Kalamazoo County, Michigan

Mortgage Broker in Kalamazoo, MI

Looking at a house in the City of Kalamazoo, in Stuart or Vine, Milwood or the west side? Samantha shops your loan with multiple wholesale lenders and confirms the parcel's taxing unit, school district, historic status and water line before you sign a purchase agreement.

Start my application Talk with Samantha

No credit pull to talk
Licensed loan originator, NMLS 1647301
5.0 on Google, 128 reviews

Buying a home in Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo is the county seat of Kalamazoo County, home to about 73,300 residents in the Census Bureau's 2024 estimate, on a bend of the Kalamazoo River. It is home to Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and to the Kalamazoo Mall, the pedestrian street the city created downtown in 1959. The median household income in Kalamazoo is near $52,300.

By the numbers

Kalamazoo housing and mortgage snapshot

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

$179,000

Typical home value, from the market research on this page

+48%

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

1.65%

Property tax current owners pay, as a share of value. A buyer's bill can reset higher the year after a sale

6

Residential ZIP codes: 49001, 49004, 49006, 49007, 49008, 49048

What financing looks like in Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo's median sale in Redfin's data ran about $224,000 from July through September 2026, roughly 12% higher than in that quarter of 2025. Its median price per square foot fell about 11% over the same year, which points to a shift in what sold more than a jump in what each house is worth. Homes went under contract in about 15 days and closed about 3% under list on average. Zillow's typical value for the city is close to $238,000. Purchases in that range sit far below both 2026 ceilings that matter here, $541,287 for an FHA loan in Kalamazoo County and $832,750 for a conforming one, so FHA, conventional and VA can each work, and your credit, your savings and the condition of the house decide which one costs less.

Condition is where Kalamazoo files get interesting. About three in ten homes in the city went up before 1940 and about half before 1960, and in neighborhoods like Vine many houses built for one household were divided into apartments decades ago. A renovation loan, FHA's 203(k) among them, can roll repairs into the purchase. Two city rules shape that budget: inside the six local historic districts, replacement windows, siding or an addition need city approval before work starts, and any house you plan to rent must pass the city's rental inspection before a tenant moves in.

First-time buyers within MSHDA's income limits can pair a MI Home Loan with MI 10K, MSHDA's $10,000 down payment loan, repaid when you sell, refinance, pay off the mortgage or stop living in the home. Its sales price limit is $566,355. One thing missing from the budget here is a city income tax, which Battle Creek and Lansing residents pay. The summer city tax bill, though, comes due July 31, so a closing in June or July should spell out who pays it.

Talk with Samantha Compare loan options

Kalamazoo collects no city income tax. In 2017 it cut its own levy from 19.27 mills to 12 instead, and the donor-funded Foundation for Excellence pays the difference.

The market

The Kalamazoo housing market

The typical home value in Kalamazoo is near $179,000, the median for owner-occupied homes in the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which counts about 12,500 owner-occupied homes here. The median year built is 1959, so Kalamazoo is mostly older homes in established neighborhoods, from historic houses near downtown to mid-century ranches. Homeowners pay a median of about $2,950 a year in property taxes, an effective property tax rate of about 1.65% of the median value.

Mailing addresses

Kalamazoo ZIP codes, inside and outside the city

Six ZIP codes cover nearly all of the city, and three of them belong mostly to townships. Shares of homes come from the 2020 Census, owner medians from Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 across each whole ZIP, and sale medians from Redfin for the three months ending September 2026. A few west side streets also use 49009, a ZIP code that is mostly Oshtemo and Texas townships.

ZIP 49001, near $175,000

Edison, Milwood, Southside and the eastern blocks of Vine and Westnedge Hill. About three in ten city homes use it, and nearly all of 49001 lies inside the city. Census owner median $157,300, typical home from 1951. Redfin's median sale was about 7% lower than a year earlier.

ZIP 49008, near $261,000

Western Michigan University, Oakland Drive and Winchell, Oakwood, Parkview Hills, South Westnedge and the western blocks of Vine. Every home in this ZIP is in the city. Census owner median $218,200, typical home from 1959. Redfin's median was up about 9%.

