DeedPilot

Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tax Deed96,625 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 deed (PA 123 / MCL 211.78). Grand Traverse County (Traverse City) Treasurer collects delinquencies after March 1 local turnover; ~2-year forfeiture/foreclosure path then public auction of foreclosed remainder. County points bidders to Michigan Public Land Auction (tax-sale.info) for auction catalogs; 2025 public auction noted around August 4—confirm 2026 date on gtcountymi.gov Available Properties and tax-sale.info. Strong tourism/second-home market means high insurance and seasonal vacancy DD. Surplus proceeds claims under MCL 211.78t apply for former interest holders.

Auction logistics

Format

Online public land auction (tax-sale.info / county-directed vendor)

Frequency

Typically annual summer auction after March foreclosure cycle — confirm Treasurer for 2026 date

Deposit rules

Register and fund per tax-sale.info / auction terms for the county catalog. Payment deadlines are strict; quitclaim-style tax deed conveyance after foreclosure judgment. AS IS.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale
Foreclosure judgment aims to clear most prior private liens; federal liens can survive. Special assessments and association dues need local verification in resort townships.
Quiet title
Often still pursued for insurable title on desirable Traverse City-area tax-foreclosed parcels.

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.

Traverse City / downtown–Bayfront edge

Tourism and healthcare employment with tight SF inventory

Garfield Township / south commercial corridor

Retail employment and more attainable workforce housing than waterfront

East Bay / Acme fringe

Resort and second-home demand with seasonal occupancy risk

Sources