Alpena County, Michigan

Spread is not profit.It compares the opening bid to the county's assessed value, which is not market value — 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. Open a parcel to run the full max-bid analysis, which accounts for the assessment ratio, surviving liens, quiet title, and holding costs.