How many home sales near Luke AFB involve a VA loan?
By James Sanson, REALTOR® · Updated October 2026
On the buying side, about one in nine. Of the 8,017 single-family resales that closed in seven West Valley cities near Luke Air Force Base from September 29, 2025 to September 28, 2026, 923 closed with new VA financing, 11.5 percent. On the selling side, 219 West Valley homeowners whose mortgage was a VA loan closed resales from April 14 to October 14, 2026. The median seller accepted an offer 44 days after listing and closed 86 days after listing (Arizona Regional MLS for both).
Which cities near Luke AFB had the most VA-financed sales?
Surprise, Buckeye, and Goodyear. Together they closed 615 of the 923 VA-financed resales, two of every three. Surprise alone closed 284, 30.8 percent of the seven-city total. Sorted by the number of VA-financed sales:
| City | Closed resales | Closed with VA financing | VA share of the city's sales | Share of the seven cities' VA sales | Median sale, all resales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surprise | 1,943 | 284 | 14.6% | 30.8% | $420,000 |
| Buckeye | 1,420 | 178 | 12.5% | 19.3% | $395,000 |
| Goodyear | 1,111 | 153 | 13.8% | 16.6% | $465,000 |
| Glendale | 2,165 | 151 | 7.0% | 16.4% | $430,000 |
| Litchfield Park | 512 | 69 | 13.5% | 7.5% | $570,000 |
| Avondale | 631 | 54 | 8.6% | 5.9% | $405,000 |
| Waddell | 235 | 34 | 14.5% | 3.7% | $540,000 |
| Seven cities | 8,017 | 923 | 11.5% | 100% | $429,000 |
Arizona Regional MLS, closed single-family resales, September 29, 2025 to September 28, 2026, builder-owned sales left out. Shares are rounded, so the last column adds to slightly more than 100.
Glendale is the outlier. It closed the most resales of the seven, 2,165, but 151 with VA financing, about one in fourteen. Its homes are also the oldest of the seven: the median Glendale resale was built in 1987, against 2003 to 2016 in the other six cities. The MLS counts do not say why Glendale's VA share is lower.
Do VA buyers pay less than other buyers near Luke AFB?
Not at the median. The median VA-financed resale in the seven cities closed at $445,000, against $429,000 for all resales. By city, the VA median was $436,500 in Surprise against $420,000 for the city, $440,000 in Glendale against $430,000, and $467,500 in Goodyear against $465,000. The median VA-financed home was built in 2006; the median for all resales was 2005. By price and age, the typical VA-financed home looked much like the typical resale.
Who are the VA buyers near Luke AFB?
More than the people moving to Luke. A VA-backed loan is open to eligible service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and some surviving spouses (VA eligibility page (opens in a new tab)). Military OneSource counts about 5,280 active-duty members, 2,365 reservists, and 2,876 civilians at Luke, and more than 80,000 retirees in the area (Luke AFB overview (opens in a new tab)). The MLS records how a sale was financed, not who the buyer was, so these counts cannot say how many VA buyers were stationed at Luke.
What does the VA share mean if you are selling near Luke AFB?
It tells you how much of your likely buyer pool brings VA's rules with it. In Surprise, Waddell, Goodyear, and Litchfield Park, about one recent buyer in seven used VA financing; in Buckeye, about one in eight; in Avondale, about one in twelve; in Glendale, about one in fourteen. Three things change when the buyer uses VA:
- The VA escape clause. If VA's value comes in below the contract price, the buyer can cancel and get the earnest money back.
- The VA appraisal. VA's standard for its appraisers in Maricopa County is 6 business days, counted from the first business day after assignment (VA appraisal timeliness table (opens in a new tab), effective May 1, 2026). The appraiser also checks VA's minimum property requirements.
- A cap on seller concessions. VA limits concessions to 4 percent of the home's reasonable value.