ZIP 49006, near $254,000

West Main Hill, West Douglas, Arcadia, Knollwood and the city side of Westwood, about a fifth of city homes. Only about 58% of the ZIP's homes are in the city, and nearly all the rest are in Kalamazoo Township. Census owner median for the whole ZIP $208,600. Redfin's median was up about 6%.

ZIP 49007, near $141,000

Downtown, Stuart, Northside and the northern blocks of Vine, about one city home in six, almost all of it inside the city. The typical home predates 1940, the Census owner median is $111,300, and Redfin's homes took about 47 days to go under contract.

ZIP 49048, near $197,000

The Eastside and the southern edge of Burke Acres. The city holds only about one in nine of this ZIP's homes, and Comstock and Kalamazoo townships hold most of the rest. Census owner median for the whole ZIP $177,200. Redfin's median was up about 6%.

ZIP 49004, near $277,000

The north end of Burke Acres around Spring Valley Park. About one home in six in this ZIP is in the city, the rest in Cooper and Kalamazoo townships, the City of Parchment and Richland Township, so its figures mostly describe township homes. Census owner median $192,300. Redfin's median was up about 22%.

Where to look

Kalamazoo neighborhoods

Downtown and the Kalamazoo Mall

City Hall on West South Street, the pedestrian Kalamazoo Mall and the Haymarket local historic district along East Michigan Avenue, with the Kalamazoo Transportation Center at the north end. Most homes are apartments: in tract 2.01 about seven in ten homes are in buildings of five or more units and about nine in ten are rented. Owner median near $242,000, with a wide margin. Arcadia Creek and Portage Creek put about a seventh of the land in FEMA's high-risk flood zone.

Stuart, West Main Hill and West Douglas

Northwest and west of downtown, home to two local historic districts. Stuart grew from the house Senator Charles Stuart began building in 1854, and about a third of its block group's homes are in two to four unit buildings. West Main Hill, with its curving streets and period revival houses, holds Kalamazoo College on Academy Street and an owner median near $332,000, against about $232,000 in Stuart. The typical home in both predates 1940.

Vine

Between downtown and Western Michigan University, roughly West Lovell Street to Crosstown Parkway and Oakland Drive to South Burdick Street. The Vine Area Historic District joined the National Register in 1983 and is one of the city's local districts. In tract 6.01 about a quarter of homes are in two to four unit buildings and about four in five are rented. Owner median near $136,000, typical home from before 1940. The city's 2026 request for state lead line money is aimed at Vine.

Northside

North of downtown along North Westnedge Avenue and North Burdick Street, where the city formed the Northside Cultural Business District to fund facades and infrastructure. Tracts 3 and 2.02 hold about 2,000 homes, and in tract 3 about seven in ten are detached and the typical one predates 1940. Owner medians run near $104,000 to $109,000. Spring Valley Creek and the river touch its edges, but our sample found no homes in the high-risk flood zone.

Eastside

Across the Kalamazoo River from downtown, on wooded hills, with the river along its western and southern borders. In tract 1 about three in four homes are detached, owners slightly outnumber renters and the typical home predates 1940. Owner median near $120,000. The river puts about an eighth of the neighborhood's land in the high-risk flood zone, and every home here uses 49048, a ZIP code that is mostly Comstock and Kalamazoo townships.

Burke Acres

The northeast corner, east of the river and north of Gull Road, where the city's Spring Valley Park takes in Averill and Spring Valley lakes. Much of it was platted from the former Burke farm and built up in the 1950s and 1960s: tract 55.01 has an owner median near $158,000, a typical home from 1957 and about four in five homes detached. Most homes are in Kalamazoo Public Schools, about 90 in Parchment School District and about 70 in Comstock Public Schools.

Edison

Southeast of downtown along Portage Street, with boulevards in some sections and small courts in others, and home to the city's farmers market. Owner medians run near $88,000 to $120,000 across its three main tracts, with typical homes from the 1940s or earlier, and tract 10.02 adds about 50 manufactured homes. Portage Creek runs through it, and about a fifth of Edison's land lies in FEMA's high-risk flood zone.

