Topic
Home & Property, page 2
Buying or owning a home in Michigan comes with a few surprises — property taxes that jump after you buy, a homestead exemption you have to claim, closing costs nobody warned you about. Here's what helps you make sense of the money side of your home.
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Lake levels and building near the water
Tuscola County's level-controlled lakes and county drains make lake-level assessments and Drain Commissioner checks worth asking about before buying or building near water.
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Low, flat country where the river meets the bay
Bay County's low Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay setting makes flood maps and shoreline risk important for buyers.
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Midland's three rivers, and when to check the flood maps
Midland sits at a river confluence where flood maps and flood insurance can matter for buyers near low ground.
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No city income tax in Belding
Belding does not charge a city income tax, unlike Ionia and Portland.
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No city income tax in Clare County
Neither Clare nor Harrison charges a city income tax.
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No city income tax in Clinton County's cities
St. Johns, DeWitt, and Ovid do not charge city income tax, though Lansing and East Lansing slivers in Clinton County do.
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No city income tax in Montcalm County
Greenville, Stanton, and Carson City do not charge city income tax.
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No city income tax in Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant does not charge a city income tax, so Isabella County buyers do not have a local wage tax to budget for there.
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No city income tax in Shiawassee County
Owosso, Corunna, Durand, Laingsburg, and Perry do not charge a local city income tax.
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On a well and septic? Isabella requires an inspection before you buy
Isabella County uses a mandatory time-of-transfer well and septic inspection for township properties with onsite systems.
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One of Michigan's biggest solar farms is here
The Assembly Solar Project in Hazelton and Venice townships is one of Michigan's biggest solar farms, with long-term land leases and local siting context.
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Out here, it's wells and septic
Outside Huron County's cities and villages, most homes rely on private wells and septic systems, so inspections, water tests, and perc tests matter before buying.
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Out in the county, you're on a well and septic
Rural Midland County homes often use private wells and septic systems, with county permits, soil checks, and buyer-requested inspections.
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Out in the county, you're on a well and septic
Many rural Saginaw County township homes use private wells and septic systems, so buyers should ask for records and inspections.
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Out in the county, you're on a well and septic — under local rules
Rural Tuscola County homes usually rely on private wells and septic systems under local county rules, with buyer-requested checks before closing.
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Out in the township, you're on a well and septic
Clare County township homes commonly use private wells and septic systems, and resale inspection is buyer-beware.
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Out in the township, you're on a well and septic
Outside Clinton County's cities and village centers, many township homes use private wells and septic systems, and resale inspection is buyer-beware.
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Out in the township, you're on a well and septic
Outside Gratiot County's cities and villages, most township homes rely on private wells and septic systems.
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Out in the township, you're on a well and septic
Outside Ionia County's cities and village centers, township homes often use private wells and septic systems, and resale inspection is buyer-beware.
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Out in the township, you're on a well and septic
Most Lapeer County township homes outside the cities and villages use private wells and septic systems.
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Out in the township, you're on a well and septic
Outside Montcalm County's cities and village centers, township homes often use private wells and septic systems, and resale inspection is buyer-beware.
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Out in the township, you're on a well and septic — and the county checks it when you sell
Shiawassee County township homes often use private wells and septic systems, and the county requires septic inspection at sale or transfer.
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Out past the suburbs, you're on a well and septic
Rural Bay County township homes often use private wells and septic systems, so buyers should ask for records and inspections.
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Outside town, you're probably on a well and septic
Most Barry County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and the county's former sale-time inspection mandate was repealed in 2018.
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Outside town, you're probably on a well and septic
Most Branch County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and the county does not require a sale-time inspection.
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Outside town, you're probably on a well and septic
Most rural Calhoun County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and sale-time inspections are something buyers need to ask for.
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Outside town, you're probably on a well and septic
Most Eaton County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and the county's former sale-time inspection mandate was repealed in 2018.
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Outside town, you're probably on a well and septic
Most Hillsdale County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and the county does not require a sale-time inspection.
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Outside town, you're probably on a well and septic
Most rural Jackson County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and sale-time inspections are something buyers need to ask for.
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Outside town, you're probably on a well and septic
Many rural Lenawee County township homes use private wells and septic systems, so buyers should ask for inspections before closing.
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The 2020 dam break and the lakes that are coming back
The 2020 Edenville and Sanford dam failures reshaped the Four Lakes area, where lake rebuilding and special assessments matter for buyers.
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The Cass River, and Vassar's flood history
The Cass River runs through Caro and Vassar, where flood history makes mapped flood zones and insurance worth checking before buying.
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The Isabella Reservation and your property taxes
Most private fee land inside the Isabella Reservation is taxed normally; federal trust land is the key exception.
