of inventory and sellers getting 97.2% of list price.
A dark-sky destination in the making
The International Dark Sky Discovery Center in Fountain Hills is set to open in early 2027, with a planetarium, an exhibit hall and a 27.5-inch telescope its builders call the largest in the Greater Phoenix area.
What homes here look like
Both markets sit well above the Valley median, and most homes are owned by the people living in them: 67.0% of occupied Scottsdale homes and 84.4% in Fountain Hills, one of the highest ownership shares in the Valley (ACS 2020-2024). The same survey puts the median owner-occupied home at $789,800 in Scottsdale and $622,900 in Fountain Hills, against a $475,000 Greater Phoenix single-family median sale in September 2026.
Scottsdale
Census median value $789,800 (ACS 2020-2024). South Scottsdale’s mid-century blocks near Old Town and SkySong give way to McCormick Ranch’s lakes and fairways and, in the north, large-lot golf communities around Troon North and Pinnacle Peak, where association rules and club memberships shape a sale.
Fountain Hills
Census median value $622,900, with a $700,000 median sold price in July 2026 (Scottsdale REALTORS/RPR). Hillside lots terrace toward Four Peaks views, and 84.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, so resale inventory is a steady trickle rather than a flood.
Schools
Most of Scottsdale is served by Scottsdale Unified School District, with 20,000 students across 27 physical campuses and an online high school. The city’s north and northeast reaches fall into neighboring districts: Cave Creek Unified, whose 175 square miles include parts of Scottsdale, runs five schools for over 3,000 students, and Paradise Valley Unified covers northeast Phoenix and parts of north Scottsdale. Fountain Hills has its own district, Fountain Hills Unified, serving approximately 1,300 students from the town and the neighboring Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation (Town of Fountain Hills). Boundaries follow the street address, so check a specific home with the district.
The Census puts the average commute at 21.6 minutes in Scottsdale and 28.6 in Fountain Hills (ACS 2020-2024). Loop 101, the Pima Freeway, is Scottsdale’s spine: ADOT has been widening it by a lane in each direction between Shea Boulevard and Princess Drive in a $108 million project that was scheduled to wrap in early 2026 (KTAR).
Fountain Hills reaches the rest of the Valley over Shea Boulevard: the town puts itself 15 minutes from Scottsdale and 28 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, with the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation 10 minutes away and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community 15 (Town of Fountain Hills; Experience Fountain Hills).
From Pinnacle Peak to Four Peaks
Both towns end at protected desert. Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve and the county’s McDowell Mountain Regional Park put more than 280 miles of trails between them, and east of Fountain Hills the Tonto National Forest runs to the Four Peaks Wilderness, a 25-minute drive from downtown, and the Lower Salt River’s famous tubing runs (U.S. Forest Service).
McDowell Sonoran Preserve
More than 30,500 acres inside Scottsdale’s city limits, one of the largest permanently protected urban desert preserves in the world, with over 230 miles of trails (City of Scottsdale).
McDowell Mountain Regional Park
21,099 acres and over 50 miles of multi-use trails on the Fountain Hills side of the range, rising to 3,000 feet (Maricopa County Parks).
Dark skies by design
Fountain Hills earned its designation from DarkSky International in 2018 as the world’s 17th International Dark Sky Community, one of only two near a major metropolitan city, and its Dark Sky Discovery Center opens in early 2027.
Buying in Scottsdale or Fountain Hills: taxes and boundaries
Arizona moved to a flat 2.5% individual income tax starting in 2023. On property tax, an owner-occupied primary residence is Class 3, assessed at a 10% ratio, and its Limited Property Value — the base most taxes are calculated on — can rise annually but can never exceed the home’s full cash value (Maricopa County Assessor).
Boundaries deserve a look before you fall for a house. A north Scottsdale address can sit in Scottsdale Unified, Cave Creek Unified or Paradise Valley Unified, and Fountain Hills runs its own district. In the golf communities on both sides of the McDowells, villages are association-governed, so ask for the association’s resale package early: what it covers, what it charges and what it has planned.
Three example prices across Scottsdale and Fountain Hills, and the listing side at each against a traditional 2.5%. One flat fee instead of a percentage: $6,999 flat for a home around $700,000. $9,999 flat for a home around $1,000,000. $14,999 flat for a home around $1,600,000.⁶
On a home around $700,000
Traditional listing side (2.5%)$17,500
1% service (about $3,000 minimum)$7,000
Landian flat fee$6,999
$10,501⁵⁶
more in your pocket than a traditional listing
On a home around $1,000,000
Traditional listing side (2.5%)$25,000
1% service (about $3,000 minimum)$10,000
Landian flat fee$9,999
$15,001⁵⁶
more in your pocket than a traditional listing
On a home around $1,600,000
Traditional listing side (2.5%)$40,000
1% service (about $3,000 minimum)$16,000
Landian flat fee$14,999
$25,001⁵⁶
more in your pocket than a traditional listing
Landian flat fee⁶1% of the price$9,999 flat for a home around $1,000,000. That’s 1%, and it never becomes a percentage.
Under $500,000, the fee you see is final. From $500,000, an agent may propose a different fee before you choose them, with a reason and always under 1% of your expected price. You can say no and wait for an agent who accepts.