Milwood and the airport

The largest neighborhood by area, reaching south to take in Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, with I-94 crossing that southern arm and Milham Park nearby. Most homes sit in the north and west. Tract 18.01 has an owner median near $168,000 and tract 18.02 near $202,000, both with homes typically from the mid-1950s, and 18.02 counts about 120 manufactured homes. About 70 homes near the airport are in Portage Public Schools.

Westnedge Hill and South Westnedge

South of Vine, Westnedge Hill sits on some of the highest ground in the city, with mixed house styles and winding streets, and South Westnedge runs on toward the Portage line. East of Westnedge the owner median is near $223,000, nearly every home is detached and the typical one predates 1940. Around 2000 South Westnedge it is near $243,000 with homes from about 1958, and tract 17.01 farther south sits near $196,000. About 40 homes are in Portage Public Schools.

Oakland Drive and Winchell

Named for its two main streets, between Western Michigan University and Asylum Lake, with Woods Lake at its southeast corner. The two block groups around Oakland Drive carry owner medians near $371,000 and $340,000, homes typically from before 1940, and close to nine in ten homes owner-occupied. Tract 16.01 to the west, newer at a typical 1970, sits near $287,000 with a wide margin.

Oakwood, Parkview Hills and the southwest corner

Oakwood, just south of Woods Lake, joined the city in 1957 and is mostly detached houses: tract 16.03 has an owner median near $153,000 and a typical home from 1946. To the west, Parkview Hills is a planned development laid out around streams, marsh and woods, beside Hill 'n Brook and Colony Farm, home of WMU's business and research park. In tract 16.04 the median is near $223,000, homes date from about 1975, and about a quarter sit in Portage Public Schools.

Arcadia, Knollwood and Westwood

The west side from Western Michigan University to the Oshtemo line, along Stadium Drive, West Michigan Avenue and West Main Street. Apartment complexes dominate: in tracts 15.09 and 15.10 about nine in ten homes are rented. The Westwood block group near Drake Road is mostly owner-occupied, with a median near $247,000 and homes from about 1975, and tract 15.11 holds about 260 manufactured homes. Arcadia Creek puts about a fifth of Knollwood's land in the flood zone, and Westwood continues into Kalamazoo Township.

Schools and commute

Schools

Kalamazoo Public Schools serves all but about 1 in 50 of the city's homes and, by its own count, enrolls more than 12,000 in 25 schools: 17 elementary, four middle and four high schools, plus a virtual program. Three other districts hold small pieces of the city. Portage Public Schools covers the airport arm and the southwest corner, about 7% of the land but only about 350 homes in the 2020 Census. Comstock Public Schools takes a strip along the east edge, about 6% of the land and about 150 homes, and Parchment School District a small area on the north side near Riverview Drive, under 1% of the land and about 90 homes. The district changes the tax rate inside the city: Treasury's 2025 homestead totals run 50.79 mills for Kalamazoo Public Schools, 49.94 for Portage, 49.08 for Comstock and 47.63 for Parchment. Kalamazoo Public Schools also reaches past the city into Kalamazoo, Oshtemo and Texas townships, so the parcel record, not the mailing address, settles which district and which rate apply.

Commute

Kalamazoo sits between its two interstates rather than on them. I-94 crosses only the city's southern arm by the airport, US-131 clips the far southwest corner, and their business routes and M-43 carry traffic through town. From City Hall on West South Street, Western Michigan University's main campus is about 2 miles away, around 6 minutes outside rush hour. Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport is about 5 miles (12 minutes), Portage City Hall about 6 (14), downtown Battle Creek about 26 (33) and downtown Grand Rapids about 51, just under an hour. The Kalamazoo Transportation Center on North Burdick Street serves Amtrak's Wolverine and Blue Water trains and is the hub for Metro buses. The city's budget book lists Bronson Methodist Hospital, Borgess Medical Center, Western Michigan University, Stryker and Pfizer among the area's largest employers. Working residents average about 18 minutes to work by Census count, and about 2 in 5 get there in under 15 minutes.

Michigan property taxes

Kalamazoo 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 the City of Kalamazoo, our 2026 Uncapping Study found taxable value typically rises about 48% the year after a sale. On a $175,000 home, near the typical Kalamazoo value, that is roughly $1,400 more in first-year tax at the local median homestead millage. We build your payment on that post-sale number.

