Detroit buyer programs — NEZ and the Land Bank
Detroit is taxed at 64.1844 mills, the third highest rate of the 236 municipalities we track. Two city programs change that math, and neither one shows up on a listing site: a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone certificate, and buying through the Land Bank.
Neighborhood Enterprise Zones
An NEZ certificate reduces the property tax on a qualifying home for a fixed term. Detroit has 158 Homestead districts for owner-occupants of existing homes, and 119 active New/Rehab districts for new construction and substantial rehabilitation. The certificate attaches to the property and the term, so what a previous owner had is not automatically what you get.
Homestead districts 158
200 River Place · Alden Towers · Arden Park · Atkinson - Dexter · Audubon - Mack · Aviation · Bagley · Bagley Housing · Berg - Grandriver · Berry Subdivision · Book Cadillac · Boston Edison · Brush - Eliot · Calumet - Fourth · Campau Farm · Canfield - Second St · Canyon - Edsel Ford · Canyon - Mack · Chandler Park · Charles - Buffalo · Cherboneau North · City Modern · Clairpointe Woods · Clark - Lafayette · Corktown · Covington Terrace · Curtis - Greenfield · Cutis - Evergreen · Delmar Street · Detroit Golf Club · Detroit Golf Club Addition · Detroit Golf Club Correction · Dix - Military · Dix - Woodere · E&B Brewery Lofts · East Jefferson Neighborhood · East Nevada · Eight Mile - Asbury · Eight Mile - Evergreen · Eight mile - Mark Twain · Elmwood Park · English Village · English Village North · Evergreen - McNichols · Fenelon - Eight Mile · Garden Court East · Garden Court West · Grand Blvd - MLK · Grandmont West · Grandmount East · Gratiot - Eight Mile · Grayhaven · Greenacres · Greydale - McNichols · Grinnell Place · Hancock - Third St · Hancock Square · Harbor Town · Heritage · Heyden - Grand River · Hoover - McNichols · Hoover - Seven Mile · Hubbard Farms · Hubbard Richard · Indian Village · Islandview East · Islandview West · James Couzens - Trojan · Jefferson Village · John R - Adelaide · John R - Ferry · Kentfield - Fenkell · Kingville - Alstead · La Salle Gardens · Lafayette - Rademacher · Lahser - Purtian · Leland Lofts · Lenox - Avondale · Livernois - Parkside · Longfellow Subdivision · Lower North End · Marlborough - Jefferson · Marlborough - Mack · McDougall - Davison · McNichols - Appoline · McNichols - Hubbell · Merrill Place · Michigan - Central · Michigan - Livernois · Michigan - Martin · Midtown · Morgan Waterfront Estates · Morningside · Morningside North · Moross - Edgerfield · Navarre Place · North Corktown · North Outer Drive East · Oakman East · Oakman West · Orleans - State Fair · Outer Drive - Concord · Outer Drive - Gratiot · Outer Drive West - Hubbell · Outer Drive West - James Couzens · Palmer Woods · Parc Lafayette · Park East · Pembroke - Appoline · Pembroke - James Couzens · Pembroke - Telegraph · Prevost - Puritan · Puritan - Wyoming · Radcliffe - McDonald · Richard Roadhouse · River Place Park · Riverfront Towers 300 · Rosedale North · Rosedale South · Russell Woods · Schoenherr - Eight Mile · Seven Mile - Berg · Seven Mile - Greenfield · Seven Mile - James Couzens · Sherwood · Sixth - Bagley · South University Village · Stearns Building · The Loft Warehouse · Third - Seward · Trumbell - Bagley · Trumbell - Eijah McCoy · Underwood St. · Upper North End · Van Dyke - Outer Drive East · Van Dyke - Seven Mile · Vassar - Outer Drive · Vernor - Beard · Vernor - Springwellls · Victoria Park · Virginia Park · Warren - Alter Rd · Warren - Rouge Park · West Village 1 · West Village 2 · West Warren - Greenfield · West Warren - Southfield · Willis - Cass · Willis - Second · Woodbridge · Woodward - Alfred · Woodward - Bethune · Woodward - Calvert · Woodward - Erskine · Woodward - Kirby · Woodward - Mack · Woodward - Seven Mile W · Wyoming - Outer Drive
