How to File a Michigan Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) Affidavit: Step-by-Step Guide The Michigan Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) is the single most valuable tax break most Michigan homeowners get. It removes 18 mills of local school operating tax from your property bill, saving the typical Michigan homeowner $500 to $3,000 per year for as long … Continued
Michigan Senior, Veteran, and Disability Property Tax Exemptions: Complete Guide for 2026 Michigan does not have a single across-the-board senior property tax exemption, but the state offers several powerful programs that can dramatically reduce property tax for qualifying seniors, disabled veterans, and disabled homeowners. Many Michigan homeowners who qualify never apply because they do not … Continued
Michigan Property Tax Uncapping Exemptions: Family Transfers, Trusts, and Lady Bird Deeds Michigan property tax uncapping can dramatically increase the bill on a family home when ownership transfers, often by thousands of dollars per year. The good news: Michigan law provides a long list of exemptions that allow ownership to transfer without triggering uncapping. If … Continued
Can I Sell My Michigan Home If I Owe Back Property Taxes? (Yes — Here Is How) If you have fallen behind on Michigan property taxes, you may worry that you cannot sell the home until the taxes are paid. The good news: you can absolutely sell, and the unpaid taxes get paid off at … Continued
Michigan Pay As You Stay (PAYS) Program: Eligibility, Application, and How It Saves Your Home If you are a low-income Michigan homeowner who has fallen behind on property taxes, the Pay As You Stay (PAYS) program may be the most powerful tool available to keep your home. PAYS can wipe out the interest, fees, and … Continued
How to Calculate Your Michigan Property Tax Bill After Buying a Home (With Real Examples) Most Michigan home buyers get a nasty surprise the year after they close: the property tax bill is significantly higher than what the previous owner was paying, sometimes thousands of dollars per year higher. This is not a mistake. It … Continued
How to Appeal Your Michigan Property Tax Assessment: Step-by-Step Board of Review Guide If you think your Michigan property tax assessment is too high, you can appeal it. Many Michigan homeowners win meaningful tax reductions through the appeal process every year, but the deadlines are strict and the process has specific requirements. Miss the March … Continued
Michigan Tax Foreclosure Surplus Funds: How to Claim Your Money After Auction (Rafaeli Ruling) If your Michigan home was foreclosed for unpaid property taxes and sold at the county auction, you may be entitled to thousands of dollars in surplus funds. Most former Michigan homeowners do not know this, and they miss the strict deadline … Continued
Cleaning Out a Michigan Home After a Death: A Practical Guide for Heirs Cleaning out the home of someone who has died is one of the most emotionally and physically draining tasks an heir ever takes on. Decades of accumulated belongings have to be sorted, valued, distributed, sold, donated, or thrown away. Family members have … Continued
What to Do When You Inherit a Michigan Home With Other Heirs Who Disagree Inheriting a Michigan home is complicated enough when there is one heir. When there are two or more heirs and they do not agree on what to do with the property, the situation can quickly become emotional, expensive, and damaging to … Continued
Selling an Inherited Michigan Home: Step-by-Step From Death to Closing Inheriting a home in Michigan starts a complicated chain of events. The home has to be secured, the legal authority to sell has to be established (often through probate), the contents have to be dealt with, the property has to be valued, and eventually the … Continued
How to Run a Michigan Estate Sale: Hiring a Company Versus Doing It Yourself When a Michigan family member dies and leaves behind a home full of belongings, the heirs face a question: do you hire a professional estate sale company or run the sale yourselves? Both paths can work, but they suit very different … Continued
Estate Sale Versus Probate Sale in Michigan: What Each One Actually Means When a Michigan family member dies, the surviving relatives often hear two related but very different terms thrown around: estate sale and probate sale. Both have to do with selling assets after a death, but they refer to completely different things. An estate … Continued
Why Many Michigan Empty Nesters Sell As-Is Instead of Doing Pre-Sale Repairs When Michigan empty nesters decide to downsize, almost every real estate agent recommends a list of pre-sale repairs and updates to maximize the sale price. New paint. Updated kitchen and bathrooms. Refinished floors. Maybe a new roof. The list is real and it … Continued