DeedPilot

Ingham County, Michigan

Tax Deed290,427 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 / foreclosure auction county (not a lien certificate sale). After multi-year delinquency and circuit court judgment of foreclosure (typically March), title vests in County Treasurer who auctions fee-simple parcels. Ingham is one of few MI counties still using live in-person auctions (with Bippus). 2026 first auction: Wednesday August 26, 2026, 10:00 a.m., Lansing Center. Properties often blighted; open houses and code packets published. Treasurer may cancel any sale anytime under MCL 211.78m(2).

Auction logistics

Format

In-person

Frequency

Two auctions per year (1st ~late August; 2nd later for unsold) — 2026 first auction Aug 26, 2026 10:00 a.m.

Deposit rules

Pre-register at BippusUSA.com; on-site registration from 8:30 a.m. Show $2,000 cash/certified funds for bidder card (applied to deposit if you win). 10% of purchase price deposit (min $2,000) by 4:30 p.m. sale day; balance within 14 days. Purchase price includes bid + 10% auctioneer fee + $30 deed recording (+ performance bond if demo order). Cash/certified funds/cashier’s checks only. Delinquent taxpayers and red-tagged owners barred.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale
Judgment of foreclosure generally extinguishes most junior private liens, but federal tax liens, certain easements, and post-foreclosure issues need review. Buyer takes as-is condition/code violations. Surplus proceeds claims process exists for former owners under Michigan law post-Rafaeli.
Quiet title
Often still used for marketable title insurance comfort even after tax deed, especially with code or notice issues.

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.

East Lansing / MSU edge

University employment and student housing demand supporting multifamily turns

Downtown Lansing / REO Town

State-government core and revitalization corridors with adaptive-reuse potential

Okemos / Meridian Township

School-driven suburban demand with relative price resilience versus city blight stock

Sources