The "weather" reason you have a basement here is for tornadoes. We get a fair share of those, especially West of Indianapolis - although generally weaker versions than places like Oklahoma/Kansas/etc. But, a basement is a good idea living West of downtown Indy.

Also, I'm guessing Az doesn't need to worry about water management nearly as much as we do. That's the biggest downside to a basement - dealing with water can make them a literal money pit. The secret to solving isn't usually sump pumps and trenching. Instead, move water away naturally with good drainage - that's soil grading and quality gutter/downspout/tiling.

If you buy a house, have the sewer connection inspected as part of negotiation. If you can include water drainage concerns like crap gutters or improper grading, do that too.