Van Buren County, Michigan

Mortgage Broker in Antwerp Township, MI

Buying in Antwerp Township, from a house on Front Avenue in Mattawan to a lot north of I-94 or a home near the vineyards south of Lawton? Samantha shops your file with multiple wholesale lenders, then confirms the parcel's school district, village line and real taxing unit before your offer goes in.

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Buying a home in Antwerp Township

Antwerp Township, in Van Buren County, is home to about 13,588 residents in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey (13,425 in the 2020 census) across about 35 square miles of land. ZIP codes 49065, 49071 and 49079 cover the township, and its own assessor sets the taxable values. The villages of Lawton and Mattawan lie inside the township. Downtown Kalamazoo is about 13 miles northeast in a straight line.

By the numbers

Antwerp Township housing and mortgage snapshot

Values move. Treat these as orientation and let us pull current figures for the address you are considering.

$243,000

Typical home value, from the market research on this page

+42%

Typical rise in taxable value the year after a home sells, 2026 Uncapping Study

3

Residential ZIP codes: 49065, 49071, 49079

What financing looks like in Antwerp Township

Redfin's figures for the three months through September 2026 put the median sale near $367,000 in the Mattawan ZIP code, 49071, up 1.9% from a year earlier, near $320,000 in the Lawton ZIP, 49065, about level, and near $310,000 in the Paw Paw ZIP, 49079, up 16.7%. Read those as neighborhood weather, not the township's own number: by Census land area Antwerp is about 40% of 49071, which also reaches into Almena Township and Texas Township in Kalamazoo County, about 28% of 49065, which is mostly Porter Township, and about 11% of 49079. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey puts Antwerp's owner median near $243,400, an owners' estimate pooled over five years. Most purchases at these prices sit under the 2026 FHA limit of $541,287 and far under the $832,750 conforming limit, so FHA, VA and conventional loans are all in play, and USDA's rural loan is worth checking for an address outside the villages with our USDA eligibility check.

Three local details shape the loan here. The Census counts about 600 manufactured homes in the township, about 350 of them in the block group that holds West Point Hills in north Mattawan, and a lender treats a home sitting on leased community ground very differently from one on its own parcel, which is why our manufactured home loan page is worth a read before you tour. Outside the two villages most homes draw from a private well and drain to a septic system, since the township's own plan notes that water and sewer service is limited, so the appraiser and lender may ask about both. And Mattawan and Lawton each run their own village water and sewer and add a village levy to the tax bill, which changes the escrow from one side of a village line to the other.

For a first purchase, the state housing agency's MI Home Loan works up to a $566,355 price with household income limits, and pairing it with MI 10K brings up to $10,000 for the down payment. That second loan is repaid at sale, refinance or payoff, or once the house is no longer your main home. Every program gets the same treatment from us: a payment built on this parcel's actual July and December bills, with any village levy counted.

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Two houses with the same Lawton mailing address can sit about 17 mills apart: Michigan Treasury's 2025 homestead total was 49.16 mills inside the Village of Lawton and 32.22 in the Lawton schools part of the township outside it, about $1,690 a year on every $100,000 of taxable value.

The market

The Antwerp Township housing market

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey puts the median owner-occupied home value in Antwerp Township near $243,400, across about 4,569 owner-occupied homes, with a median year built of 1989. The typical home value in Antwerp Township is near $243,000. Homeowners pay a median of about $2,808 a year in property taxes, an effective rate of about 1.15% of the median value.

Three ZIP codes, none mostly Antwerp

How Antwerp's ZIP codes split

By Census land area, the township is about 38% Lawton ZIP, 35% Mattawan ZIP and 27% Paw Paw ZIP. Each of those ZIP codes reaches well beyond Antwerp, so a ZIP-wide median from Redfin or Zillow mixes in homes taxed by other townships.

49071, Mattawan: about 40% Antwerp

The rest is Almena Township, about 34%, and Texas Township in Kalamazoo County, about 26%. Redfin's median for the three months through September 2026 was near $367,000.

49065, Lawton: about 28% Antwerp

Mostly Porter Township, about 55%, with Decatur Township near 15%. Redfin's median for the same three months was near $320,000, about level with a year earlier.

49079, Paw Paw: about 11% Antwerp

Mostly Paw Paw Township, about 41%, and Waverly Township, about 27%. Redfin's median for the same period was near $310,000, up 16.7% from a year before.

Where to look

Antwerp Township neighborhoods

Mattawan village center, Front Avenue and Main Street

The older grid around Front Avenue, Main Street, McGillen Avenue and Kinne Avenue, with newer streets such as Terra Vista Boulevard and Village Center Circle on the east side. The Township Hall and the Antwerp Sunshine branch library share Front Avenue, and Mattawan Little League keeps nine fields on Front Street. Homes here are on village water and sewer and pay the village levy. Census puts the village's owner median near $181,600, a figure that takes in West Point Hills, and the block group that also reaches Whitewood Drive near $269,500. Mattawan Consolidated School District.

