Selling and buying without an agent in Michigan

Who runs your closing

Michigan is a title and escrow state. A title company handles the closing: it runs the title search, issues title insurance, holds the funds, prepares the settlement statement, and records the deed with the county register of deeds. No attorney is required to sit at the table, and most Michigan sales close without one. You can still hire a real estate attorney to review your purchase agreement or answer a specific question, but that is your choice rather than a rule. Pick your title company early, since it coordinates most of the moving parts on both sides.

What you must disclose

Michigan’s Seller Disclosure Act requires the seller of most one-to-four-unit residential property to give the buyer a completed Seller’s Disclosure Statement, the statutory form set out in MCL 565.957. What makes this state distinct is that the mandatory checklist text is written directly into the statute, so the form is fixed by law rather than left to a local board. Deliver it before closing. If you do not, the buyer can terminate the agreement. Answer every item from what you actually know about the roof, basement, well, septic, and systems, and do not guess to fill a blank.

Transfer taxes

Michigan imposes two transfer taxes on the sale, and the seller pays both. The state real estate transfer tax runs $3.75 for each $500 of the sale price, which works out to $7.50 per $1,000. The county adds another $0.55 per $500, or $1.10 per $1,000, in most counties. Combined, that is roughly $8.60 per $1,000 of value. On a $250,000 sale, budget close to $2,150 in transfer tax as a line on your seller’s side of the settlement statement.

The bottom line for doing it yourself

Selling without an agent in Michigan is workable because the title company carries the procedural load for both buyer and seller. Your real jobs are pricing the home, filling out the statutory disclosure form honestly, and remembering that the transfer tax comes out of your proceeds. This is general information, not legal advice, so bring in an attorney if your sale has anything unusual.