Question: My husband retired four months ago after being a construction supervisor for a large Valley homebuilder. For the last few years, we have spent almost every other weekend in the summer constructing our retirement home in Show Low. After my husband’s retirement, we sold our Mesa home and moved to Show Low.
After a few weeks, however, my husband began experiencing shortness of breath and even fainting. Bottom line: my husband now has been diagnosed with heart problems which are aggravated by the high altitude in Show Low, and we are moving back to the Valley. When we contacted a Realtor in Show Low to sell our home, she said that she was not allowed to sell any home that was built by an unlicensed contractor. Is she right? If so, how do
we sell our Show Low home now?
Answer: Under Arizona law, an owner of land is exempt from any contractor licensing requirements to build his own home — but only if the owner intends to live in the home. If the home is leased or sold within one year after being built, however, this exemption generally doesn’t apply, unless there is a hardship. See ARS § 32-1121(A)(5). Your husband’s heart condition is probably a hardship, and you should be able to list and sell your Show Low home now.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Couple who built their Arizona retirement home run into legal hurdles
