Washtenaw County · Southeast Michigan
Bridge Loans in Ann Arbor, Michigan
In Ann Arbor, a bridge loan lets you buy your next home before selling your current one, which matters most when the house you want draws interest from University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine buyers. Washtenaw County homes took longer to sell in September 2026 than in neighboring counties, so pricing your current home right is half the plan. I'm David Keblaitis, a Michigan loan originator, and I help Ann Arbor-area buyers plan both sides of the move.
The Ann Arbor market and why buying first works here
Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine, two of the region's largest employers. In September 2026, Washtenaw County's median sale price was $406,000 and homes averaged 47 days on market (Realcomp), slower than Livingston, Oakland or Wayne. County figures don't predict how any single home will sell, but they are a reminder to price carefully and plan for a longer overlap.
For buyers, the most sought-after homes near campus and in top school areas can still draw several offers even when the county as a whole is slower. A home-sale contingency, an offer that depends on your current home selling first, is a disadvantage in exactly those situations. A bridge loan removes that weakness by freeing your equity up front, so you can write an offer without a home-sale contingency. Other contingencies may still apply, and the seller decides which offer to accept.
Ann Arbor also draws a lot of relocation buyers into the research and medical corridor, often on tight start dates. If you're moving into the area for a job, buying before you sell lets you land settled instead of stuck in a rental. If you're selling an Ann Arbor home to move up, build the slower county pace into your plan.
Washtenaw County at a glance, September 2026
- Median sale price
- $406,000
- Average days on market
- 47
Source: Realcomp, September 2026 single-family statistical highlights (2026-10-07)
Ann Arbor-area communities we serve
- Burns Park
- Old West Side
- Water Hill
- Ann Arbor Hills
- Saline
- Dexter
Michigan rules to plan around in Washtenaw County
- Homestead exemption on the old home. Owning two Michigan homes for a while doesn’t have to cost you the homestead (principal residence) exemption on the old one. With Treasury Form 4640 you can keep it for up to three years while the old home is for sale, not occupied, not leased and not used for business, once you have established your new Michigan principal residence. File by June 1 or November 1 of the first year and again each year by December 31.
Source: Michigan Treasury, Conditional Rescission of the Principal Residence Exemption (checked 2026-10-17)
- Transfer tax when you sell. When you sell, Michigan’s state real estate transfer tax is $3.75 for each $500 of value and the county tax is 55 cents for each $500 in counties under two million people (up to 75 cents in larger ones), and the seller pays both by law.
Sources: MCL 207.525 (State Real Estate Transfer Tax Act) (checked 2026-10-17); MCL 207.504 (county real estate transfer tax) (checked 2026-10-17); MCL 207.523 (seller is liable for the state tax) (checked 2026-10-17); MCL 207.502 (seller is liable for the county tax) (checked 2026-10-17)
- MSHDA in Washtenaw County. MSHDA’s MI Home Loan is for first-time buyers (no home owned in the past three years) statewide and repeat buyers only in targeted areas. Outside targeted areas, anyone who has owned a principal residence in the last three years is not eligible. If you own a home now, have a participating lender check the new home’s address and your situation before you count on MSHDA. All of Washtenaw County is a MSHDA targeted area, so MSHDA's three-year prior-ownership rule does not apply here; whether you can still own your current home at a MSHDA closing is a question to confirm with a participating lender.
Sources: MSHDA, MI Home Loan (checked 2026-10-17); MSHDA Targeted Areas flyer (2024-05-01)
More in the Michigan buy-before-you-sell guide and the comparison of ways to buy before you sell.
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David Keblaitis, NMLS #167980, Cornerstone First Mortgage, LLC, NMLS #173855. Market figures are for the whole county and month shown, not a forecast or an estimate of your home's value.