DeedPilot

Berrien County, Michigan

Tax Deed152,703 residentsLive auctions →

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Tax Deed

Redemption periodstate default

Forfeiture/foreclosure process ends redemption rights before auction (roughly 2 years of delinquency)

Investor returnstate default

N/A — outright deed transfer

Governing statutestate default

Michigan Compiled Laws §211.78 et seq.

Notes

Michigan tax-foreclosure deed county. Berrien County Treasurer sells foreclosed land online via tax-sale.info. County page still listed 2025 re-offer (Sept 26) and final/no-reserve (Oct 31) windows — confirm 2026 calendar on the Land Auction page and tax-sale.info before planning travel/funds. Foreclosure precedes sale (no owner post-sale redemption of the auction parcel). AS IS; research Lake Michigan flood, dunes, and septic carefully.

Auction logistics

Format

Online

Frequency

Fall cascade (re-offer then final/no-reserve; confirm current-year dates on county Land Auction page)

Deposit rules

Account on tax-sale.info with $1,000 pre-authorized credit-card hold (hold only; charged if winning bid unpaid). Advance bids accepted ~30 days prior; modify until start; cannot delete once open. Auction day typically 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; winners notified with payment instructions. Read Standard Rules PDF.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale
Post-foreclosure deed generally clears many private liens; federal liens, environmental, and some governmental assessments can survive. Surplus-proceeds claims by former owners under Michigan post-Tyler practice may apply.
Quiet title
Title underwriting on MI tax-foreclosed deeds often wants quiet title or curative work before free-and-clear insurance.

Deal maths for Michigan

Assessment ratio
0.5× of market value
Typical quiet title
$2,000–$4,000 · 9 mo
Recording and transfer
$300

Michigan state equalized value is 50% of true cash value by constitution (Mich. Const. art. IX, § 3); taxable value may be lower still. The SEV published with these auction listings is taken from the delinquent tax year that was foreclosed upon, so it is typically several years stale — in a rising market it understates current value, and in a falling one it overstates it.

Offices and records

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

St. Joseph / Benton Harbor twin cities

Lake Michigan employment and tourism core with dual-market dynamics

Niles / south county I-80/94 edge

Cross-border South Bend commuting and relative affordability

New Buffalo / Harbor Country

Second-home and short-term rental demand (insurance/flood diligence essential)

Sources