Livingston County, Michigan
Local mortgage guidance for Howell buyers and homeowners, with options shopped across multiple wholesale lenders and one Michigan broker who stays with your file.
Howell wears two hats at once: it is the Livingston County seat with a preserved Grand River Avenue downtown anchored by the 1890 Historic Livingston County Courthouse, and it is a fast-growing I-96 bedroom community midway between Detroit and Lansing. That dual identity shapes who buys here, about 10,068 residents inside the city limits plus the surrounding townships that share the 48843 ZIP. Employers like Thai Summit America, Tribar Manufacturing, Citizens Insurance, and St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital keep paychecks local, while signature draws such as the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest and the late-summer Howell Melon Festival reinforce the small-town pull. The result, per Redfin's market data, is steady commuter-driven demand against a limited supply of lake-access and historic in-town homes.
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: 48843, 48855
To comfortably carry the ~$387,000 median home, plan on roughly $100,000-$115,000 in household income, assuming 10-20% down at prevailingprevailing rates with taxes and insurance baked in. That sits above the city's ~$60,449 median income, so most buyers here are dual-income households or relocating commuters. Property taxes are a relative bargain: the median effective rate in 48843 is about 0.59%, a median bill near $2,110, and filing a Principal Residence Exemption trims an owner-occupied rate further. First-time buyers should ask about MSHDA down-payment assistance. Most Howell purchases stay well under conforming limits, so conventional and FHA financing fit cleanly; jumbo only enters the picture on premium lakefront homes.
Nearly every Howell purchase fits well under the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750, so loan size is rarely the constraint.
Sub-markets
Howell spans 2 residential ZIP codes, and they are different sub-markets.
The 48843 ZIP carries a median sale price near $387,000, while Zillow's typical home value for Howell sits closer to $354,000, the gap reflects a mix of entry-level subdivisions and higher-priced lakefront stock. Values are up roughly +2.2% year over year on the typical-value index, with the city's median sale price climbing about 5.8% versus 2025. Homes move quickly: the median time on market runs around 23 days in Q1 2026, averaging closer to 38 days for harder-to-place listings. Demand is driven by metro-Detroit commuters trading Oakland County prices for Livingston County value, plus families targeting Howell Public Schools and buyers chasing scarce lake-access inventory near Lake Chemung.
Pricing in 48855 lands around a $385,000 median, reconciling Redfin's ~$398K median sale price against Zillow's ~$354K typical-value figure for the broader city. Values are up modestly year over year, roughly +2% on Zillow's index to +8% on Redfin's median sale price. Days on market sends a split signal: well-priced, move-in-ready homes can go pending in about a week, but the overall 48855 average has stretched to roughly 72 days (versus about 25 a year earlier), pulled upward by new construction and higher-end inventory. Demand is driven by lake frontage, top-rated Howell schools, and the I-96 commuter corridor linking Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Lansing. Named areas: Marion Oaks / The Links of Marion Oaks, Thompson Lake, Hometown Village of Marion.
Where to look
master-planned Marion Township community with ballfields and top-rated schools; ranch condos from ~$359K up to $600K+ new-construction single-family.
all-sports lakefront inside the city limits, a mix of original cottages and high-end custom builds, ~$350K to $1M+.
walkable traditional-neighborhood-design layout with porches and sidewalks south of town, ~$300K-$475K.
part of a 230-acre master-planned new-construction development, ~$400K-$700K.
established family subdivisions in Howell Township, ~$300K-$450K.
All feed into Howell Public Schools (~11 schools, ~8/10 testing rank, ~95% graduation), and downtown Detroit is about 55-58 miles, a 55-65 minute drive via I-96 East through Novi. Most of 48855 is served by Howell Public Schools (including Howell High School), with Fowlerville Community Schools covering western/northern edges and Hartland Consolidated Schools the northeast.
Hometown Village of Marion ($150,000-$300,000+) is amenity-rich, pool, clubhouse, basketball courts, walking paths, with 3-5 bedroom homes less than a mile from I-96.
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 Howell, our 2026 Uncapping Study found taxable value typically rises about 44% the year after a sale: roughly $1,720 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 Michigan, don't just look at the current tax bill. Understand what could happen after ownership changes.
Local resources
The official offices behind the tax and school details on this page.
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In the 48843 ZIP code the median sale price is roughly $387,000 as of early 2026, while Zillow’s typical home value for Howell sits near $354,000. Values are up modestly year over year (about +2.2% on the typical-value index), with the city’s median sale price up around 5.8% versus 2025.
To comfortably afford the ~$387,000 median home, plan on roughly $100,000-$115,000 in household income, assuming 10-20% down at prevailing rates with taxes and insurance included. That’s above the city’s median income of about $60,000, so many buyers are dual-income households or commuters relocating from metro Detroit.
The median effective property tax rate in 48843 is about 0.59%, with a median annual bill near $2,110. Michigan caps annual growth in a homestead’s taxable value, so your actual bill is your taxable value times the local millage and varies by school district and any special assessments. Filing a Principal Residence Exemption lowers the rate on an owner-occupied home.
Howell Public Schools serves the 48843 area, operating about 11 schools including Howell High School at the Parker Campus. The district carries an average testing rank around 8/10 (top 30% in Michigan) and roughly a 95% graduation rate, which is a meaningful draw for family buyers.
It depends on the property. Move-in-ready homes priced to market can go pending in about a week, but the overall average days on market in 48855 has stretched to roughly 72 days in 2026 (up from about 25 a year earlier), reflecting more new-construction and higher-priced inventory taking longer to move.
Downtown Detroit is about 55-58 miles away, generally a 55-65 minute drive via I-96 East through Novi in typical traffic. Many residents commute toward Novi, Farmington, or Detroit for work, which is a big reason Howell has grown as a bedroom community.
Popular options include Marion Oaks and The Links of Marion Oaks (new-construction ranches and condos from the high $300Ks), lakefront Thompson Lake inside the city, the walkable Hometown Village of Marion, the new master-planned Highlands/Dells community, and established subdivisions like Oak Grove Meadows and Rolling Ridge.
Most Howell purchases land well under conforming loan limits, so conventional and FHA loans cover the bulk of the market, including the median ~$387,000 home. Even premium lakefront properties in communities like Lakeshore Pointe, where prices can push past $600,000, usually stay under the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750, so jumbo financing is rarely needed.
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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.
