The Arizona purchase contract.
Nine sections,
one set of deadlines.
Most Arizona home resales are written on one form, the Arizona REALTORS Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract. Its deadlines run in calendar days that end at 11:59 p.m., the day of acceptance is not counted, and the inspection period is 10 days by default.
One contract, nine sections.
Arizona REALTORS (AAR), the state REALTOR association, publishes the Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract. The current base version is dated October 2022. AAR released minor revisions on or about November 1, 2025 and February 1, 2026, mostly about how brokers are paid and identified.
The contract also serves as the escrow instructions. Escrow is the neutral company that holds the money and documents and closes the sale. Any addendum both parties sign becomes part of the contract, so escrow needs a copy of each one.
- 1. Property.The address, price, what conveys with the home, the close of escrow date and possession.
- 2. Financing.Loan type, the loan approval contingency and the appraisal contingency. A contingency is a condition that must be met for the deal to go forward.
- 3. Title and Escrow.The escrow company, title insurance, and who pays escrow and title costs.
- 4. Disclosure.The seller's disclosure statement, insurance claims history, lead paint for older homes, and other required notices.
- 5. Warranties.What the seller promises about the home's condition and known defects.
- 6. Due Diligence.The inspection period, the inspection notice and the seller's response, and walkthroughs.
- 7. Remedies.The cure period, breach, earnest money as damages, mediation and arbitration.
- 8. Additional Terms and Conditions.Extra terms, how days are counted, delivery of notices and broker details.
- 9. Seller Acceptance.Where the seller accepts, rejects or counters.
How days are counted.
Every deadline in the contract runs on calendar days, not business days. Each day starts at 12:00 a.m. and ends at 11:59 p.m. The parties agree that time is of the essence, which means the deadlines are binding as written.
The count starts the day after the triggering event. The day of acceptance is not counted, and the last day is. Acceptance happens when the signed contract is delivered to the right broker, not when the last person signs.
A worked example
If acceptance happens on the 1st, day one is the 2nd. A 10 day inspection period ends at 11:59 p.m. on the 11th.
Three days before closing
Acts due three days before close of escrow must be done three full days before it. If closing is on a Friday, the act is due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
When escrow is closed
If the escrow company or the county recorder is closed on the closing date, closing moves to the next day both are open.
The dates that matter most.
These are the default periods in the form. Most can be changed by writing a different number into the contract.
- 3 days after acceptance:The seller delivers the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS).
- 5 days after acceptance:The seller delivers a five year insurance claims history, or the history for the seller's ownership if shorter.
- 10 days after acceptance:The inspection period ends, and the buyer delivers the Loan Status Update from the lender.
- 5 days after receipt:The buyer's window to object to items in the title commitment, the title company's list of conditions and exceptions.
- 5 days after a low appraisal notice:On a financed purchase, the buyer's window to cancel if the appraisal the lender requires comes in below the price. A cash buyer has this right only if the parties add an appraisal contingency.
- 3 days before closing:The buyer signs loan documents, confirms loan approval without conditions that block funding, or gives notice that approval cannot be obtained.
- Close of escrow:Happens when the deed is recorded with the county recorder.
What each side agrees to do.
Both sides take on duties when the contract is accepted. Missing one can lead to a cure notice, a written notice that a duty has not been done, and, if not fixed in three days, a breach.
The buyer
Deposits earnest money, applies for the loan, completes inspections and other investigations during the inspection period, reviews the title commitment, and brings closing funds. The buyer may walk through the home before closing.
The seller
Delivers the disclosures, gives reasonable access for inspections, appraisal and walkthroughs, keeps utilities on, maintains the home in substantially the same condition, completes any agreed repairs, and delivers possession and keys at closing unless another date is agreed.
Both
Act in good faith, sign extensions in writing only, and take disputes to mediation first. Unresolved disputes go to binding arbitration unless a party opts out within 30 days after mediation.
What you can change.
The form has blanks and choices for most money and time terms. Common ones: the price, the earnest money amount and how it is paid, the close of escrow date, the inspection period length, seller concessions toward the buyer's costs, who pays for the appraisal, whether a home warranty is bought and who pays for it, and the possession date.
Some terms are set by the form unless you write in something else. Escrow fees are split equally, and the seller pays for the owner's title insurance policy. Since the November 2025 revision, the form also states that seller concessions may be used toward broker compensation, within the lender's limits. Anyone with a question about a specific clause should ask a real estate attorney.
Common questions
Is the AAR purchase contract required by law?
No statute requires this specific form, but it is the standard Arizona REALTORS form for home resales, and it doubles as the escrow instructions.
Are Arizona contract deadlines in business days?
No. The AAR contract uses calendar days. Each day ends at 11:59 p.m., and weekends and holidays count.
When does the contract clock start?
At acceptance, which is when the signed contract is delivered to the appropriate broker. The day of acceptance is not counted.
How long is the inspection period?
Ten days after acceptance by default. The parties can write in a different number.
What is a cure notice?
A written notice that the other party has not done something the contract requires. They then have three days to fix it before the sender can declare a breach.
When is the sale officially closed?
When the deed is recorded with the county recorder. That is what close of escrow means in the contract.
Who pays escrow fees?
The form splits escrow fees equally between buyer and seller unless the contract says otherwise.
Can a verbal agreement extend a deadline?
No. Under the contract, only a written agreement signed by both parties changes a deadline.
Questions about the purchase contract?
Buying soon? Before you write an offer, I will walk you through every date the contract sets. If you already have an agent under contract, ask them first. Call or text 480-485-4261.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Sources: the Arizona REALTORS Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract (October 2022 form) from Arizona REALTORS; Arizona REALTORS contract series by K. Michelle Lind, Esq.: Part 1, Buyer Attachment, Part 7b, Inspection Period and Buyer Disapproval and Part 8, Remedies; Arizona REALTORS on the loan contingency and cure period notice; and Arizona REALTORS notices of form revisions released November 2025 and February 2026. All checked 28 October 2026.