The questions people ask before they pick up the phone

Interior paint, refinished hardwood floors, and a minor kitchen remodel are the upgrades that earn their cost back: nationally, refinished hardwood recoups about 147% of its cost (NAR 2025 Remodeling Impact Report), a minor kitchen remodel about 113% (2025 Cost vs. Value Report), and interior paint roughly 100% or more (Angi). Full kitchen remodels, pools, and large additions rarely pay you back in a typical sale window. Fresh neutral paint, updated hardware and light fixtures, refreshed caulk and grout, and refinished floors are what buyers reward at the closing table.

A list price should come from the most recent closed sales in your immediate area, not from asking prices down the street or from last spring's peaks. In a market where prices have eased, the comparable set that matters spans roughly the last 90 days. Condition counts too: fresh paint, updated fixtures, and clean presentation support a different number than a tired interior, and overpricing in the first week of exposure is the most expensive mistake a seller can make. I build a full comparative market analysis with the sold data, the current competition, and a pricing strategy for the opening weeks of your listing, then we revisit it weekly with showing feedback.

Ann Arbor homes are averaging about 44 days on the market as of the most recent published data (Redfin, three months ending September 2026), up from about 39 days a year earlier, and Zillow's late-September read shows most homes under contract in about 21 days. Well-priced, well-presented homes still typically go under contract within the first two to three weeks. That is a median, so roughly half of homes sell faster and half take longer depending on price point and neighborhood. Pricing and preparation in the first week of exposure are the biggest levers on that number.

Yes, and December is often slower than sellers expect. Late November and December bring fewer new listings, which means less competition for showings, and the buyers who are out looking in December tend to be serious and motivated, often relocating or on a hard deadline. In a market with roughly 3.6 months of supply, a well-priced home in front of the right buyers can go under contract before the new year. Lights, curb appeal, and a warm interior show especially well in December as long as the photos and staging still look clean. I laid out the week-by-week timeline in Selling Through the Holidays: An Ann Arbor Timeline for 2026.

As of the most recent published data (Redfin, three months ending September 2026), the Ann Arbor median sale price is about $460,000, down 6.9% from a year earlier, homes are selling at close to 100% of list price, and days on market average about 44. Washtenaw County runs close behind at about 43 days with 3.6 months of supply, up from 2.6 a year ago (Realcomp, September 2026). The asterisk on every number is the mortgage rate: the 30-year fixed averaged 7.18% for the week ending November 5, 2026 (Freddie Mac), up from 6.22% a year earlier. That combination gives buyers more inventory to choose from, more room to negotiate, and sellers more willing to talk concessions. Being pre-approved is still the difference between winning and watching. Figures shift monthly, so ask for the current numbers for your price range.

Rates are the reason a lot of buyers pause, and the honest answer is that nobody can reliably time them. The 30-year fixed averaged 7.18% for the week ending November 5, 2026, down slightly from late October and up from 6.22% a year earlier (Freddie Mac). A full percentage point moves the principal and interest on a $400,000 mortgage by roughly $250 a month, so a rate drop is worth real money, but so is a year of rent while you wait, or the risk of buying back into a more competitive market. What you can control: lock a rate when the numbers work, compare lender terms, and get pre-approved so you can move the day the right home appears.

With inventory sitting at roughly 3.6 months of supply in Washtenaw County, most move-up buyers do best selling first: a non-contingent offer from a ready seller is the strongest one you can make, and selling first avoids overlapping payments and financing risk entirely. Buying first works when your equity supports it, but it usually means negotiating a leaseback or a sale contingency, which can weaken your offer against a non-contingent one. The Move-Up Playbook covers both routes in depth.

A pre-qualification is a quick estimate based on figures you give a lender, fine for a budget conversation but not something a seller can bank on. Pre-approval means a lender has pulled your credit, verified your income and assets, and underwritten the numbers, so it tells you exactly what you can borrow. In Ann Arbor, where most homes still go under contract within about three weeks of hitting the market, a pre-approval letter is the difference between an offer a seller takes seriously and one they set aside. I send every buyer my pre-approval checklist before their first lender conversation.

Plan on two buckets: the down payment and the closing costs. Down payments start at 3.5% with an FHA loan and 3% with many conventional programs, and Michigan's MSHDA MI Home Loan can cover part of the gap with a 0% interest deferred loan of up to $7,500 statewide or $10,000 in eligible ZIP codes. Closing costs in Washtenaw County typically run 2% to 5% of the price, so on a $400,000 home that is roughly $8,000 to $20,000 on top of your down payment, plus the earnest money deposit, usually 1% to 3% of the price, which credits back to you at closing. I walk every first-time buyer through the full cash picture before we look at a single house, so there are no surprises at the closing table.