A list price that recent nearby sales support is what keeps a VA offer together. The details are in selling your home to a VA buyer, and the calendar from report date to closing is in the Luke AFB PCS sale timeline.
How long did homeowners with VA loans take to sell near Luke AFB?
About three months from listing to closing at the median. These are the 219 West Valley resales that closed from April 14 to October 14, 2026 where the seller's existing mortgage was a VA loan:
| Step | Fastest quarter | Median | Slowest quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listing to accepted offer | 19 days or less | 44 days | 84 days or more |
| Accepted offer to closing | 27 days or less | 32 days | 44 days or more |
| Listing to closing | 52 days or less | 86 days | 133 days or more |
| MLS days on market | 34 days or less | 58 days | 107 days or more |
Of the 219, 84 had an accepted offer within 30 days of listing (38 percent), 134 within 60 days (61 percent), and 170 within 90 days (78 percent). From listing to closing, 115 finished within 90 days (53 percent) and 153 within 120 days (70 percent). Half of these sellers needed more than 86 days from listing to closing, so a listing that goes live three months before your report date leaves little room.
The pace varied by city. Cities with at least 24 of these sales:
| City | Sales | Median days to an accepted offer | Median days, listing to closing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surprise | 51 | 29 | 72 |
| Buckeye | 34 | 36 | 80 |
| Peoria | 33 | 45 | 99 |
| Glendale | 27 | 53 | 94 |
| Goodyear | 27 | 88 | 126 |
| Litchfield Park | 24 | 38 | 72 |
The other 23 sales were in Waddell, El Mirage, Tolleson, and Sun City, too few for their own medians. With 24 to 51 sales per city, a few slow sales can move a median.
Did sellers with VA loans have to cut their price?
More than half did. 120 of the 219 lowered the list price at least once before they sold, 55 percent, by a median 4.5 percent of the first list price. Across all 219, the median sale closed at 97.3 percent of the first list price and 99.5 percent of the final one.
The two groups moved at very different speeds. The 99 sellers who never cut took a median 18 days to an accepted offer and sold at 99.8 percent of their first price. The 120 who cut took a median 77 days and sold at 94.0 percent of their first price. A home that sells in two weeks never needs a cut, so this does not prove the first price caused the delay. It does show what the slow path looked like on a PCS calendar: about two and a half months to an offer, and 6 percent off the first price.
Who bought homes from sellers with VA loans?
Buyers of every kind. How the 219 buyers paid, as recorded in the MLS:
- Conventional loan: 92 sales, 42%
- VA loan: 50 sales, 23%
- FHA loan: 37 sales, 17%
- Cash: 27 sales, 12%
- Other: 13 sales, 6%
A seller with a VA loan is not limited to VA buyers, and the buyer's loan type sets the contract and appraisal rules, not the seller's. When the buyer does use VA, selling to a VA buyer covers what changes.
Did an assumable VA loan help these homes sell faster?
Not in this period. 68 of the 219 listings, 31 percent, said the VA loan could be assumed. They took a median 45 days to an accepted offer, against 41 for the other 151, and 68 days on the market by the MLS count, against 53. They sold at a median 96.4 percent of the first list price, against 97.4 percent. The MLS does not record whether a buyer actually assumed the loan, and these listings may differ in price, location, or rate, so the numbers do not say the assumption slowed anything. They do say not to count on it to shorten a PCS sale. How an assumption works, and what it does to your entitlement, is in selling with an assumable VA loan.
Did it matter whether the home was empty when it sold?
Not by much. 69 of the 219 homes were vacant when listed, 32 percent, and 144 were owner-occupied. The empty homes took a median 82 days from listing to closing, against 88 for owner-occupied homes. The MLS does not record why a home was empty, but for a PCS seller who moves first, these numbers do not show an empty home closing later. Selling from your next duty station covers how to run the sale from away.
How were these numbers counted?