Looking at a Kalamazoo 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

I'd much rather somebody ask me, "Why are your taxes higher than what I'm seeing online?" than have them build a housing budget around the wrong assumption.

2025 homestead millage

One mailing city, several tax rates

Michigan Treasury's 2025 homestead totals for homes that carry a Kalamazoo address, with the jump at sale from our 2026 Uncapping Study. Each mill adds $100 to the yearly bill per $100,000 of taxable value.

City, Kalamazoo Public Schools: 50.79 mills

Nearly every home in the city. Taxable value typically rises about 48% the year after a sale. The city's own operating share of that total has been 12 mills since 2017.

City, other districts: 47.63 to 49.94 mills

Parchment 47.63, Comstock 49.08 and Portage 49.94, for the few hundred city homes outside Kalamazoo Public Schools. At the widest, about $316 a year less on $100,000 of taxable value.

Kalamazoo Township: 54.01 mills

The same Kalamazoo Public Schools north and west of the city, including much of 49006. Treasury lists 47.08 mills before the township's special assessment levy and 54.01 with it, about $322 a year more than the city on $100,000 of taxable value. The Study's reset at sale runs about 55%.

Oshtemo Township: 38.85 mills

Kalamazoo Public Schools west of the city, mostly in 49009. Roughly $1,194 lower each year per $100,000 of taxable value, and a smaller reset at sale, about 30%.

Comstock Township: 45.23 mills

Comstock Public Schools east of the city, much of 49048. Treasury lists 37.98 mills before the township's special assessment levy. The Study's reset at sale runs about 37%.

Rental or second home in the city: 68.45 mills

A house that is not your principal residence pays the non-homestead total, 68.45 mills in the city's main district, roughly $1,766 more each year per $100,000 of taxable value.

Local resources

Check Kalamazoo records yourself

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

City of Kalamazoo City Assessor's Office, for parcel records and current taxable value
Kalamazoo Public Schools, for district boundaries and enrollment
Kalamazoo County Equalization, for county property tax records

Due diligence

Settle these on a Kalamazoo house before you sign

Every item below comes from a city, county, state or federal office, and each is simpler to answer during the inspection period than after closing.

The parcel record. The city's online property records name the taxing unit and the school district, and a Historical District field shows whether exterior work will need review. A Kalamazoo address in Kalamazoo, Oshtemo, Comstock or Cooper township is assessed by that township instead.
The water service line. The city's water service material lookup shows whether a lead or galvanized line still serves the address. Free lead testing and filters are available by calling 311 or the city's main line.
Historic review. In Haymarket, Rose Place, South Street, Stuart, Vine or West Main Hill, talk with the city's Historic Preservation Coordinator before pricing new windows, siding or an addition. Approval comes as a Certificate of Appropriateness.
A rental plan. The city will run a pre-sale rental inspection with the seller's written permission and report what the house needs to be certified, which is cheaper to learn before the offer than after.
The flood map. Lots along Portage Creek in Edison, Arcadia Creek on the west side and downtown, and the Kalamazoo River on the Eastside are the ones a lender is likeliest to flag. Pull the parcel up on FEMA's flood map portal while you can still negotiate.
Tax and utility timing. Summer city tax bills go out by July 1 and are due July 31, and the city lets them be paid in six monthly installments. Winter bills are due February 14. Unpaid water and sewer charges become a lien on the property and can land on the tax bill, so ask for a final meter reading at closing.
After closing. The buyer owes the City Assessor a Property Transfer Affidavit within 45 days of the transfer, and the principal residence exemption affidavit keeps the home at the homestead rate.

What our clients say

5.0 on Google across 128 reviews

★★★★★

Can’t say enough great things about Samantha and her team at Align Lending! Highly recommend

Justin BartonJune 2024

Read all reviews on Google

Individual experiences. Results vary.

Kalamazoo mortgage questions

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

What are homes in the City of Kalamazoo selling for?

