Michigan has 83 counties and runs probate through county Probate Courts under the Estates and Protected Individuals Code (EPIC, MCL 700, enacted 2000). The state has a unique 'Lady Bird Deed' (Enhanced Life Estate Deed) tradition that bypasses probate for many homes. With 105,000 deaths a year, Michigan is the 8th-largest inherited-home market in the US.
Michigan's Lady Bird Deed — formally an Enhanced Life Estate Deed — is the standard estate planning tool for retaining lifetime control of a home while avoiding probate at death. Unlike a standard TOD deed, a Lady Bird Deed reserves a life estate with the power of disposition, which keeps the property in the grantor's estate for Medicaid eligibility purposes while bypassing probate. Lady Bird deeds are heavily used by Michigan estate planners.
Michigan's EPIC (MCL 700) offers Unsupervised Administration (section 700.3502) as the default — fast, informal, court intervention only by exception. Supervised Administration (section 700.3501) is available when needed. Small-estate transfer (section 700.3982) covers estates under $27,000 (adjusted annually for inflation). The 4-month creditor period after publication (section 700.3801) is the floor.
Michigan has no state estate tax (repealed 2002). Median home values around $235,000 statewide with significantly higher values in Oakland County ($430,000) and lower in the Upper Peninsula. The Grand Rapids/Kent County market has seen the strongest post-2020 appreciation, driving inherited-home equity to historic levels. Detroit/Wayne County has more inherited-home volume but lower per-listing equity than the suburban counties.
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Not every estate goes through it — it depends on how the home was titled, whether there's a will or trust, and Michigan rules. We'll help you find out.
Start with probate →Selling isn't the only option. Talk through whether it makes sense for you and what you'd actually walk away with after costs and the stepped-up basis.
Explore selling →Renting, holding, or renovating could be worth it. See what the numbers look like in your specific market before deciding.
Look at keeping it →Before you sell, rent, or move in, understand the home's real condition — and what fixing it up would actually take locally.
Check repairs →Unsupervised administration typically clears in 6 to 12 months. Supervised administration runs 9 to 14 months. The 4-month creditor period under section 700.3801 is the floor.
Michigan uses Lady Bird Deeds (Enhanced Life Estate Deeds) instead of formal TOD deeds. Lady Bird deeds reserve a life estate with power of disposition — bypass probate, preserve Medicaid eligibility. Widely used.
Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, and Kent counties dominate volume. Washtenaw (Ann Arbor), Ottawa (Holland), Livingston, and Grand Traverse (Traverse City) see strong inherited-home volume with high equity.
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