Active New / Rehab districts 119
1001 Covington · 1215 Griswold · 15th St Core City NEZ · 1720 W. Fort · 2205 Cass NEZ · 2210 Park Ave · 2250 Woodward Ave · 3100 Woodward · 3600 Woodward Area · 3750 Woodward Avenue · 408 Temple St · 4417 Second · 651 W. Hancock · AK Owner, NEZ (Albert Kahn Building) · Algonquin (Area B) · Bagley · Belcrest Apartment NEZ · Bellevue Village · Book Bulding and Tower · Brainard Neighborhood NEZ · Briggs · Brush Park Phase 1 · Cadillac Residences Ltd. · Chalfonte Riverfront Detroit LLC · Clairpointe Woods of Victoria Park · College Park · Core City · Corktown · Corktown 1999 (C) · Corktown Loft Solutions, LLC · Crosswinds (Uptown Row) · Crosswinds (Woodward Place) · E & B Brewery Lofts · ECO Homes LLC · East Ferry Street · East Grand Boulevard · East Riverfront · Edsel Ford Neighborhood NEZ · Elmwood Park (10c & 10d) · Emmanuel Community Center Inc. · Expanded East Village (addition) · FD Lofts · Far East Side · Fisher Body Hastings NEZ · Garden Court Apartments · Graimark · Gratiot Woods · Gratiot-McDougall · Grayhaven · Greektown Neighborhood NEZ · Green Acres · Grinnell Place Lofts · Harbortown · Heather Hall NEZ · Horton North End NEZ · Hubbard Farms · Innovative Acquisitions LLC · Island View · Island View Amendment · Jefferson North Park · Jefferson-Chalmers · Kaline Sqaure · Leland Estates · Leland Lofts · Life Is A Dreamtroit NEZ · Lofts of Merchant Row · Longacre · Lower Woodward · Marwood Development NEZ · Merritt Place · Michigan Central Station NEZ · Midtown · Midtown West · Morgan Waterfront Estates · Morningside Community · Nardin Park NEZ · North Corktown · North Corktown NEZ 1 · North Corktown NEZ 2 · North End Landing NEZ · Oakland-Caniff · Pallister Henry Ford Neighborhood NEZ · Paperclip Properties, LLC · Park Shelton · Parkside/Puritan/Princeton/Midland · Peterboro-Charlotte · Piety Hill · Pullman Parc NEZ · Pyramid Development LLC · Queen Lillian II NEZ · Research Lofts (on Trumbull) · Rivard Lafayette Park NEZ · River Place · Rosko Development (Hudson's Site) · Rosko Development (Monroe Blocks) · Second Amended West Corktown · Second/Brainard NEZ · South University Village · Stapler Industires LLC · Stearns Building · The Ferlito Group · Town Residences · Trident Checker LLC · Trumbull Lysander NEZ · United Artist (150 Bagley) · Uptown Row · VG Statler City LLC · Virgina Park (Herman Keifer) Area · WDFICO - Prevost Gardens · WDIFCO - Woodmont Estates · West McNichols NEZ · West Town I · Westwood Park · Woodbridge Estates · Woodward Seward · Woodward/Brush/Hendrie/Ferry · Woodward/Mack NEZ · Woodward/Michigan · Yesre Realty LLC
District boundaries are published as polygons. Being on a street named in a district is not the same as being inside it — verify the parcel with the Assessor.
What the Land Bank has for sale right now
The DLBA sells city-owned residential property directly, outside the MLS. Inventory turns over constantly and most of it never appears on a listing portal.
