City of Detroit Assessor · queried live

Who owns this Detroit house — and what did they pay?

Every recorded transfer since 2011, with the buyer's and seller's names, the price, and the instrument used. This is the deed record, not the MLS — so it includes the cash, wholesale, FSBO and quitclaim deals that never showed up in a listing history. Roughly two in three Detroit transfers never appear on the MLS at all.

Buyer · Seller · Investor

Owner & recorded sale history

Enter a Detroit street address. This queries the City's records at the moment you ask.

House number and street. Leave off the city and ZIP.
Only "arm's length" prices are comps. A quitclaim to a relative, a transfer into an LLC, or a Land Bank conveyance is a real recorded transfer but not a market price — those record at $0 or $1. About a third of Detroit transfers are arm's length. The table marks each one.

Results appear here.

Read this before relying on a result. No result means no matching record was found in the City's published data — it does not mean the property never sold, and it does not establish who holds title today. This file begins in 2011, address formats differ between records, and the most recent twelve months are still filling in as affidavits are processed. It covers the City of Detroit only. For anything you intend to act on, order a title search. Sale prices here come from the Assessor's recorded-deeds file, not from Realcomp or any MLS.

Why this matters, by who you are

If you areWhat this tells you
BuyingWhat the seller paid and when. A house bought for $38,000 eighteen months ago and listed at $160,000 is a flip, and the renovation quality is the whole question. It also gives you the number your tax bill will be built from — see the uncapping calculator.
SellingRecorded comps on your street including the cash sales an MLS-only CMA never sees. In much of Detroit those are the market.
An investorHold time, basis, and whether the current owner is an LLC. Land Bank → LLC purchases tend to surface as listings four to eight months later.
A tenantWho actually owns the building you rent, which is not always who collects the rent. Pair it with the rental compliance lookup.

Common questions

How do I find out who owns a house in Detroit?

Enter the street number and name above. The tool returns the most recent recorded buyer, when they acquired it, and what they paid, from the City Assessor's published deed file. It is the last recorded owner — not a title guarantee.

Why does a sale show $0 or $1?

Because nothing changed hands at market value. Quitclaims, family transfers, transfers into a trust or LLC, and life estates all record at a nominal price. Only arm's-length transfers are usable as comparables.

How current is the data?

Within a few days of recording — but the last twelve months are incomplete, because deeds post as Property Transfer Affidavits are processed. A thin recent month is processing lag, not a slow market.

Does it cover Warren or Southfield?

Not yet. This is built on the City of Detroit Assessor's own file. Oakland, Macomb and the rest of Wayne publish through separate county systems.

Related: what your taxes become after you buy · rental registration & compliance · neighborhood home prices. Source: City of Detroit Assessor, Property Sales. Informational only; not legal, tax, or title advice.