VA-financed sales (buyer side):
- Source. Arizona Regional MLS, closed single-family resales with close dates from September 29, 2025 to September 28, 2026, pulled September 2026.
- Cities. Glendale, Surprise, Goodyear, Buckeye, Avondale, Litchfield Park, and Waddell, by the city on the MLS record.
- Left out. Builder-owned sales, so new homes sold by a builder are not in the counts.
- VA-financed. Sales recorded in the MLS as closing with new VA financing.
Sellers with VA loans (seller side):
- Source. Arizona Regional MLS, closed resales with close dates from April 14 to October 14, 2026, pulled October 14, 2026, where the listing records the seller's existing first loan as VA, alone or marked to be paid off at closing.
- Cities. Surprise, Buckeye, Peoria, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Waddell, El Mirage, Tolleson, and Sun City.
- Left out. 50 new homes sold by builders, and 23 resales whose existing-loan field also named a conventional or FHA loan, so the seller's loan could not be told apart. The 219 include 11 short sales.
- Days. Counted from the MLS list date, contract date, and close date. MLS days on market is the MLS's own count, which ran longer than days to an accepted offer on some listings.
- Assumable. The listing's loan terms said the loan could be assumed. The MLS does not record whether a buyer assumed it.
The two sets cover different months and cities, so their figures are not compared with each other. Medians are the middle sale: half were higher, half lower. Quarters are the fastest and slowest 25 percent of sales.
Past sales tell you what happened, not what your home will do. Your own price comes from your street's recent sales and your home's condition.
Frequently asked questions
What share of home sales near Luke AFB use VA loans?
11.5 percent. Of 8,017 single-family resales that closed in seven West Valley cities near Luke AFB from September 29, 2025 to September 28, 2026, 923 closed with new VA financing (Arizona Regional MLS).
Which city near Luke AFB has the most VA buyers?
Surprise. It closed 284 VA-financed resales in that year, 14.6 percent of its 1,943 resales and 30.8 percent of the seven-city total.
Do VA buyers pay less near Luke AFB?
Not at the median. The median VA-financed resale closed at $445,000, against $429,000 for all resales in the seven cities.
How long does a VA appraisal take near Luke AFB?
VA's standard for its appraisers in Maricopa County is 6 business days, counted from the first business day after the appraiser is assigned (VA table effective May 1, 2026). The clock starts when the buyer's lender orders the appraisal.
How long does it take to sell a house with a VA loan near Luke AFB?
About three months. The 219 West Valley homeowners with VA loans who sold from April 14 to October 14, 2026 took a median 44 days from listing to an accepted offer and 86 days from listing to closing. One in four took 133 days or more to close (Arizona Regional MLS).
Did sellers with VA loans near Luke AFB cut their price?
More than half did. 120 of the 219 lowered the list price at least once, by a median 4.5 percent. Those who cut took a median 77 days to an accepted offer and sold at 94.0 percent of their first price; the 99 who never cut took 18 days and sold at 99.8 percent (Arizona Regional MLS, April 14 to October 14, 2026).
Does an assumable VA loan sell faster near Luke AFB?
Not in the six months to October 14, 2026. The 68 West Valley listings marketed as assumable took a median 45 days to an accepted offer, against 41 for the other 151 homes sold by owners with VA loans, and sold at a median 96.4 percent of the first list price, against 97.4 percent (Arizona Regional MLS).
Sources, read on October 14, 2026: Arizona Regional MLS (both data windows above); VA appraisal fees and timeliness table (opens in a new tab) (effective May 1, 2026); VA home loan eligibility page (opens in a new tab) (updated September 22, 2026); Military OneSource, Luke AFB overview (opens in a new tab). This page does not quote rates, payments, down payments, or loan terms.
Selling a home near Luke AFB?
Send your address and your report date with the form on this page. James prices the home from your street's recent sales, VA-financed ones included, then calls to go through the plan. For the seven cities side by side, see the Luke AFB home selling guide.