| Program | Properties listed |
|---|---|
| Auction | 12 |
| Renovation Programs | 11 |
| Own It Now | 11 |
| Economic Development | 1 |
| Address | Neighborhood | Program | Council district |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7576 Giese | Airport Sub | Own It Now | 3 |
| 14645 Stoepel | Chalfonte | Own It Now | 2 |
| 5600 Manistique | Chandler Park-Chalmers | Auction | 4 |
| 17146 Fenelon | Davison | Auction | 3 |
| 19456 Syracuse | Farwell | Auction | 3 |
| 19662 St Louis | Farwell | Own It Now | 3 |
| 15493 San Juan | Fitzgerald/Marygrove | Auction | 2 |
| 15499 San Juan | Fitzgerald/Marygrove | Auction | 2 |
| 9937 Evergreen | Franklin Park | Own It Now | 7 |
| 11694 Kentucky | Grand River-I96 | Own It Now | 7 |
| 3029 Seyburn | Islandview | Renovation Programs | 5 |
| 3408 Townsend | Islandview | Renovation Programs | 5 |
| 3426 Townsend | Islandview | Renovation Programs | 5 |
| 639 Kitchener | Jefferson Chalmers | Renovation Programs | 4 |
| 639 Kitchener | Jefferson Chalmers | Renovation Programs | 4 |
| 13910 Mayfield | Mapleridge | Renovation Programs | 4 |
| 13910 Mayfield | Mapleridge | Renovation Programs | 4 |
| 13910 Mayfield | Mapleridge | Renovation Programs | 4 |
| 13910 Mayfield | Mapleridge | Renovation Programs | 4 |
| 14115 Houston-Whittier | Mapleridge | Own It Now | 4 |
| 14119 Houston-Whittier | Mapleridge | Own It Now | 4 |
| 14227 Houston-Whittier | Mapleridge | Auction | 4 |
| 14231 Glenwood | Mapleridge | Own It Now | 4 |
| 14702 Cedargrove | Mapleridge | Auction | 4 |
| 14907 Mayfield | Mapleridge | Renovation Programs | 4 |
| 19344 Keating | Nolan | Own It Now | 3 |
| 20480 Irvington | Nolan | Auction | 3 |
| 15597 Inverness | Pilgrim Village | Auction | 5 |
| 12783 Littlefield | Pride Area Community | Economic Development | 7 |
| 14390 Lappin | Regent Park | Auction | 3 |
| 4291 Cortland | Russell Woods | Renovation Programs | 5 |
| 11030 Wilshire | Wade | Auction | 4 |
| 3889 St Clair | West End | Auction | 4 |
| 5780 Garland | West End | Own It Now | 4 |
| 6023 Cooper | West End | Own It Now | 4 |
35 properties listed as of October 27, 2026, from the DLBA's public feed. Inventory changes daily — check buildingdetroit.org for the live list and current pricing. Own It Now sells at a fixed price; auction properties close on a schedule. Both carry a compliance period requiring the buyer to rehab and occupy.
Land contracts
Land contracts are common in Detroit because they let a buyer purchase without a mortgage. They are also where people get hurt.
Under a land contract the seller keeps legal title until the balance is paid. You hold equitable title and take on the taxes and upkeep, but the deed does not transfer at closing. If the contract is not recorded, or the seller has an underlying mortgage or unpaid taxes, a buyer can make years of payments and still end up with nothing.
Before signing one: confirm the seller actually holds clear title, check for unpaid property taxes and any existing mortgage, record the contract with the Wayne County Register of Deeds, and have a Michigan real estate attorney read it. This is general information, not legal advice — see our full guide to Michigan land contracts for the forfeiture rules, the uncapping trap and a pre-signing checklist.
Common questions
What is a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone (NEZ) certificate?
A certificate that reduces the property tax on a qualifying Detroit home for a fixed term. Detroit has 158 NEZ Homestead districts for owner-occupants of existing homes and 119 active New/Rehab districts for new construction and substantial rehab. It attaches to the property and its term — a previous owner's certificate is not automatically yours.
How much does an NEZ certificate save?
It varies by certificate type, term and the year it was granted, so no single number is honest. Confirm the certificate status and remaining term for the specific parcel with the Detroit Office of the Assessor before you rely on it in an offer.
What is Detroit's property tax rate without these programs?
64.1844 mills at the homestead rate — the third highest of the 236 Metro Detroit municipalities we track. That baseline is what an NEZ certificate changes.
How many homes does the Detroit Land Bank have for sale?
35 properties are listed on the DLBA's public feed as of October 27, 2026. Inventory moves daily; auction and own-it-now terms differ, and Land Bank sales still uncap taxable value like any other transfer.
Before you commit to a Detroit purchase
A tax abatement changes what you pay, not what the property is assessed at, so run the underlying bill first: the Detroit property tax page carries the current millage, and the uncapping calculator shows what it becomes the year after you buy — abated or not. If the plan is to rent the property out, a Detroit landlord needs both a registration and a current Certificate of Compliance; the rental compliance lookup checks a specific address against City records. For the neighbourhood itself, the recorded-deed price data includes the cash and off-market sales the MLS never sees, which in much of Detroit is most of the market.