Oakland County, Michigan
Mortgage Broker in Highland, MI
Local mortgage guidance for Highland buyers and homeowners, with options shopped across multiple wholesale lenders and one Michigan broker who stays with your file.
- No credit pull to talk
- Licensed broker, NMLS 1647301
Buying a home in Highland
Highland Township is eleven miles west of the Waterford office, where Oakland County starts to feel rural. Highland Recreation Area covers nearly 6,000 acres of it, Duck Lake and a scatter of smaller waters sit through the middle, and the housing runs to acreage rather than subdivisions. Buyers here are usually trading density for land, and they are almost always financing a property with a well, a septic field, or both.
By the numbers
Highland housing and mortgage snapshot
Values move. Treat these as orientation and let us pull current figures for the address you are considering.
$481,000
Typical home value, from the market research on this page
+47%
Typical rise in taxable value the year after a home sells, 2026 Uncapping Study
2
Residential ZIP codes: 48356, 48357
What financing looks like in Highland
Most of this township is on well and septic, and that shapes which loan fits. A conventional appraisal typically passes them without comment, while FHA and VA require a well test, a septic inspection, and a minimum separation between well and field. Schedule both early. A separation failure is one of the few defects that cannot be cured in the final week of a transaction. Acreage brings a second issue: a larger parcel can carry an outbuilding, a pole barn or a second structure, which changes how an appraiser treats value and can push a property outside standard residential guidelines entirely. Flag outbuildings to your lender before the appraisal is ordered, not after it comes back.
Most Highland purchases fit under the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750; only the largest homes need a jumbo loan.
Sub-markets
Highland housing market by ZIP code
Highland spans 2 residential ZIP codes, and they are different sub-markets.
ZIP 48356, near $366,000
Highland's two ZIPs behave like different markets. Redfin reported a median sale price near $366,000 in 48356 and about $596,000 in 48357 as of February 2026, a gap driven by different mixes of lake frontage, acreage and newer site-condo inventory rather than by any difference in desirability. 48356 is the more affordable and more established side. Named areas: Duck Lake and lake frontage, Acreage parcels, Established off-water housing.
ZIP 48357, near $596,000
Redfin reported a median sale price of about $596,000 in 48357 as of February 2026, against roughly $366,000 in neighboring 48356. That is a very wide gap for one township and it reflects what is selling rather than what land is worth: newer builds on acreage dominate 48357's transactions. Oakland County's median over the three months to July 2026 was about $397,000 for comparison. Named areas: Lake frontage, New construction on acreage, Established acreage parcels.
Where to look
Highland neighborhoods
Duck Lake and lake frontage
($450,000 to $800,000): limited supply, strong resale.
Acreage parcels
($350,000 to $600,000): the reason most buyers come here, and the files that need the well and septic work above.
Established off-water housing
($280,000 to $400,000): the bulk of the ZIP.
Highland Recreation Area edge
($320,000 to $550,000): wooded, quiet, and a longer drive to the M-59 corridor.
Lake frontage
($550,000 to $1M+): limited supply, the strongest resale in the township.
New construction on acreage
($500,000 to $800,000): most of the recent sales volume and most of the median.
Established acreage parcels
($400,000 to $650,000): the well and septic files.
Older off-water housing
($300,000 to $430,000): the affordable end of this ZIP.
Michigan property taxes
Highland 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 Highland Township, our 2026 Uncapping Study found taxable value typically rises about 47% the year after a sale: roughly $1,560 more in first-year tax on a $300,000 home at the local homestead millage. We build your payment on that post-sale number.
In Samantha's words
County alone does not tell you much. We would never say you are in a particular county so here are your taxes. It does not work like that. We need the actual property.
Local resources
Check Highland records yourself
The official offices behind the tax and school details on this page.
- Highland Township Assessing Department, for parcel records and current taxable value
- Huron Valley Schools, for district boundaries and enrollment
- Oakland County Treasurer, property taxes, for county property tax records
What our clients say
Align Lending helped make purchasing my home in Madison Heights a smooth experience. I appreciated the regular updates and clear explanations along the way.
I highly recommend Align Lending to anyone looking for a mortgage broker in Southeast Michigan. The team was knowledgeable, responsive, and easy to work with.
As a first-time homebuyer in Ferndale, I was unsure of some things. Samantha was awesome. She was extremely helpful and made sure I understood every part of the process.
Samantha was extremely helpful during my home loan process in Novi. Communication was quick, the instructions were clear, and everything stayed on track through closing.
Want to shout out Samantha for the expert guidance, made my first-time homebuyer experience seamless! It exceeded expectations and was a stress free process throughout. Grateful for all your help and loving my new home in Bloomfield Hills!
Samantha Shelton was absolutely amazing! She far exceeded any expectations we had. Samantha was our biggest cheerleader throughout the entire home buying process! It literally felt like my best friend was helping us navigate and cheering us on from start to finish. I would recommend her and the team to anyone; you will be in THE best hands. She is so knowledgeable and kind. This was the best, easiest and least stressful mortgage process ever.
Individual experiences. Results vary.
Highland mortgage questions
If yours is not here, ask it on the call. There are no dumb questions.
Why do Highland's two ZIP codes show such different prices?
Redfin reported a median sale price near $366,000 in 48356 and about $596,000 in 48357 as of February 2026. The gap comes from different mixes of lake frontage, acreage and newer site-condo inventory, not from one side being more desirable than the other.
Why is 48357 so much more expensive than 48356?
Redfin reported a median sale price near $596,000 in 48357 against roughly $366,000 in 48356 as of February 2026. The gap is inventory mix, not desirability: 48357’s sales skew to newer construction on acreage and lake frontage, while 48356 holds more of the township’s older established housing.
Can I finance a home on well and septic?
Most of this township is on well and septic, and that shapes which loan fits. A conventional appraisal typically passes them without comment, while FHA and VA require a well test, a septic inspection, and a minimum separation between well and field. Schedule both early. A separation failure is one of the few defects that cannot be cured in the final week of a transaction.
Will I need a jumbo loan in 48357?
Often, yes. At a median near $596,000 a meaningful share of purchases land above the Oakland County conforming limit. Jumbo financing asks for stronger credit, more reserves and usually a larger down payment, so confirm which side of the limit your price sits on before writing an offer.
Does a pole barn or outbuilding affect the loan?
It can. A large outbuilding changes how an appraiser treats value and occasionally pushes a property outside standard residential guidelines. Tell your lender about any outbuilding before the appraisal is ordered rather than after.
Does a pole barn affect the appraisal?
It can. A large outbuilding changes how an appraiser treats value and occasionally pushes a property outside standard residential guidelines. Tell your lender before the appraisal is ordered rather than after it comes back.
What will property taxes run here?
A Michigan tax bill is built on taxable value, which is about half of market value and capped until the property changes hands. Buy a home that has been in one family for years and that cap disappears the following year, taking the low bill with it. Budget from your purchase price, file the Principal Residence Exemption as an owner-occupant, and confirm millage with the township, since it varies by school district here.
Which school district serves Highland?
Huron Valley Schools serves the township. Confirm the assignment for a specific address, since boundaries do not follow ZIP lines.
Communities near Highland
Oakland County overviewTalk with a local mortgage expert
Tell Samantha what you are trying to do in Highland and she will tell you what actually matters for your situation, including whether the timing is right.
- 1
Tell us what you are trying to do
Not what product you want. What you are actually trying to accomplish.
- 2
We look at your situation
A licensed Align loan officer works out what matters most for you specifically.
- 3
You leave with a plan
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.