From July through September 2026, Redfin’s median sale was about $224,000, roughly 12% above a year earlier, though its median price per square foot fell about 11%, so the mix of homes that sold moved more than values did. By ZIP code, Redfin’s medians ran from about $141,000 in 49007 to about $261,000 in 49008. The Census figure of $179,000 measures something different: what owners estimated their homes were worth across 2020 to 2024.

The listing has a Kalamazoo address. Does that put it in the city?

Often it does not. In the 2020 Census about 42% of the homes in ZIP 49006 were in Kalamazoo Township, and the city held only about one home in six in 49004, one in nine in 49048 and one in sixteen in 49009. The Census geocoder places 3000 W Main St, Kalamazoo in Kalamazoo Township and 5000 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo in Oshtemo Township, and the township halls of Kalamazoo, Oshtemo, Comstock and Cooper all carry Kalamazoo addresses. The township sets a different tax rate, so we read the parcel record before we build a payment.

Does Kalamazoo have a city income tax?

No. Michigan Treasury lists 24 cities that levy one, among them Battle Creek, Lansing, East Lansing and Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo is not on the list. The city cut its own operating levy from 19.27 mills to 12 in 2017 instead, with the Foundation for Excellence covering the difference, and its 2026 request to the foundation included $16.5 million for property tax reduction. Property tax remains the main local bill: 50.79 mills in 2025 for a homestead in the city’s Kalamazoo Public Schools area.

Which school district serves the home, and does that affect the Kalamazoo Promise?

Kalamazoo Public Schools serves all but about 1 in 50 city homes. The rest are in Portage Public Schools near the airport and in the southwest corner, Comstock Public Schools on the east edge or Parchment School District on the north side, at 2025 homestead totals of 49.94, 49.08 and 47.63 mills against 50.79. The Kalamazoo Promise follows the district, not the city: a graduate must live in the district and attend its schools for at least all of high school, and the share of tuition it covers rises with the years enrolled.

Is the house in a historic district, and what changes if it is?

The city has six local historic districts: Haymarket, Rose Place, South Street, Stuart, Vine and West Main Hill. Inside them, exterior work needs approval before you buy materials or pull permits. The Historic Preservation Coordinator approves most projects, while replacements, demolition, additions and signs go to the Historic District Commission. Unapproved work draws a $70 fine after a second letter, and in extreme cases a court can order it undone and fine the owner up to $5,000, so ask the seller what exterior work was approved.

What does the city require if I rent the house out?

Registration and a passed inspection. Every rental needs a Certificate of Compliance before it is leased, the city inspects at least once every 28 months, and well-kept properties can earn 40 or 52 month certificates. The owner or a local agent must live or keep an office within an hour’s drive, and short-term rentals face the same inspections and are allowed only in certain zoning districts. A rental also loses the homestead exemption: 68.45 mills against 50.79 for a homestead in the city’s Kalamazoo Public Schools area in 2025.

How do I find out whether the house has a lead water line?

Ask while you are under contract. The city’s replacement program dates to 1992, and its March 2026 request for state money counted more than 6,100 lines replaced and aimed the new work at Vine. As of 2022 the city still listed more than 7,000 non-copper service lines to replace. Its online lookup shows the material serving an address, it offers free lead testing and certified filters, and a home testing above the action level moves up the list. The latest sampling put the 90th percentile at 4 parts per billion, under the 12 ppb action level.

Will a Kalamazoo home need flood insurance?

Some will. In our sample of FEMA’s map about 6% of the city’s land lies in the high-risk flood zone, and the blocks inside it hold roughly 1 home in 70. About a third of that land follows Portage Creek, mostly through Edison, where about a fifth of the neighborhood is in the zone. Arcadia Creek accounts for about a fifth, from the west side through downtown, and the Kalamazoo River about an eighth, mostly along the Eastside. Inside the zone most mortgages require a flood policy, so check the address before you offer.

Communities near Kalamazoo

Additional Michigan Cities

Guides for Kalamazoo buyers

Browse the Learn Center

Loan options

See every loan option

Talk with a local mortgage expert

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

Talk with Samantha Start my application

1
Tell us what you are trying to do
Not what product you want. What you are actually trying to accomplish.
2
Samantha looks at your situation
She 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.