West Point Hills, north Mattawan

A manufactured home community inside the village north of the Township Hall, on streets named for generals: Eisenhower, Patton, MacArthur, Pershing and Bradley drives. The township's recreation plan lists a playground, basketball and tennis courts, picnic areas and a small fishing lake on the grounds. The block group counts about 350 manufactured homes among its 647 housing units, and its owner median, near $160,000, carries a very wide margin. Whether the lot is rented or owned decides how the home is financed. Mattawan Consolidated School District.

Silver Oaks, Brownstone and Hunts Run, the northeast

Subdivisions north of I-94 near the Kalamazoo County line, on Silver Oaks Boulevard, Brownstone Boulevard, Sonoma Way, Meadow Oak Trail, Hunts Run, Hickory Lane and Woodhenge Drive. The block group's typical home dates from about 2000, its owner median runs near $290,800, and all but about 70 of its 1,110 occupied homes are owner occupied. The township's plan counts the land north of I-94 among its most populated sections. Mattawan Consolidated School District, Mattawan mailing addresses.

Rolling Meadow and Territorial Road, north of I-94

The north-central strip between 28th and 30th streets, on Rolling Meadow Boulevard, Territorial Road and the avenues toward 49th Avenue, where the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy's Portman Nature Preserve opened in 2017 with parking off 49th Avenue. This is the same block group as Silver Oaks, near $290,800, but Census maps put these streets in Paw Paw Public Schools, and some carry a Mattawan 49071 mailing address while others carry Paw Paw's 49079.

Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel, toward Paw Paw

The northwest corner off Red Arrow Highway and 56th Avenue, next to Paw Paw's east side, where streets carry grape names: Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel avenues, Chardonnay and Brachetto streets. Every one of the block group's 594 housing units is a detached house, the typical one from about 1995, and Census puts the owner median near $269,500. A sliver of the Village of Paw Paw along South State Street also sits in Antwerp. Paw Paw Public Schools.

Kristina Circle, Windy Woods and Winterwoods, west of Mattawan

Wooded subdivisions in the middle of the township on Kristina Circle, Windy Woods Drive, Winterwoods Drive and Woodlyn Drive, with Sand Lake and Mud Lake, two small lakes, to the west and Derhammer Parkway near the Paw Paw line. Census puts the block group near $195,900, the typical home from 1983, and counts about 150 manufactured homes in it. Census maps put Windy Woods in Mattawan schools with a Lawton 49065 mailing ZIP and Kristina Circle in Mattawan schools with a Paw Paw 49079 ZIP, so check the parcel, not the envelope.

Fox Creek, Whitetail Run and Wynsmythe, the southeast

Rolling country east of Lawton toward the Kalamazoo County line, where the township's plan places much of its vineyard and orchard land. Subdivisions sit on Whitetail Run, Valley View Boulevard and Wynsmythe Drive in Mattawan schools, and on Fox Creek Boulevard and Rose Meadow Drive in Lawton schools with Lawton mailing addresses. Census puts the block group near $341,200, with a wide margin, the typical home from 1991, and all but 9 of its 768 housing units detached houses.

Village of Lawton

The township's southern village, built along Main Street, which is M-40, with Bitely, Nursery, Fremont and Adams streets around it. Census puts its typical home at 1966, its owner median near $171,100, and about a third of its homes rented. Lawton runs its own water and sewer and issues its own building permits. The village sits entirely inside Antwerp, and its 2025 homestead millage was 49.16. Lawton Community School District.

Ewing Road and the farms south of Lawton

Farmland, orchards and homes on acreage around the village edge, on Ewing Road, Oxley's Farm Road and the avenues toward the south line, where the township's plan notes specialty farming in the south-central sections. Most of the block group's 714 housing units are in the village, and Census puts it near $189,500, typical home from 1972. Outside the village a home here pays the township's Lawton schools rate, 32.22 mills in 2025, and usually has its own well and septic system. Lawton Community School District.

Schools and commute

Schools

Antwerp's land divides among three school districts, and the line a house sits on moves its tax bill. Sampling the Census district boundaries, we find about 43% of the land in Mattawan Consolidated School District, the north and east including the Village of Mattawan, about 31% in Lawton Community School District, the south including the Village of Lawton, and about 26% in Paw Paw Public Schools, the west toward Paw Paw. Weighted by Census housing counts the homes split in about the same shares. By the state's 2025 total millage report, a homestead outside the villages paid 32.22 mills in the Lawton part, 32.60 in the Paw Paw part and 33.59 in the Mattawan part, against 42.85 inside the Village of Mattawan and 49.16 inside the Village of Lawton. The district follows the parcel, not the mailing address, so ask the township assessor at 269-655-1144 to confirm it.

