Chaparral Pines new construction in Payson, Arizona
Luxury sales have performed well on a year-over-year basis. Yet the inventory in existence today calls for diligent pricing and choice of property.
By Dennis Riccio, REALTOR®, West USA Realty | Updated July 28, 2026
There has been an increase in home sales activity and home prices this summer compared with last year’s numbers in the Rim Country luxury housing market. In the $832,751-and-above luxury housing price range covered in this report, there were 31 closings from April 1 through June 30, 2026, compared to 24 closings during the same period last year.
That was significant, as the quarterly sales were recorded at $40.73 million, the median sales price was set at $1.125 million, and the average sales price hit $1.314 million. However, a July 28 market snapshot showed 103 active luxury home listings and 16 pending listings in Rim Country.
| THE Q2 THEME: Demand improved, especially for well-positioned properties, but this is still a selective market rather than a market in which every luxury home sells quickly. |
Rim Country Luxury Market at a Glance
| Measure | Q2 2025 | Q2 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed sales | 24 | 31 | +29.2% |
| Sales volume | $27.66M | $40.73M | +47.2% |
| Median sale price | $990,000 | $1,125,000 | +13.6% |
| Average sale price | $1,152,481 | $1,313,786 | +14.0% |
| Median days on market | 70 | 66 | -4 days |
| Cash share of sales | 29.2% | 51.6% | +22.4 pts |
Figure 1. Rim Country luxury residential sales increased 29% year over year.
What Changed in the Second Quarter?
The strongest part of the quarter was not simply the increase in the number of sales. The mix of homes sold also moved higher. Sixteen of the 31 closings were between $1 million and $1.49 million, while four sold at $2 million or more. Those higher-priced transactions helped lift both the median and the average.
Luxury property transactions have seen some improvement as well. Median market time for these houses decreased from 70 days during Q2 2025 to 66 days during Q2 2026. Average market time for these properties decreased from about 121 days to 100 days. It is important to note the difference between median and average market times.
On average, Q2 2026 luxury closings sold for 96.7% of the final list price and 94.9% of the original list price. That gap suggests that some sellers needed to adjust before reaching the price at which a buyer was willing to act. Accurate initial pricing remains one of the strongest advantages a luxury seller can create.
Cash played an even greater role in the market. Of the 31 sales in Q2, 16 were cash transactions, compared to only 7 out of 24 during the same period last year. However, buyers who use financing can still compete in this market.
Figure 2. Both the median and average luxury sale price increased in Q2 2026.
Current Luxury Inventory: Buyers Still Have Options
As of July 28, 2026, the Rim Country luxury search contained 119 active and pending residential listings after excluding one clearly out-of-area listing. Of those, 103 were active, and 16 were pending. The median asking price was $1.15 million.
The largest inventory segment was at the entry point of this report’s luxury range: 55 listings were priced from $832,751 through $999,999. Another 31 were between $1 million and $1.49 million, 15 were between $1.5 million and $1.99 million, and 18 were priced at $2 million or more.
For buyers, this means that there are options across several price ranges — search current luxury listings. For sellers, it means there is some competition in the market. Condition, architecture, views, site quality, neighborhood, presentation, and pricing all factor into whether a home attracts buyer attention.
Figure 3. The current luxury inventory is largest between $832,751 and $999,999.
Chaparral Pines Luxury Market
Chaparral Pines had a total of nine luxury residential closings in Q2 2026, compared to eight in Q2 2025. Sales volume increased from $8.47 million to $12.44 million. And the median sale price rose from $995,000 to $1.15 million.
Carts parked outside the Chaparral Pines Clubhouse in Payson, Arizona
The July 28 inventory included 39 Chaparral Pines luxury listings: 33 active and six pending, with a median asking price of $1.259 million. Eleven of those listings were identified in the MLS as new construction. Four of the six pending homes were new construction, showing that new homes remain an important part of the community’s current activity.
Chaparral Pines also contains homes below $832,751. Those homes are not included in this luxury-only residential analysis, so these figures should not be treated as a summary of every home in the community.
Related: see what $1.7 million buys in Chaparral Pines, or browse Chaparral Pines second homes.
The Rim Club Luxury Market
During Q2 2026, The Rim Club had three luxury home sales, two more than during the same period in 2025. Also, the sales volume increased from $2.74 million to $6.85 million. The median sale price for Q2 2026 was $2.6 million.
South Patio of The Rim Golf Club restaurant in Payson, Arizona.
Current inventory was positioned considerably higher than in Chaparral Pines. The July 28 snapshot showed 19 listings in The Rim Club, 15 active and four pending, with a median asking price of $2.225 million. Ten of the 19 were priced at $2 million or more.
New construction is particularly impactful at The Rim Club. Ten of the 19 listed properties were classified as new construction, and all four pending sales were also new construction. Potential buyers deciding between new and existing construction need to consider several factors: design, level of finish, degree of completion, location within the development, views, and any included furniture.
| SMALL-SAMPLE CAUTION: For this comparison, there were only two sales in Q2 2025 and three sales in Q2 2026. Although the median figure appears higher, it has to be considered in light of the individual properties sold rather than implying an automatic 90% rise in values. |
Figure 4. Luxury home sales increased modestly in both private golf communities.