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The old chemical plant and the Pine River
St. Louis has a long-running Superfund cleanup tied to the old Michigan Chemical/Velsicol plant, PBB, DDT, and the Pine River.
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The old county landfill: sealed, capped, and monitored
The old Gratiot County Landfill in Bethany Township is a contained and monitored Superfund site tied to Velsicol/PBB waste.
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The Saginaw River cleanup, and the fish advisories downstream
Downstream Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay buyers should know about dioxin cleanup history, fish advisories, and floodplain sediment.
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The Tittabawassee floodplain and a long cleanup
Downstream of Dow's Midland plant, buyers near the Tittabawassee River floodplain should know about dioxin cleanup records and advisories.
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Wells and septic outside town
Outside Sanilac County's cities and villages, most homes rely on private wells and septic systems, so inspections, water tests, and perc tests matter before buying.
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Wind country — turbines, leases, and who decides
In Michigan's Thumb, wind turbines can affect rural land value, leases, views, local zoning, and state siting decisions.
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Wind country: one of Michigan's biggest wind farms
Isabella Wind makes turbines, leases, tax revenue, views, and sound part of the rural home-buying picture in six Isabella County townships.
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Wind country: turbines on the skyline
Gratiot County's wind farms can affect rural land through turbine leases, views, tax base, local rules, and state siting decisions.
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Wind energy: an active local issue
No wind farm operates in Montcalm County today, but recent proposals and state siting rules make wind energy worth asking about when buying rural land.
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Benton Harbor's water and the lead-line replacement
Benton Harbor's lead-in-water crisis triggered a full lead-service-line replacement program, and the city's water has since met lead standards.
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Building near the Lake Michigan shoreline and on the dunes
Lake Michigan shoreline and dune properties can be affected by Michigan critical-dune and high-risk-erosion-area permits.
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Buying in Ann Arbor's Old West Side? It's a binding historic district
Ann Arbor's Old West Side is a binding local historic district, so exterior changes usually need city Historic District Commission approval.
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Buying in Flint? An honest, up-to-date look at the water
Flint's water crisis caused lasting harm, but the city's water meets standards today; buyers should still check service-line history and current reports.
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Buying on (or near) a Cass County lake? A few things to know
Cass County lake homes can come with managed lake levels, special assessments, lake associations, and lake-specific boating rules.
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Buying on (or near) a Livingston County lake? A few things to know
Livingston County lake homes can come with managed lake levels, special assessments, lake associations, and lake-specific boating rules.
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Buying on (or near) a St. Joseph County lake? A few things to know
St. Joseph County lake homes can come with managed lake levels, special assessments, lake boards or associations, and lake-specific boating rules.
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Buying on Ann Arbor's west side or in Scio Township? Know about the groundwater plume
A known 1,4-dioxane groundwater plume under parts of western Ann Arbor and Scio Township is worth checking by exact address.
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Flint's land bank: cheap lots and fixer-uppers, with a catch
The Genesee County Land Bank sells Flint side lots and fixer-upper houses cheaply, but buyers need to budget for real rehab work.
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In Grand Haven, the city runs your electricity (and melts the downtown snow)
Grand Haven has its own municipal electric utility, and its downtown snowmelt system helps keep streets and sidewalks clear in winter.
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In Holland, the city runs the power — and uses it to melt the snow downtown
Holland runs its own municipal utility, and waste heat from its power plant helps melt snow from downtown streets and sidewalks.
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Living near the Cook nuclear plant
Homes around Bridgman and Lake Township may sit inside the Cook Nuclear Plant emergency planning zone, with B-WARN alerts, KI pills, and a Know Your Zone map.
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Living near the Palisades nuclear plant
Homes around Covert and South Haven may sit inside the Palisades Nuclear Plant emergency planning zone while the plant is being brought back into service.
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Monroe's tap water comes from Lake Erie — and what that means in summer
Monroe draws drinking water from western Lake Erie, where summer algae blooms are watched closely and treated by the city water department.
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Outside the cities, most Livingston homes are on a well and septic — inspect before you buy
Most Livingston County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and the county does not require a sale-time inspection.
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Outside town, most Cass County homes are on a well and septic — inspect before you buy
Most Cass County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and the county does not require a sale-time inspection.
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Outside town, most St. Joseph County homes are on a well and septic — inspect before you buy
Most St. Joseph County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and the county does not require a sale-time inspection.
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The Kalamazoo River cleanup, and the fish advisory
Kalamazoo River properties in Allegan County sit along an active PCB/Superfund cleanup corridor with a fish advisory buyers should understand.
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There's a nuclear plant on Lake Erie nearby — what that means if you're buying near Monroe
Monroe sits within the Fermi 2 nuclear plant emergency planning zone, with routine siren tests, county planning, and a separate Fermi 1 history worth understanding.
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