Desert Highlands isn’t one kind of home. The gate covers 850 acres at the base of Pinnacle Peak, with 560 properties built from 1984 onward. What you pay depends less on the address than on the home type, the lot and whether the home has been updated.
This page breaks down what’s here and what each tier costs. Julie and Jeff Jurgenson keep it current as the market moves.
Prices below reflect closed sales from the 12 months ending August 2026. For the current quarter’s sales, median price and days on market, see the Desert Highlands market update. Ask Julie or Jeff for what’s active today.
The home types inside the gate
| Custom Estates | Hillside Villas | The Heights | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical size | 4,000 to 7,000 sq ft | 3,000 to 5,000 sq ft | 2,500 to 4,000 sq ft |
| Typical lot | 0.5 to 2 acres | 0.25 to 0.35 acres | 0.25 to 0.35 acres |
| Closed price range last 12 months |
$1.75M to $7M | $2.3M to $3.4M | $1.5M to $3M |
| Best suited to | Full time living, entertaining and multi-generational space | Full time living, entertaining and seasonal use | Seasonal use and entertaining |
Custom estates
The custom estates make up the majority of the homesites in Desert Highlands. Each one is a fully custom build on a larger lot, designed by the owner’s own architect and builder rather than following a shared plan.
Hillside Villas
Hillside Villas sit higher on the slopes of Pinnacle Peak, with panoramic city light and mountain views. Some back to the golf course with fairway views. Others look out on the rock formations around Pinnacle Peak.
The Heights
The Heights sits in the northeast corner of the community, on smaller and more closely spaced lots, with a more traditional neighborhood feel.
What moves the price inside the gate
Two homes with the same square footage inside Desert Highlands can trade a long way apart. Here’s what drives that.
- View and position. Mountain views, city light views and golf course frontage each carry a premium, and most homes have at least one of them.
- Renovation status. Much of the community was built in the 1990s. A home on original finishes and a studs out remodel are different products at the same address. Julie and Jeff sort every home in Desert Highlands into three conditions: unremodeled, remodeled and redesigned. The gap between those three is where a lot of the price difference lives.
- Single level versus multi level. Homes with a lot of stairs, or with the primary bedroom upstairs, tend to sell for less. Condition drives more of the spread than anything else, and it’s the clearest pattern in the current sales data.
- The club. A golf membership is mandatory with a home purchase here, which changes the total cost of ownership. That’s covered in detail on the Desert Highlands Golf Club Membership page.
Want to see what’s available in a specific tier? Julie and Jeff can pull it for you. Call Julie at 480.296.6388 or Jeff at 480.848.4826.
What buyers get wrong about Desert Highlands pricing
Homes inside the gate trade at a premium over similar homes nearby that don’t come with golf privileges. Most buyers don’t learn that until they start shopping and compare the two side by side.
The second surprise comes with off market inventory. Buyers ask for access to homes that aren’t listed, then find that those homes carry a premium of their own. Quiet doesn’t mean cheaper.
Why buyers call Julie and Jeff
Julie and Jeff Jurgenson work every file together. Both of them on the showings, the inspection and the contract. Jeff handles strategy, negotiation and contract detail. Julie leads the client relationship and the golf community side.
Julie and Jeff track every sale in Desert Highlands by hand and sort each home by condition, which gives them a clear read on value at the individual home level. Desert Highlands sells around 35 homes in a typical year. That’s a small enough sample that online estimates don’t hold up, and it’s why a read on the actual comparable sales matters more here than it would in a larger neighborhood.
For buyers out of state, Julie and Jeff show up so you don’t have to. Video walkthroughs, photos from inside the home and someone at the inspection.
Talk to Julie and Jeff about Desert Highlands
Julie Jurgenson: 480.296.6388
Jeff Jurgenson: 480.848.4826
The Jurgenson Team, eXp Realty. 20551 N Pima Road, Suite 185, Scottsdale, AZ 85255.