How Landian works in Scottsdale and Fountain Hills
The same three steps as everywhere on Landian, with licensed agents who work Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and the rest of the Valley.
1
Book online
Enter your address and expected price. Your flat fee shows right away; pick a consultation time.
2
Compare agents
Licensed local agents who accept your fee answer. You compare their cards (rating, experience, response time) and choose.
3
Meet and list
Meet your agent, then decide. Nothing is exclusive until your home is listed, and you can cancel from your dashboard.
McCormick Ranch Golf Club, Scottsdale
Moving to Scottsdale and Fountain Hills?How buying in Scottsdale and Fountain Hills works
Moving for the trails, the golf or the dark skies? Tell us which neighborhoods you are watching and you are matched with a licensed buyer’s agent who works the northeast Valley.
A licensed buyer's agent for a flat fee from the same schedule, based on the price of the home you buy. The fee is usually covered by the seller's contribution, and anything the seller contributes above it comes back to you as a rebate or closing-cost credit where allowed.¹
How much does it cost to sell a house in Scottsdale or Fountain Hills with Landian?
One flat fee set by your home's price, not a percentage: $6,999 flat for a home around $700,000. $9,999 flat for a home around $1,000,000. $14,999 flat for a home around $1,600,000. It is shown before you meet your agent, written into your agreement, and paid from your proceeds at closing. Nothing upfront.
Is the fee the same in Scottsdale and Fountain Hills?
Yes. The schedule is set by the home's price, not by the town, so a home at the same price pays the same flat fee anywhere in Arizona. Under $500,000, the fee you see is final. From $500,000, an agent may propose a different fee before you choose them, with a reason and always under 1% of your expected price. You can say no and wait for an agent who accepts.
Does Landian have agents in Scottsdale and Fountain Hills?
Yes. Landian has office pages for Scottsdale, Phoenix, Mesa and Cave Creek and matches you with licensed local agents within about 75 miles of your home, so Fountain Hills and the whole northeast Valley are covered. Agents who accept your fee answer, and you compare them before anyone calls.
How tall is the Fountain Hills fountain?
It reaches 330 feet for everyday viewing and 560 feet at full height, taller than the Washington Monument, and runs every hour on the hour for 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The town’s tourism bureau bills it as the third largest fountain in the world.
Which school districts serve Scottsdale and Fountain Hills?
Most of Scottsdale is in Scottsdale Unified (20,000 students, 27 campuses plus an online high school); parts of the north are in Cave Creek Unified or Paradise Valley Unified. Fountain Hills Unified serves approximately 1,300 students. Boundaries follow the street address, so check a specific home with the district’s finder.
What is the McDowell Sonoran Preserve?
Scottsdale’s own desert preserve: more than 30,500 acres inside the city, which the city calls one of the largest permanently protected urban desert preserves in the world, with over 230 miles of trails for hikers, bikers and equestrians.
How do Arizona property taxes work on a primary residence?
An owner-occupied primary residence is Class 3, assessed at a 10% ratio, and its Limited Property Value can rise annually but can never exceed the home’s full cash value (Maricopa County Assessor). Arizona’s individual income tax has been a flat 2.5% since 2023.
Is Fountain Hills really an International Dark Sky Community?
Yes. DarkSky International named it the world’s 17th International Dark Sky Community in 2018, one of only two near a major metropolitan city, and the International Dark Sky Discovery Center in town is set to open in early 2027.
How does buying a home in Scottsdale or Fountain Hills work with Landian?
You get a licensed buyer's agent for a flat fee from the same schedule, based on the price of the home you buy. The fee is usually covered by the seller's contribution, and anything the seller contributes above it comes back to you as a rebate or closing-cost credit where allowed.
What's your home worth in Scottsdale?
Enter your address. We'll look up your home's value and show your flat fee, set by its price.
Looking at homes in Scottsdale?
Get matched with a licensed buyer's agent who works the area, for a flat fee set by the price of the home you buy.
⁶Flat listing fee by expected price: $5,999 from $600K; $6,999 from $700K; $7,999 from $800K; $8,999 from $900K; $9,999 from $1M; $11,999 from $1.25M; $14,999 from $1.5M; $19,999 from $2M; lower below $600K. Based on the higher of the price you enter and a third-party estimate of your home’s value, and written into your Client Agreement before you meet an agent. If your listing price falls in a higher step, the fee follows the schedule; it never rises after your home is listed. Under $500K the fee you see is final; from $500K an agent may propose a different amount before you choose them, always under 1% of your expected price. Payable only at closing. Buyer-side fees use the same steps on the price of the home you buy and are usually covered by the seller’s contribution.
⁵Seller savings are estimated against a 2.5% listing-side commission on the final sale price. Commissions are not set by law and are negotiable, so actual savings vary by market, agent and property. The fee shown is the flat listing-side fee for the home’s price, set on Landian before the seller met the agent.
¹Rebates available where jurisdictional laws permit. Excludes AL, AK, KS, LA, MS, MO, OK, OR, TN. Seller credits may be requested as an alternative to rebates in restricted jurisdictions.
