Relocating for professional sports is different from a typical move. Timelines change quickly, “home” can mean somewhere for two weeks or several years, and decisions about where to live often have to account for training, travel, privacy and a schedule that isn’t entirely your own.
I know that side of relocation personally. My fiancé is a professional baseball player, and we’ve spent years navigating the moves, temporary housing, changing schedules and uncertainty that come with professional sports. Working in Arizona real estate has given me the other side of that perspective, too—helping clients think through where to live and what actually makes sense beyond the house itself.
Whether you’re relocating to Arizona for a season, a new organization or something more permanent, there are a few things I’d consider before deciding where to land.
Start With the Timeline, Not the House
In professional sports, the timeline can change before you’ve even finished unpacking. A move that looks permanent can suddenly become temporary, and what starts as a few weeks can turn into an entire season—or several years.
That uncertainty doesn’t necessarily mean buying is off the table. It just means I’d look at the purchase a little differently. Beyond whether a home works for you right now, I’d consider whether you’d still feel good owning it if your circumstances changed—whether that means keeping Arizona as an offseason home, holding the property longer term, renting it in the future or eventually reselling.
Arizona is also unique because professional sports are so woven into the Valley, from spring training to year-round training and multiple professional teams. For the right buyer, that can make owning here appealing even if Arizona doesn’t remain your full-time home forever.
The goal is to choose a home that makes sense for your life today without ignoring how quickly that life can change.
Location Means Something Different for Athletes
For most buyers, location is about commute time, restaurants, schools or being close to family. For an athlete, there’s another layer: where you train, where you play and how often you’re getting on a plane.
I’d start with the facility, but I wouldn’t necessarily choose a home based on being as close to it as possible. A slightly longer drive may be worth it if it puts you somewhere that works better for your life as a whole.
And that’s especially true when a partner or family is making the move with you. I know this side personally. When your significant other is at the facility most of the day—or traveling for days at a time—the person at home is often the one spending the most time in the neighborhood. Being close to restaurants, coffee, workouts, errands, other families or simply the things that make a new city feel like home can matter just as much as shaving ten minutes off the drive to the facility.
Airport access is another consideration that’s easy to underestimate. Between road trips, offseason travel and family coming in and out of town, being reasonably connected to Phoenix Sky Harbor can make everyday life significantly easier.
And then there’s the part that doesn’t show up on a map: privacy. Gated communities, quieter streets, secure buildings, garages and homes that are easy to leave for stretches at a time can all become more important with the travel and unpredictability that come with professional sports.
For me, the goal isn’t to find the house closest to the stadium or training facility. It’s to find the location that works for both the athlete and the life happening around their career.
Privacy Matters—But So Does Everyday Life
Privacy is an obvious consideration when you or your partner plays professional sports, but it’s not just about choosing a gated community or a home hidden from the street. It’s also about feeling comfortable in your home when the realities of the season set in.
There may be stretches when your partner is on the road and you’re home alone, followed by weeks when you’re both traveling. Having a home that feels secure, is relatively easy to maintain and doesn’t become another thing to worry about while you’re away can make a bigger difference than you might expect.
The smaller details matter too—private garage access, secure deliveries, exterior maintenance and simply how exposed the home feels when you’re coming and going.
But privacy doesn’t have to mean isolation. If you’re the one staying behind during road trips, being close to the things that make your routine feel normal—your workout, coffee, groceries, restaurants, friends—can be just as important as being behind a gate.
Ultimately, the best setup is one that gives you privacy when you want it without making you feel disconnected from the life you’re building here.
Why Arizona Works So Well for Professional Athletes
Arizona has become a natural home base for athletes across a wide range of sports. The Valley has professional football, basketball, baseball and women’s basketball, along with golf, performance facilities and year-round training opportunities.
Baseball is the world I know most personally, and Arizona has a particularly strong connection to it. Every spring, 15 MLB teams train across 10 Cactus League facilities throughout the Valley, which means players and their families are constantly coming through for Spring Training, rehab, offseason work and training. That creates a community here that understands the rhythm of professional sports in a way that feels fairly unique.
But that community extends well beyond baseball. The Valley is home to professional football and basketball, hosts major golf events and has a broader network of training and performance resources used across sports.
What I think matters most, though, is that Arizona makes it relatively easy to build a life around a career that doesn’t follow a traditional schedule. There are trainers, recovery and performance facilities, golf courses, fitness studios and communities where early mornings, long road trips and months away from home aren’t unusual.
