Ingham County · Capital Region
Bridge Loans in Lansing, Michigan
For homeowners in Lansing and the greater capital region, a bridge loan lets you buy your next home before selling your current one — moving on your own timeline instead of the market's. The Lansing area's steady demand rewards prepared, well-priced buyers, and a bridge loan puts you in that position. I'm David Keblaitis, a Michigan-licensed loan originator, and I help capital-region families make smooth moves.
The Lansing market and why buying first works here
The Lansing market runs on two dependable engines: state government and Michigan State University in neighboring East Lansing. That employment base supports year-round housing demand, which makes preparation and correct pricing at least as important as speed.
That stability shapes the bridge loan strategy here. Pricing your current home realistically from day one is one of the biggest factors in how quickly it sells, and therefore in how long you carry two homes. I spend real time with Lansing-area clients on comps and prep so the sale side keeps pace with the purchase.
Whether you're a state employee moving closer to downtown, an MSU-connected family shifting neighborhoods, or a longtime owner right-sizing, a bridge loan frees your equity so you're not forced to sell first and hunt for temporary housing.
Lansing-area communities we serve
- East Lansing
- Okemos
- Haslett
- Grand Ledge
- DeWitt
- Holt
Michigan rules to plan around in Ingham 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 Ingham 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 Ingham 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.
Learn more about bridge loans
Bridge loans across Michigan
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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.