Sell Your Ann Arbor Rental Property Fast
A buyer for tired Ann Arbor rentals
If you own a rental in Ann Arbor — a duplex off South University, a single-family near Pioneer High, a four-bedroom student house in the Old Fourth Ward, a small multifamily on Packard, or a condo near Plymouth Road that you bought when your kid was at U-M — and you are ready to be done, Offer Now Michigan buys rental properties for cash, with tenants in place if needed, and closes on your timeline. No vacating tenants for showings, no city rental re-inspection drama, no listing season.
Why Ann Arbor rentals are uniquely tiring
Ann Arbor has the most concentrated student-rental market in Michigan. The leases turn over August 15 to August 25 like clockwork, the August move-in week is chaos, and the maintenance call volume from a four-bedroom student house is on a different planet from a normal SFR. Most Ann Arbor landlords we talk to are not broke and not desperate — they are just done. The 25-year-old purchase has appreciated, the kids are grown, and the August/September of next year does not sound appealing.
The operational layer in Ann Arbor is heavier than most Michigan cities. The City of Ann Arbor requires rental registration and periodic inspections. The inspector checks egress windows in basements, smoke alarms, GFCI outlets, handrails, and dozens of other items. Older houses near campus — most of the student stock is pre-1940 — routinely fail one or two items per inspection cycle. The inspection scheduling alone eats time, and the punch list eats money. Stack three or four properties together and it is a job.
There is also the math on selling traditionally. A renovated single-family in 48104 trades quickly. A tired four-bedroom on a 0.10-acre lot that has hosted twelve undergraduate classes does not trade like that. The retail buyer pool for the second house is small. The investor pool is larger but disciplined — they will price in a $40,000 to $80,000 turn cost plus the lost summer of rent. Vacating to list cleanly costs you a season of cash flow. Selling with tenants in place caps your buyer pool at investors. Either way, the path is not as smooth as it is for a clean Burns Park colonial.
How a cash sale works on a rental
When you call 810-425-5961, we ask for the basics: address, unit count, lease status, current rents, deposits held, condition. We can buy with tenants in place. We can buy at the end of a lease term. We can buy a portfolio of two or three properties together. We pull rent comps and condition-adjusted sale comps in the specific ZIP, and we send a written cash offer typically within 24 to 72 hours.
Our offer usually lands at 70 to 85 percent of the after-repair retail value. On a tired Ann Arbor rental with retail in the $400,000 to $600,000 range, that is real money, but it is not the same as a renovated MLS sale price. The honest framing is this: when you compare our number to what you would net after a vacancy season, $50,000+ of make-ready work, agent commissions, and inspection-driven repairs, the gap is usually much smaller than the gross sticker comparison suggests — sometimes negligible.
At closing, we step into your shoes as landlord. Tenant security deposits transfer through the closing statement. Existing leases continue under us per Michigan law. We notify the tenants in writing about the change of ownership and where to send rent. You walk away clean.
A tax note worth flagging: a sale of a rental triggers depreciation recapture and capital gains, and Section 121 (the $250K/$500K primary-residence exclusion) does not apply because this is investment property. If you want to defer, a 1031 exchange into a replacement rental can work, but the timing is tight — 45 days to identify, 180 days to close. Talk to a CPA before you sign anything. We can write the contract to accommodate a 1031 if you decide to go that route.
What we buy across Ann Arbor
We buy single-family rentals, duplexes, triplexes, and small multifamily across Ann Arbor in 48103, 48104, 48105, and 48108. We buy student rentals near central campus, family rentals near Pioneer and Skyline high schools, condos near downtown and along Plymouth Road, and properties across the city in Burns Park, the Old West Side, the Old Fourth Ward, Water Hill, Kerrytown, Northside, and Ann Arbor Hills. We buy properties with deferred maintenance, open inspection items, evictions in progress, or non-paying tenants.
FAQ
Can you really close with tenants still living there?
Yes. We buy occupied rentals routinely. Existing leases transfer with the property. Tenants stay under their current terms.
I have an open City of Ann Arbor rental inspection failure. Will that stop the sale?
No. We deal with the city directly post-closing. You do not have to clear the punch list to sell to us.
What about a non-paying tenant or an active eviction?
Tell us where the case is in the 15th District Court. We can usually buy as-is and take over the eviction, or we can wait until the writ executes — whichever you prefer.
Will you buy a portfolio?
Yes. We have bought two- and three-property bundles. Pricing is per-property based on each one’s condition and rent roll.
I am worried about depreciation recapture and capital gains. Should I talk to a CPA first?
Yes, absolutely. Investment property sales have tax consequences that primary-residence sales do not. We can hold an offer open while you get tax advice, and we can write a 1031 exchange accommodation into the contract if that is the direction you choose.
Get a Cash Offer on Your Ann Arbor Home Today
Ready to talk numbers? Get a free, no-obligation cash offer on your Ann Arbor property in 24–48 hours. Start your free Ann Arbor cash offer here, or call us directly at 810-425-5961.
Related Michigan Resources
Some additional reading that may help with your situation:
Tenant Rights When Landlord Sells in Michigan
Cash for Keys in Michigan: How to Negotiate Tenant Move-Out Before Sale
Michigan 1031 Exchange: Complete Step-by-Step Guide for Landlords
Have a Property in Another Michigan City?
We buy houses for cash across the entire state of Michigan. If your property is not in Ann Arbor, we still want to make you an offer. Here are some nearby cities we work in:
Ypsilanti · Saline · Chelsea · Dexter · Canton
We also cover Michigan’s three largest cities — Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint — plus more than 100 other communities. See our full statewide coverage.
When you are ready
Call 810-425-5961 with the address and a few details on the lease and condition. We will give you a written cash number, walk you through how it compares to a traditional sale net of all the friction, and let you decide. No pressure, no obligation.