As Tami Henderson's clients neared the end of building out their dream home in Scottsdale's Desert Mountain neighborhood, they elected to sell instead of moving in. It did not take long to find a buyer.
Henderson, an agent with Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty, had a deal under contract three days after landing the exclusive listing for 9140 E. Grapevine Pass.
"It had basically all the different components that everybody's looking for — brand new, contemporary, huge views and a Desert Mountain golf membership was included," Henderson said.
The result was a $14 million deal — the highest recorded sale in Desert Mountain. She said the new owners, who are coming from another Desert Mountain home, are expected to move in by year's end.
The 12-acre hillside lot holds an 11,272-square-foot home completed this summer. The two-story house features an elevator, a five-car garage, a theater room, a fitness room and a bowling alley. The home also features resort-style amenities, including a rooftop waterfall wall that cascades into the pool and expansive outdoor living spaces with panoramic views of Phoenix and the surrounding mountains.
Joanie Barreiro, also of Russ Lyon, represented the buyers.
Desert Mountain connection helps secure deal
Henderson started working with the sellers in 2020 when she had the listing for a different Desert Mountain home at 42725 N. 102nd Street. That house ultimately sold to a different set of buyers for $10.2 million, a neighborhood record at the time.
Henderson, however, then helped her clients find the 12-acre vacant Grapevine Pass lot within Desert Mountain, a more than 8,000-acre, guard-gated community in north Scottsdale with golf courses, tennis courts, restaurants and more.
The buyers then tapped Arizona firms Platinum Cos., PHX Architecture and Holly Wright Design to work on the new-build project. The family planned to take occupancy of 9140 E. Grapevine Pass, but a change in circumstances prompted them to sell.
Henderson, who lives in Desert Mountain herself, also owns Desert Mountain Luxury Home Tour, which offers tours on Saturdays for homes within the neighborhood.
"We have anywhere between five and 25 homes on tour every single Saturday," Henderson said.
More than 65% of homes within Desert Mountain carry a value above $2.32 million and the average value across the neighborhood is nearly $3.1 million, according to Homes.com data. Henderson said a significant amount of buying activity in Desert Mountain comes internally.
"They might start out with a smaller home as a part-time or a vacation home, and then they become part of the club and enjoy the weather, or their financial situation changes and then they move up to a larger home," she said.