In most Michigan transactions you pay no out-of-pocket buyer's agent fee: sellers typically agree to cover it as a concession of about 2.5% to 3% of the purchase price, and the typical buyer-side commission in Michigan runs about 3.1% (2026 industry survey). Since the 2024 NAR settlement, compensation is negotiated in the buyer agreement and the offer rather than published on the MLS. If a seller declines a concession, the buyer pays their own agent directly, and I will walk through the numbers for your exact offer before we write it.

The strongest offer is a clean one, not just the highest number. Get pre-approved before you tour, put down earnest money you are genuinely comfortable with and that signals you are serious, keep the closing timeline realistic, and tell me your walk-away number so we do not overshoot in a best-and-final. An escalation clause, a flexible closing date, and a strong local lender behind you can beat a bigger bid with strings attached. In today's market you rarely need to waive important protections to win, because sellers want certainty that the deal makes it to the closing table.

Almost never. The inspection is where a few hundred dollars buys real information, and in today's market you usually do not need to waive it: most accepted offers in Ann Arbor keep the inspection contingency intact. If you hit a genuinely competitive situation, an informational inspection, where you pay for it but make no repair requests under an agreed threshold, reassures the seller without giving up your eyes. Michigan inspections cover the structure and major systems, and buyers in southeast Michigan often add a radon test plus a sewer scope or private well water test where the property calls for it. Keep the contingency and negotiate from information, not hope.

Think in three buckets: structural or major-system issues the inspector documents, ordinary wear and tear, and cosmetic touches you noticed on the tour. Most Michigan deals negotiate on the first bucket, a failing roof or furnace, active water intrusion, flagged electrical or plumbing problems, and sometimes radon or well and septic results, while sellers usually hold the line on purely cosmetic items. You can ask the seller to make the repairs, or ask for a closing credit and bring in your own contractor. I keep the request list tied to what the inspection actually documented and tell you which findings are worth pressing and which will only slow the deal down.

On a $400,000 home, Ann Arbor property taxes run about $10,638 per year (52.67 mills, 2025 principal-residence rate), while Saline runs about $5,266 per year (roughly 26.1 mills total), a difference of roughly $5,400 a year. Michigan taxes 50% of market value on a new purchase ($200,000 taxable value on a $400,000 price) and applies each city's total millage plus a 1% administration fee. Exact totals vary with voter-approved additions, so I will run the real numbers for any specific property you are considering.

Condos in Ann Arbor sold for a median of about $355,000 in 2025, and units near the U-M campus run from roughly $240,000 for a one-bedroom up to about $2 million for a penthouse in new downtown buildings. The 2025 median came with an average sale price near $417,000, and proximity to campus carries a clear premium: premium buildings such as The Gallery have sold units from about $514,000 into seven figures, while older and smaller condos nearby come in well under the median.

Buyers in Washtenaw County typically pay about 2% to 5% of the purchase price in closing costs, or $8,000 to $20,000 on a $400,000 home. That covers loan origination and underwriting, an appraisal (roughly $400 to $750), title insurance and settlement fees, recording fees, prepaid interest, escrowed property taxes and insurance, and HOA transfer fees where applicable. Michigan's state and county transfer taxes add about 0.86% of the price, but in Washtenaw County the seller customarily pays those.

The clock starts the day the offer is accepted. In the first week your inspection is scheduled, the lender orders the appraisal (roughly $400 to $750), and the title company starts running the search. Over the following weeks you negotiate any inspection findings, your lender finishes underwriting, and the title company prepares the closing disclosure so you know your exact cash to bring. About a week before closing we do the final walkthrough to confirm the home is in the agreed condition, then you sign at the closing table, usually with a title company or attorney. The whole process typically runs 30 to 45 days, and my buyer's guide walks through every step with the paperwork you will see.

When the market shifts, sellers often sweeten the deal beyond the price. A seller concession is an agreement for the seller to cover part of your closing costs, buy down your interest rate, or pay prepaids like property taxes and insurance up front. In a market with more supply, concessions show up more often, and buyers in Washtenaw County are seeing them with growing frequency. They can be worth more to you than a small price cut because they lower your cash-to-close and your monthly payment. When a seller offers one on your deal, I will help you choose between a closing-cost credit, which simplifies the math, and a rate buydown, which trims the payment.

As of the latest published data (Redfin, three months ending September 2026), Ann Arbor homes average about 44 days on market, the median sale price is about $460,000, and most homes receive about one offer. Supply sat near 3 months in the city and 3.6 months county-wide in September (Realcomp), and longer marketing times than 2025 mean a more balanced, negotiable market: buyers get a longer look, and sellers should plan for offer-level give and take rather than a single clean bid. Mortgage rates near 7.2% are affecting budgets everywhere in southeast Michigan. Numbers move month to month, so call me and I will pull the freshest figures for your exact price range and town.