City of Detroit open data · August 4, 2026

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.

How much it saves depends on your certificate. The reduction varies by certificate type, term and the year it was granted, so we do not publish a single number — a wrong figure on a tax page is worse than none. Confirm the certificate status and remaining term for a specific parcel with the Detroit Office of the Assessor before you rely on it in an offer.

Homestead districts 158

Active New / Rehab districts 119

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.

Detroit Land Bank Authority

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.

ProgramProperties listed
Own It Now27
Renovation Programs4
Auction2
Economic Development1
AddressNeighborhoodProgramCouncil district
15479 RockdaleBrightmoorOwn It Now1
17448 GoddardCadillac HeightsOwn It Now3
17162 SiouxCornerstone VillageOwn It Now4
17161 ShieldsDavisonAuction3
2737 TylerDexter-LinwoodOwn It Now5
8838 Tredway PlEast VillageOwn It Now5
13716 SaratogaFranklinOwn It Now3
18504 St LouisGrantOwn It Now3
18688 DwyerGrantOwn It Now3
7531 E RobinwoodGrantOwn It Now3
4529 TownsendGratiot-GrandOwn It Now5
119 Cedarhurst PlGrixdale FarmsOwn It Now3
14837 SussexHubbell-LyndonOwn It Now1
3408 TownsendIslandviewRenovation Programs5
3426 TownsendIslandviewRenovation Programs5
10001 St MarysJoy CommunityOwn It Now7
14191 RochelleMapleridgeRenovation Programs4
14474 FordhamMapleridgeOwn It Now4
14706 LinnhurstMapleridgeOwn It Now4
15495 GlenwoodMapleridgeOwn It Now4
8126 E HildaleMount OlivetOwn It Now3
20430 AndoverNolanOwn It Now3
11503 StoepelOakman Blvd CommunityOwn It Now5
3820 ClementsOakman Blvd CommunityOwn It Now5
9992 StoepelOakman Blvd CommunityOwn It Now5
14315 PromenadeOuter Drive-HayesOwn It Now4
19380 KlingerPershingOwn It Now3
3793 MontgomeryPetoskey-OtsegoAuction5
4762 SeminolePingree ParkOwn It Now4
12783 LittlefieldPride Area CommunityEconomic Development7
12811 EvanstonRavendaleOwn It Now4
4291 CortlandRussell WoodsRenovation Programs5
7633 BraceWarrendaleOwn It Now7
4824 PennsylvaniaWest EndOwn It Now4

34 properties listed as of August 4, 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.

The one to be careful with

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.