Oakland County, Michigan
Local mortgage guidance for Hazel Park buyers and homeowners, with options shopped across multiple wholesale lenders and one Michigan broker who stays with your file.
Few Oakland County suburbs have changed as fast as Hazel Park. The old Hazel Park Raceway, a harness and thoroughbred track from 1949 to 2018, is now the Tri-County Commerce Center, roughly 2.1 million square feet of Class A warehouse and manufacturing that brought more than 3,000 jobs to the I-75/I-696 interchange. Tenants include Amazon, LG Electronics, Bridgewater Interiors, and battery maker Akasol, and a licensed cannabis sector keeps adding investment. Yet this dense city of about 15,100 residents stays a blue-collar bedroom community of post-WWII bungalows, anchored by destinations like Mabel Gray and Loui's Pizza along the John R Road corridor. For buyers priced out of neighboring Ferndale or Royal Oak, the 48030 remains one of the metro's most accessible footholds, with direct freeway access to downtown Detroit.
By the numbers
Values move. Treat these as orientation and let us pull current figures for the address you are considering.
Typical home value, from the market research on this page
Typical rise in taxable value the year after a home sells, 2026 Uncapping Study
Effective property tax rate, as a share of value
Residential ZIP codes
For a Hazel Park home around $165,000-$175,000, plan on roughly $60,000-$70,000 in household income, close to the city's ~$67,000 median. The wrinkle here is taxes: Hazel Park carries the highest median effective property tax rate in Oakland County at about 2.10%, against a county median near 1.36%. Total millage runs about 38.8 mills, including voter-approved special assessments for fire protection (~12.5 mills) and public safety (~2.8 mills), so the escrow line drives monthly PITI to roughly $1,400-$1,650. Budget for that. At these prices, conforming and FHA loans cover virtually every purchase, jumbo financing is rarely relevant, and Michigan's MSHDA down-payment assistance fits first-time buyers well.
Nearly every Hazel Park purchase fits well under the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750, so loan size is rarely the constraint.
The market
Home values in 48030 cluster around $165,000, though the figure swings by platform: Zillow's ZHVI sits near $152,800, while Redfin's median sale price runs closer to $170,000 and Realtor.com listing medians push toward $185,000. The trend is consistently downward, anywhere from about 3% (Zillow) to as much as 12% (Redfin, late 2025) year over year. Well-priced homes have recently gone under contract in roughly 28 days, but the market cooled into 2026 with averages stretching toward 50 days versus 21-26 days a year earlier. Lower-priced or as-is homes can sit 60 days or more. Affordability relative to surrounding Oakland County suburbs, plus the Tri-County jobs wave, keeps entry-level demand steady.
Where to look
$140,000-$200,000. Walkable older core with 1920s-30s bungalows, restaurants like Mabel Gray and Loui's, and the city's most active resale market.
$160,000-$215,000. Newer 1950s-60s ranches near Nine Mile/Ten Mile; generally the higher-priced part of the city.
$120,000-$170,000. Older, more affordable Cape Cod and bungalow stock closer to the Detroit/Highland Park line.
$125,000-$175,000. Modest postwar homes near the Warren border and I-75.
$150,000-$200,000. Established subdivision originally built for workers drawn by the Highland Park Ford plant.
Hazel Park is compact, but the housing stock shifts block to block: Children attend the Hazel Park School District, serving about 2,900 students across Hazel Park High School, Hazel Park Junior High, and Webster, United Oaks, and Longfellow elementaries.
Downtown Detroit is about 10-11 miles away via I-75, roughly 14-18 minutes off-peak, 25-30 in rush hour, with SMART bus service along John R Road.
Michigan property taxes
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 the City of Hazel Park, our 2026 Uncapping Study found taxable value typically rises about 81% the year after a sale: roughly $4,380 more in first-year tax on a $300,000 home at the local homestead millage. We build your payment on that post-sale number.
Don't build your budget around somebody else's tax bill. The seller's tax history tells us something about the property. It does not automatically tell us what your taxes are going to look like as the new owner.
Local resources
The official offices behind the tax and school details on this page.
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can’t say enough good things about my experience with Samantha Shelton . She took the time to explain every step of the process, answered all my questions promptly, and made sure everything stayed on track. Her professionalism, honesty, and dedication truly stood out. I would recommend her 100% to anyone buying or refinancing a home. My refinance loan was submitted, approved and clear to close the same day, that’s unheard of in the industry. What a rock star !
As a first-time homebuyer in Troy, I was nervous about getting my FHA loan. I went to Samantha Shelton at Align Lending and the experience was nothing short of amazing! Her expertise and fast service made everything so easy. I will definitely be going back to her, and I recommend her if you are looking for a fast and easy mortgage experience!
Individual experiences. Results vary.
If yours is not here, ask it on the call. There are no dumb questions.
Typical home values in the 48030 ZIP run around $155,000-$185,000 depending on the source, with a Redfin median sale price near $170,000. Prices have softened over the past year (roughly -3% to -12% depending on the index), making Hazel Park one of the more affordable entry points in Oakland County.
Hazel Park has the highest median effective property tax rate in Oakland County at about 2.10%, versus a county median near 1.36%. The city’s total millage is about 38.8 mills, which includes voter-approved special assessments for fire protection (about 12.5 mills) and public safety (about 2.8 mills). Budget for higher monthly escrow than in many neighboring cities when calculating your mortgage.
For a home around $165,000-$175,000, plan on roughly $60,000-$70,000 in household income. Monthly principal, interest, taxes, and insurance typically land between $1,400 and $1,650 a month, largely because of Hazel Park’s 2.1% effective tax rate, so the tax line affects qualifying more here than in lower-tax suburbs.
Well-priced homes have been going under contract in roughly 28 days, though the market cooled into 2026 with averages stretching toward 50 days, compared with about 21-26 days a year earlier. Lower-priced or as-is homes can sit 60 days or longer.
Hazel Park sits about 10-11 miles from downtown Detroit with direct I-75 access. Off-peak drive time is roughly 14-18 minutes, and 25-30 minutes during rush hour. SMART regional bus service also runs along John R Road into the city.
The Tri-County Commerce Center, built on the former Hazel Park Raceway site near the I-75/I-696 interchange, added more than 3,000 jobs with tenants including Amazon, LG Electronics, Bridgewater Interiors, and Akasol. Combined with new restaurants like Mabel Gray and Loui’s Pizza, a growing cannabis sector, and affordable postwar bungalows, Hazel Park has become a popular pick for first-time buyers and investors close to Detroit, Ferndale, and Royal Oak.
Tell Samantha what you are trying to do in Hazel Park and she will tell you what actually matters for your situation, including whether the timing is right.
Not what product you want. What you are actually trying to accomplish.
A licensed Align loan officer works out what matters most for you specifically.
Your options, the tradeoffs, and your next step. No obligation to go further.
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.