Commute

I-94 crosses the northern half of the township, with the Mattawan interchange (exit 66) about 1.3 miles from the Township Hall at 24821 Front Avenue (4 minutes) and the Paw Paw interchange at M-40 (exit 60) just west of the township line. From the hall, downtown Lawton is about 6 miles by road (10 minutes) and the county offices in Paw Paw about 8 (12). Eastbound on I-94, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport is about 15 miles (20 minutes), Pfizer's Portage Road plant about 15 (21), and Western Michigan University, downtown Kalamazoo and Bronson Methodist Hospital about 15 (22 to 23). HUD's 2015 profile of the Kalamazoo-Portage market listed Bronson Healthcare, Pfizer and Western Michigan University as its biggest payrolls, and nearer home Charles River Laboratories hires for a research site with a Mattawan address. South Haven is about 36 miles (51 minutes), downtown Grand Rapids about 61 (a little over an hour) and the Chicago Loop about 134 (about two and a half hours without traffic). Amtrak's Detroit to Chicago line runs through the township without a stop, and the nearest stations are Kalamazoo and Dowagiac. The typical one-way trip to work for township residents averages about 22 minutes in Census data, and roughly one worker in eight skips the drive by working from home.

Michigan property taxes

Antwerp Township property taxes after you buy

The year after a Michigan home sells, its taxable value resets to half of the assessor's market value, so the seller's tax bill is not your tax bill.

In Antwerp Township, our 2026 Uncapping Study found taxable value typically rises about 42% the year after a sale. On a $250,000 home, near the typical Antwerp Township value, the first-year tax goes up roughly $1,200 to $1,250, depending on the school district. Most homes here are in Mattawan Consolidated School schools (about $1,250); Lawton schools homes run about $1,200 and Paw Paw schools homes about $1,210. Your address decides which applies. We build your payment on that post-sale number.

Looking at an Antwerp Township address? Our Michigan property tax calculator finds that property's published 2025 millage and works out the tax to plan for after you buy.

How Michigan taxable value works

In Samantha's words

In Michigan, don't just look at the current tax bill. Understand what could happen after ownership changes.

Seven tax rates in one township

Antwerp millage by district and village

What a homestead paid per $1,000 of taxable value in 2025, by Treasury's totals for each piece of the township. Ten mills apart is $1,000 a year on $100,000 of taxable value.

Lawton schools, outside the village: 32.22 mills

The south of the township around the village. A second home or rental here is taxed at the non-homestead rate, 50.22 mills.

Paw Paw schools: 32.60 mills

The west side toward Paw Paw, about $38 a year more per $100,000 than the Lawton part. Non-homestead 50.60 mills.

Mattawan schools, outside the village: 33.59 mills

The north and east, the largest part by land. About $136 a year more per $100,000 than the Lawton part. Non-homestead 51.59 mills.

Village of Mattawan: 42.85 mills

The same Mattawan schools homestead inside the village line, about $926 a year more per $100,000 of taxable value, with village water, sewer and services.

Village of Lawton: 49.16 mills

About $1,693 a year more per $100,000 than the Lawton part of the township outside the village. A rental here pays 67.16 mills.

Village of Paw Paw sliver: 52.03 mills

The few parcels where Paw Paw's village line crosses into Antwerp along South State Street carry Paw Paw's village levy in addition to the Paw Paw schools rate.

Local resources

Check Antwerp Township records yourself

The official offices behind the tax and school details on this page.

Antwerp Township Assessor, for parcel records and current taxable value
Mattawan Consolidated School, for district boundaries and enrollment
Lawton Community Schools, for district boundaries and enrollment
Paw Paw Public Schools, for district boundaries and enrollment
Van Buren County interactive maps, for county property tax records

What our clients say

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Individual experiences. Results vary.

Antwerp Township mortgage questions

If yours is not here, ask it on the call. There are no dumb questions.

What do homes in Antwerp Township sell for?

Redfin’s three-month medians through September 2026 were near $367,000 in the Mattawan ZIP, 49071, near $320,000 in the Lawton ZIP, 49065, and near $310,000 in the Paw Paw ZIP, 49079. Each of those ZIPs reaches well past the township, so a ZIP median mixes in Almena, Porter, Paw Paw and Texas townships. The Census Bureau’s figure for Antwerp itself is $243,400, owners’ own estimate of value pooled over 2020 to 2024, and the typical home value we plan from is near $243,000.

The listing says Mattawan, Lawton or Paw Paw. Is the house in Antwerp Township?