And for the family side of it, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley give you enough of a life outside the sport—restaurants, fitness, outdoor space, schools, community and everyday convenience—that Arizona can start to feel like home even if a team or training opportunity is what brought you here in the first place.
Your career may be the reason you come to Arizona. It doesn’t have to be the only reason you stay.
Where You Live Should Fit the Season—and the Rest of Your Life
There isn't one part of the Valley that makes sense for every professional athlete, and I actually think that's a good thing. Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and the surrounding areas offer very different versions of Arizona depending on what matters most to you.
If privacy and space are at the top of the list, Paradise Valley is an obvious place to consider. Larger lots, gated properties and a central location make it possible to feel removed without actually being far from Scottsdale, Phoenix or the airport.
North Scottsdale can make sense if you want newer communities, golf, mountain views and a little more breathing room. Areas like DC Ranch, Silverleaf and the communities around Pinnacle Peak offer a more private desert setting while still keeping restaurants, fitness and everyday conveniences relatively close.
If you or your family would rather be closer to restaurants, shopping and a more social day-to-day routine, central Scottsdale may make more sense. Areas around Gainey Ranch, McCormick Ranch and Old Town put you closer to the things you’ll actually use when you’re home—and can feel less isolating for a partner or family during the season.
And sometimes the right answer isn’t Scottsdale at all. Depending on the team, training facility and what you want from your day-to-day life, other parts of the Phoenix area may make much more sense.
The point isn’t to start with the neighborhood everyone tells athletes they’re supposed to live in. Start with the life you need the home to support, then work backward from there.
If you’re considering Scottsdale specifically, read my guide to choosing the right area in Scottsdale → Moving to Scottsdale, Arizona: A Local’s Guide to Choosing the Right Area
Build a Team That Understands the Lifestyle
A move in professional sports doesn’t always come with months of planning. Sometimes you have weeks, days—or even less—to figure out where you’re going, where you’ll live and what needs to happen before you get there.
Having people around you who understand that uncertainty can make the process significantly easier. Your real estate agent, lender, financial advisor and other professionals involved in the move should understand that contracts, reporting dates, travel schedules and even the city you’re living in can change quickly.
It also means discretion matters. You shouldn’t have to explain why you don’t want your name, schedule or move shared unnecessarily, or why you may need someone else to handle parts of the process while you’re traveling.
From the family side, I’ve also learned how valuable it is to have someone local you can actually call. Moving somewhere new is one thing; doing it while your partner is immediately consumed by a season, training or travel is another.
The right support should make the move feel simpler—not add another thing for you to manage.
Frequently Asked Questions About Relocating to Arizona as a Professional Athlete
Should a professional athlete buy or rent in Arizona?
It depends less on how long you expect to be with one team and more on whether owning in Arizona still makes sense if that timeline changes. If you’d want to keep the home as an offseason base, hold it longer term, potentially rent it in the future or eventually resell, buying can make sense even when your career timeline isn’t completely predictable. For a very short or uncertain stay, renting may offer more flexibility.
Where should professional athletes consider living in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area?
There isn’t one area where athletes live, and proximity to a team or training facility is only part of the decision. Paradise Valley and North Scottsdale tend to appeal to buyers looking for privacy, space and luxury properties, while central Scottsdale can offer easier access to restaurants, fitness and everyday conveniences. The right location depends heavily on the athlete’s facility, travel schedule and what their partner or family wants from day-to-day life.
Is Scottsdale a good home base for professional athletes?
Scottsdale can work particularly well as a home base because of its proximity to professional sports, training and performance resources, Phoenix Sky Harbor, golf and the broader Phoenix metro. It also offers enough outside of sports that a partner or family can build a life here independently of the athlete’s schedule.
What should athletes and their families prioritize when choosing a home in Arizona?
Start with the realities of your schedule: proximity to training, airport access, privacy and security, how easily the home can be maintained while you’re traveling, and what everyday life will look like for the person or family spending the most time there. The best home isn’t necessarily the closest one to the facility—it’s the one that works when you consider the entire lifestyle.
Professional sports can make a move happen quickly, but finding the right home shouldn’t feel like another complication.
I work with athletes and their families navigating moves throughout Scottsdale and the Phoenix area, as well as others whose careers in professional sports bring them to Arizona. If you’re considering a move, I’m happy to be a local resource before, during and long after you get here.
Planning a move to Arizona? Get in touch →
By Sofie Johnson
Arizona REALTOR® | RETSY | Forbes Global Properties