Luxury Extends Beyond the Private Golf Communities
Chaparral Pines and The Rim Club accounted for 12 of the 31 Q2 luxury sales. The other 19 occurred elsewhere in Rim Country, including non-club areas of Payson and communities such as Pine, Strawberry, Happy Jack, Christopher Creek, Star Valley, and Young.
This is important to both buyers and sellers. Luxury in the Rim Country is not a single entity. Custom golf homes, large forest properties, view properties, newer lock-and-leave properties, and acreage residences can all appeal to different buyers despite being in the same price range. The best comparisons focus on a property’s location, lifestyle, design, condition, and market.
Country-Club Land: A Separate and Slower Market
Luxury land is difficult to define by a broad price threshold. For this report, the land section is limited to residential lots inside Chaparral Pines and The Rim Club, where the community itself provides the luxury context.
Combined land sales in the two clubs declined from nine in Q2 2025 to four in Q2 2026. Chaparral Pines had four sales in each period, although the Q2 2026 median was $70,000 compared with $185,875 one year earlier. The Rim Club had five lot sales in Q2 2025 and none in Q2 2026.
As of July 28, there were 14 active lots and four pending lots in Chaparral Pines, as well as 19 active lots and one pending lot in The Rim Club. This clearly illustrates why individual lot analysis is important, as factors such as views, proximity to the golf course, topography, and construction costs can create significant differences between two lots within the same community.
| LAND INTERPRETATION: The decline in the Chaparral Pines median reflects only four sales in each quarter and a different mix of lots. It should not be presented as a community-wide decline in land value. |
Figure 5. Land activity held steady in Chaparral Pines and slowed sharply in The Rim Club.
Elk in the Knolls neighborhood in Star Valley, Arizona
What this Market Means for Luxury Buyers
- Use the inventory to compare, but compare the right properties. The broad luxury range includes very different communities and home types.
- Consider new construction separately from resales. In both private clubs, new construction is an important part of the current competitive landscape.
- Look at days on market more as background information than as a conclusion. A lengthy time on the market could be due to previous pricing, construction issues, unique property characteristics, or prior sales contracts.
- For club homes and lots, review membership options, community requirements, dues, transfer costs, and any construction-related obligations as part of the property analysis.
- If you’re opting for financing, prepare early. More than half of Q2 luxury closings were cash purchases.
What This Market Means for Luxury Sellers
- Price against today’s competing inventory, not only against the highest historical sale or a neighbor’s asking price.
- Separate your competitive set by community, condition, age, view, lot, square footage, and whether the home is new construction.
- Presentation comes first. Professional photos, videos, drone images where applicable, floor plans, and lifestyle positioning are more important than ever for properties facing competition.
- Consider dealing with any obvious condition issues before going to market, if possible. Luxury buyers tend to compare a resale property to a new one.
- For land, market the buildability and setting, not simply acreage and price. Buyers need to understand what makes the lot more practical to build on and more distinctive.
What to Watch in the Third Quarter
- How many of the 16 pending luxury homes will close, and at what prices?
- Whether demand at $2 million and above continues after four Q2 closings in that range.
- Whether new construction continues to account for most of the pending activity at The Rim Club.
- Whether The Rim Club land market records new closings after a quiet second quarter.
- Whether current inventory grows, stabilizes, or begins to decline as the summer selling season progresses.
A Property-Specific Analysis is More Useful than a Broad Average
Regional statistics offer some guidance, but the value of a luxury home is based on factors that a general graph cannot reveal. If you are thinking of selling, I can perform a custom market analysis that takes into consideration your neighborhood, view, acreage, size, condition, upgrades, and competition.
If you are buying, I can help you compare Chaparral Pines, The Rim Club, Payson, Pine, Strawberry, Christopher Creek, Happy Jack, and other Rim Country communities based on both the numbers and the lifestyle each property offers.
| SCHEDULE YOUR PERSONAL CONSULTATION TODAY: Call Dennis Riccio at (928) 517-4550 or email dennis@paysonarizonarealestate.com for a confidential Rim Country luxury market consultation or a community-specific property search. |
Dennis Riccio, Realtor
About this Report
For consistency, this report defines luxury residential real estate as homes sold or listed at $832,751 or higher. The closed-sale data compares the periods from April 1 through June 30, 2025, and April 1 through June 30, 2026. Inventory data is as of July 28, 2026.
Chaparral Pines residential figures include only homes at or above the luxury threshold; the community also contains lower-priced homes. The country-club land analysis includes residential lots in Chaparral Pines and The Rim Club regardless of price because a broad price cutoff does not reliably identify luxury land.
The analysis is based on MLS information supplied for this report and does not include private or other off-market transfers. Listing status can change at any time. Information is considered reliable but is not guaranteed, and small samples can produce large percentage changes.
