Anthem sits along I-17 north of Phoenix, a Del Webb master plan that began selling at the end of the 1990s and grew into one of the largest planned communities in the state. It is a popular landing spot for retirees for practical reasons: amenities that would be unusual anywhere, a community center and water park, and a price point that buys considerably more house than the equivalent in north Scottsdale.
One thing to understand before you shop. Anthem is effectively two communities under one name, and which one you buy in changes your monthly obligation and therefore your approval.
The two sides, and why your lender cares
Anthem Country Club is the gated, age-restricted side, with golf and a club structure. The obligations attached to an address there are layered: the community association, the club, and in some cases a mandatory membership component.
Anthem Parkside is the non-age-restricted side, families and all ages, with its own association and access to the community center amenities.
The distinction matters to a lender for one reason that has nothing to do with lifestyle. Every recurring obligation attached to the property goes into your debt-to-income ratio. A mandatory club membership is a monthly obligation whether the paperwork calls it dues, a membership, or an assessment. An optional one generally is not.
For a retiree qualifying on fixed or asset-derived income, where the income side of the ratio is not flexible, the obligation side is where approvals are won and lost. Two houses at the same price with different dues structures are not the same purchase.
So: get the complete monthly obligation for the specific address in writing before you make an offer. Association dues, any sub-association, any club component, and whether the club piece is mandatory. Ask whether any assessment is pending. See HOA and Club Dues in Your Ratio.
Age-restricted housing is also a category some loan programs treat with specific requirements. It is routine, but it is a question worth asking rather than assuming.
Qualifying without a paycheck
Underwriting needs documented income likely to continue. Retirement income can satisfy that cleanly, but the documentation differs from a pay stub.
Social Security and pension. Award letters, benefit statements and evidence of receipt. The non-taxable portion of Social Security may be grossed up on many programs, which helps.
IRA, 401(k) and annuity distributions. The rule that surprises people: a distribution generally must be already established and documented as continuing to be used as qualifying income. If you plan to begin distributions after you buy, you frequently cannot count them. Starting them with a documented history before you apply changes the file materially. Plan that months ahead, not weeks.
Investment and dividend income. Averaged from returns, with the underwriter looking for stability over a single strong year.
Asset depletion. Rather than counting distributions, the lender derives qualifying income from verified liquid assets. Retirement accounts typically discounted, pledged assets generally excluded. For a retiree with a solid portfolio and modest reportable income, this is frequently the approval. See Asset Depletion and Asset Qualifier Loans and Qualifying With No Paycheck.
The trap: many programs will not let the same dollars both generate qualifying income and satisfy the reserve requirement. See Reserves vs Depletion.
If you are selling somewhere else to buy here
Most retirees moving to Anthem are selling a house, frequently in another state, frequently at a price well above Anthem's. That sequencing is its own problem and it has real solutions.
Selling first and renting is the cleanest financing position and the most disruptive life position.
Buying first with the departing residence still owned means qualifying with both payments unless you can document the sale or an executed lease. Program treatment of a departing residence varies and it is worth asking about specifically.
Bridge financing exists for exactly this and is worth pricing before you need it. See Buying Before You Sell.
Paying cash and financing afterward is a legitimate strategy with timing rules attached. See Cash Offer Then Delayed Financing.
One thing worth modeling with your advisor: whether to pay cash at all. Liquidating appreciated assets has a tax cost a mortgage does not, and a retiree who pays cash to avoid a payment sometimes pays more in capital gains than the interest would have cost. Your tax advisor runs that comparison, not your lender.
Property items specific to Anthem
Housing stock is mostly from 1999 forward, which means roofs, water heaters and air conditioning units across the community are now in the age range where they get replaced. Not a financing obstacle, but it belongs in your inspection expectations and your reserve planning.
Confirm whether the parcel is on municipal water and sewer. Within the master plan this is generally straightforward, but properties on the edges of the area can differ.
Order the appraisal normally. Anthem has volume and reasonably uniform product, which makes comparable sales easier here than in the custom-home markets further south. That is a genuine advantage.
Before you write in Anthem
- Decide which side of the community you are buying in and get the full obligation for that specific address.
- Ask whether any club membership is mandatory.
- Ask whether any special assessment is pending.
- Establish and document distributions you intend to use as income, well before applying.
- Ask whether the asset strategy or the income strategy produces the better approval.
- Plan the sale of your current home and the financing sequence together, not separately.
- Get fully underwritten, not pre-qualified, so a human has read your statements and award letters.
Why bring this file to us
- We read the documents ourselves, rather than handing them to a processor and waiting.
- Broker model. An unusual file needs multiple investors, not one bank's shelf.
- The full toolkit, agency and jumbo through bank statement, asset depletion, DSCR and no-ratio non-QM.
- You talk to the principal. Ricky Khamis is President of EPiQ Lending, NMLS #173141, lending in Arizona since 1999 and a 2025 Presidents Club Winner at CMG Home Loans. Direct line: (480) 999-9842.
EPiQ Lending is NMLS #1936984, at 7975 N. Hayden Road, Suite A-101 in Scottsdale. Verify all of it before you trust any of it: Ricky's EPiQ Lending profile, the Scottsdale branch, and the license itself at NMLS Consumer Access. Hold every lender to that standard, including us.
Send me the file before you write an offer, and I will tell you what it actually supports.
Equal Housing Opportunity. This is general information, not a commitment to lend or an offer to extend credit. Program guidelines, eligibility requirements and documentation standards vary by investor and change over time. Rates, terms and program guidelines change and depend on credit approval, property appraisal and other qualifying factors. Not all applicants will qualify. Non-QM financing carries different pricing and terms than agency financing. Consult your tax advisor regarding your own situation.
Looking at a specific home? Send me the address and I will run the numbers: rickykhamis.com/analyze
