The questions people ask before they pick up the phone

Interior paint, refinished hardwood floors, and a minor kitchen remodel are the upgrades that earn their cost back: nationally, refinished hardwood recoups about 147% of its cost (NAR 2025 Remodeling Impact Report), a minor kitchen remodel about 113% (2025 Cost vs. Value Report), and interior paint roughly 100% or more (Angi). Full kitchen remodels, pools, and large additions rarely pay you back in a typical sale window. Fresh neutral paint, updated hardware and light fixtures, refreshed caulk and grout, and refinished floors are what buyers reward at the closing table.

Ann Arbor homes are averaging about 41 days on the market as of the most recent data (Redfin, three months ending August 2026), and well-priced, well-prepared homes often go under contract within the first two to three weeks. That is a median, so roughly half of homes sell faster and half take longer depending on price point and neighborhood. Pricing and preparation in the first week of exposure are the biggest levers on that number.

Inventory is running at roughly 1.9 to 2.9 months of supply, the median sale price is near $475,000, and homes are selling at about 96.5% of list price (Redfin, three months ending August 2026). Under three months of supply favors sellers: well-priced homes still draw multiple offers, so being pre-approved and ready to act is a real advantage. Figures shift month to month, so ask for the current numbers for your price range.

With inventory sitting at roughly 2 to 3 months of supply, most move-up buyers in Washtenaw County do best selling first: a non-contingent offer from a ready seller is the strongest one you can make, and selling first avoids overlapping payments and financing risk entirely. Buying first works when your equity supports it, but it usually means negotiating a leaseback or a sale contingency, which can weaken your offer against a non-contingent one. The Move-Up Playbook covers both routes in depth.

In most Michigan transactions you pay no out-of-pocket buyer's agent fee: sellers typically agree to cover it as a concession of about 2.5% to 3% of the purchase price, and the typical buyer-side commission in Michigan runs about 3.1% (2026 industry survey). Since the 2024 NAR settlement, compensation is negotiated in the buyer agreement and the offer rather than published on the MLS. If a seller declines a concession, the buyer pays their own agent directly, and I will walk through the numbers for your exact offer before we write it.

On a $400,000 home, Ann Arbor property taxes run about $10,638 per year (52.67 mills, 2025 principal-residence rate), while Saline runs about $5,266 per year (roughly 26.1 mills total), a difference of roughly $5,400 a year. Michigan taxes 50% of market value on a new purchase ($200,000 taxable value on a $400,000 price) and applies each city's total millage plus a 1% administration fee. Exact totals vary with voter-approved additions, so I will run the real numbers for any specific property you are considering.

Condos in Ann Arbor sold for a median of about $355,000 in 2025, and units near the U-M campus run from roughly $240,000 for a one-bedroom up to about $2 million for a penthouse in new downtown buildings. The 2025 median came with an average sale price near $417,000, and proximity to campus carries a clear premium: premium buildings such as The Gallery have sold units from about $514,000 into seven figures, while older and smaller condos nearby come in well under the median.

Buyers in Washtenaw County typically pay about 2% to 5% of the purchase price in closing costs, or $8,000 to $20,000 on a $400,000 home. That covers loan origination and underwriting, an appraisal (roughly $400 to $750), title insurance and settlement fees, recording fees, prepaid interest, escrowed property taxes and insurance, and HOA transfer fees where applicable. Michigan's state and county transfer taxes add about 0.86% of the price, but in Washtenaw County the seller customarily pays those.

As of the latest published data (August through September 2026), Ann Arbor homes average about 41 days on market, sell at roughly 96.5% of list price, and inventory sits near 2 months of supply. That combination signals a competitive market where well-priced homes still draw multiple offers, especially below $400,000. The current month's official figures had not been published when this was written, so October 2026 numbers are [VERIFY]; call me and I will pull today's numbers for your price range.