Not always. By Census land area Antwerp makes up about 40% of the Mattawan ZIP, which also reaches into Almena Township and Texas Township in Kalamazoo County, about 28% of the Lawton ZIP, which is mostly Porter Township, and about 11% of the Paw Paw ZIP. The mailing town names a post office, not the unit that taxes the parcel. Look the address up in the township’s tax and parcel search on BSA Online, or call the Township Hall at 269-668-2615.

Is the house in a village, and why does it matter?

The villages of Mattawan and Lawton lie inside the township, along with a sliver of the Village of Paw Paw. A village home pays the township’s taxes plus the village’s, gets village water and sewer, and follows village permits and zoning. In 2025 that put a Mattawan village homestead at 42.85 mills against 33.59 just outside it, and a Lawton village homestead at 49.16 against 32.22, so we price the payment from the parcel’s own bills.

Which school district taxes a parcel here?

The one the parcel sits in, which the ZIP code does not tell you. Census maps put streets with a Lawton ZIP, like Windy Woods Drive, in Mattawan schools, Kristina Circle in Mattawan schools with a Paw Paw ZIP, and parts of Territorial Road in Paw Paw schools with a Mattawan ZIP. Outside the villages the 2025 homestead totals were 32.22 mills in the Lawton part, 32.60 in the Paw Paw part and 33.59 in the Mattawan part. A second home or rental pays the non-homestead rate, 50.22 to 51.59 mills outside the villages, so file the principal residence exemption once you move in.

Is the house on public water and sewer, or a well and septic?

Inside Mattawan and Lawton, homes are generally on village water and sewer, billed by the village: Mattawan’s offices are at 269-668-2128 and Lawton’s at 269-624-6407. Most of the rest of the township is served by private wells and septic systems, which the township’s plan notes is why so many lots here are large. For a well or septic system, ask the Van Buren Cass District Health Department what records it has for the address, and have both looked at during your inspection period.

Will I need flood insurance?

It depends on the exact parcel. FEMA reissued some of the Van Buren County flood map panels covering the township effective June 10, 2026, so look the address up on FEMA’s current map before you rely on an older flood letter. If any part of the home sits in a high-risk zone, the lender requires flood insurance, and we put that premium into your payment before you commit.

Can I finance a manufactured home here?

Usually, yes, and it is common here: the Census counts about one home in nine in the township as a manufactured home. When the home sits on your own land on a permanent foundation and is taxed as real property, the financing usually looks much like a house loan. On a leased site in a community such as West Point Hills, the loan works differently. Tell us which it is early, because it decides which lenders and programs fit.

Who handles property taxes and records here?

The township’s assessor, Ben Brousseau, keeps the assessment roll, holds office hours at the Township Hall on Wednesday mornings and answers at 269-655-1144. Summer and winter bills are paid to the township, at its drop box or online through BSA, until unpaid taxes turn over to the Van Buren County Treasurer on March 2. The year after you buy, the taxable value uncaps, so plan from the post-sale number, not the seller’s bill.

Your due diligence list

Settle these before writing an offer in Antwerp

A parcel search covers most of this list. For the rest, the Township Hall answers at 269-668-2615, Monday through Thursday.

The unit, the village and the district. Search the address on the township's parcel portal, BSA Online and note the parcel number, the school district, whether it sits in a village and the current taxable value. The assessor at 269-655-1144 can confirm anything that looks off.
Water and waste. Ask whether the house is on Mattawan or Lawton village water and sewer, or on its own well and septic system. For a well or septic, ask the Van Buren Cass District Health Department for the permit records.
The exemption form. A home is taxed at the homestead rate only after its owner files a principal residence exemption affidavit. Send it in the month you move in, or the next bill can arrive at the non-homestead rate.
The kind of home. With a manufactured home, ask who owns the ground under it and whether the home carries a real estate parcel number or a title. For a condominium or site condo unit, ask for the master deed, budget and any leasing rules.
The flood map. FEMA reissued some Van Buren County panels covering the township effective June 10, 2026. Pull up the parcel on FEMA's map site, and if any part of the home is in a high-risk zone, plan on flood insurance.
Plans and permits. Building, electrical and mechanical permits in the township go through the township building official at 269-668-2615 extension 210, while the villages of Lawton and Mattawan issue their own. Ask the seller which permits were pulled for any addition or finished basement.

Talk with a local mortgage expert

Tell Samantha what you are trying to do in Antwerp Township and she will tell you what actually matters for your situation, including whether the timing is right.

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Align Lending LLC, NMLS #2041154. Samantha Shelton, NMLS 1647301. Equal Housing Opportunity. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. Figures on this page are market research for orientation, not a quote. This page is for educational purposes only. It is not a credit decision, a preapproval, a commitment to lend, or an offer of credit.