Arizona Revised Statutes Title 33. Property § 33-741. Definitions

1. “Account servicing agent” means a joint agent of seller and purchaser, appointed under the contract or under a separate agreement executed by the seller and the purchaser, to hold documents and collect monies due under the contract, who does business under the laws of this state as a bank, trust company, escrow agent, savings and loan association, insurance company or real estate broker, or who is licensed, chartered or regulated by the federal deposit insurance corporation or the comptroller of the currency, or who is a member of the state bar of Arizona.

2. “Contract” means a contract for conveyance of real property, a contract for deed, a contract to convey, an agreement for sale or any similar contract through which a seller has conveyed to a purchaser equitable title in property and under which the seller is obligated to convey to the purchaser the remainder of the seller's title in the property, whether legal or equitable, on payment in full of all monies due under the contract. This article does not apply to purchase contracts and receipts, escrow instructions or similar executory contracts which are intended to control the rights and obligations of the parties to executory contracts pending the closing of a sale or purchase transaction.

3. “Monies due under the contract” means:

(a) Any principal and interest payments which are currently due and payable to the seller.

(b) Any principal and interest payments which are currently due and payable to other persons who hold existing liens and encumbrances on the property, the unpaid principal portion of which constitutes a portion of the purchase price, as stated in the contract, if the principal and interest payments were paid by the seller pursuant to the terms of the contract and to protect his interest in the property.

(c) Any delinquent taxes and assessments, including interest and penalty, due and payable to any governmental entity authorized to impose liens on the property which are the purchaser's obligations under the contract, if the taxes and assessments were paid by the seller pursuant to the terms of the contract and to protect his interest in the property.

(d) Any unpaid premiums for any policy or policies of insurance which are the obligation of the purchaser to maintain under the contract, if the premiums were paid by the seller pursuant to the terms of the contract and to protect his interest in the property.

4. “Payoff deed” means the deed that the seller is obligated to deliver to the purchaser on payment in full of all monies due under the contract to convey to the purchaser the remainder of the seller's title in the property, whether legal or equitable, as prescribed by the terms of the contract.

5. “Property” means the real property described in the contract and any personal property included under the contract.

6. “Purchaser” means the person or any successor in interest to the person who has contracted to purchase the seller's title to the property which is the subject of the contract.

7. “Seller” means the person or any successor in interest to the person who has contracted to convey his title to the property which is the subject of the contract.

33-742. Forfeiture of interest of purchaser in default under contract

A. If a purchaser is in default by failing to pay monies due under the contract, a seller may, after expiration of the applicable period stated in subsection D of this section and after serving the notice of election to forfeit stated in section 33-743, complete the forfeiture of the purchaser's interest in the property in the manner provided by section 33-744 or 33-745. If the contract provides that the seller may elect to accelerate the principal balance due under the contract to the seller on the purchaser's failure to pay the monies due, the seller may accelerate the principal balance due to the seller at any time after the purchaser has failed to pay the monies due under the contract. The acceleration may occur before or after the expiration of the applicable period stated in subsection D of this section and without serving the notice of election to forfeit stated in section 33-743. If the seller elects to accelerate the principal balance due to the seller, the seller may only foreclose the contract as a mortgage in the manner provided by section 33-748. If a purchaser is in default under the contract for reasons other than failing to pay monies due under the contract, the seller may only foreclose the contract as a mortgage in the manner provided by section 33-748.

B. The interest of a purchaser in any personal property included in a contract is subject to forfeiture or foreclosure in the same manner as the real property, except that forfeiture or foreclosure does not affect or impair the rights of a holder of a security interest whose interest in the personal property is not subordinate to that of the seller.

C. If a contract provides that time is of the essence, a waiver of that provision occurs only if the seller has accepted monies due under the contract in an amount which is less than the total monies due under the contract at the time of the acceptance. Receipt of any monies due under the contract by an account servicing agency does not constitute acceptance by the seller. A seller's delay in exercising any remedy granted either by the contract or by law does not constitute a waiver of a time is of the essence provision. If the time of the essence provision has been waived, the seller may reinstate the provision by serving a written notice on the purchaser and the account servicing agent, if one has been appointed, requiring strict performance of the purchaser's obligations to pay monies due under the contract. The notice shall be served, either by delivery in person or deposit in the United States mail, first class, postage prepaid, at least twenty days prior to the date on which the seller will require the purchaser to pay the monies due under the contract. A copy of the notice need not be recorded in the county in which the real property is located or served on any person other than the purchaser and the account servicing agent, if one has been appointed.

D. Forfeiture of the interest of a purchaser in the property for failure to pay monies due under the contract may be enforced only after expiration of the following periods after the date such monies were due:

1. If there has been paid less than twenty per cent of the purchase price, thirty days.

2. If there has been paid twenty per cent, or more, but less than thirty per cent of the purchase price, sixty days.

3. If there has been paid thirty per cent, or more, but less than fifty per cent of the purchase price, one hundred and twenty days.

4. If there has been paid fifty per cent, or more, of the purchase price, nine months.

E. For the purpose of computing the percentage of the purchase price paid under subsection D of this section, the total of only the following constitutes payments on the purchase price:

1. Down payments paid to the seller.

2. Principal payments paid to the seller on the contract.

3. Principal payments paid to other persons who hold liens or encumbrances on the property, the principal portion of which constitutes a portion of the purchase price, as stated under the contract.

Use this form for the sale of residential property, vacant land, condominiums, rental property and planned unit developments.

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