Oakland County, Michigan
Buying or refinancing in Rochester Hills? Options shopped across multiple wholesale lenders, from an Oakland County broker who stays with your file from the first call to the closing table.
Rochester Hills is a city of about 76,000 people (2020 Census) in northern Oakland County. Voters made the former Avon Township a city in 1984, which is why so many subdivisions still carry the Avon name. It surrounds most of the much smaller City of Rochester, and the two share ZIP codes, so a "Rochester, MI" address can sit in either one. The Census Bureau's 2024 survey puts the median household income near $127,000 (Census Reporter). Oakland University and Meadow Brook Hall sit on the west side, FANUC America has its headquarters on Hamlin Road, and the office and engineering corridors of Troy and Auburn Hills are minutes away. Weekends run to the Paint Creek Trail and the Clinton River Trail, Bloomer Park and its velodrome, Innovation Hills, Yates Cider Mill and the Van Hoosen Farm at the Rochester Hills Museum.
Most homes are colonials and ranches in wooded subdivisions, with condo communities at the entry level and custom homes on large lots. Market research puts the citywide typical value near $428,000, with listings around $376,000 in 48307, about $438,000 in 48309 and near $534,000 in 48306. Realcomp MLS figures for Rochester and Rochester Hills together, as reported by Real Estate One, show single-family sales averaging about $586,000 through July 2026, up 6% on a year earlier, with closed sales up 20%. Well-priced homes draw competition, so have a full pre-approval before you tour.
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: 48306, 48307, 48309
The typical Rochester Hills home, near $428,000, needs a loan well under the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750, so a conventional loan is the usual route. Buyers who want to keep more cash in reserve often look at FHA, whose 2026 one-unit limit in Oakland County is $541,287, wide enough for the condo end of the city and many of its ranches. Eligible veterans and service members can use VA financing with no down payment. Jumbo financing comes into play only at the top of the market, with custom homes like those in Clear Creek and Butler Ridge.
The bigger budgeting surprise here is usually the tax bill, not the loan. The city's 2025 rates put homestead millage at 30.86 mills in the Rochester Community Schools part of the city and 35.99 in the Avondale part, and the taxable value of a home you buy resets the year after the sale. First-time buyers should also look at MSHDA's programs: the $566,355 sales price limit covers a large share of the city's homes, and its down payment assistance is subject to income limits.
Nearly every Rochester Hills purchase fits under the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750, so loan size is rarely the constraint. Taxes are the number to plan around.
Most refinances fall into three groups: lowering the rate or the payment, moving from FHA to a conventional loan to drop mortgage insurance once the home has enough equity, and taking cash out for a kitchen, a basement or an addition. Each one has its own math, so we start with what you want the new loan to do and run the break-even against the closing costs before you apply.
A refinance does not reset your property taxes. Michigan's law lists a transfer for security, and the discharge of a security interest, as not being a transfer of ownership, so your taxable value keeps its cap. Changing who is on the deed is a different question, so ask before you add or remove anyone.
In Michigan a sale uncaps your taxable value. A refinance does not.
Sub-markets
Rochester Hills spans 3 residential ZIP codes, and they are different sub-markets.
The north end of Rochester Hills, about a fifth of the city's land, with the largest lots and custom homes. Most of the 48306 ZIP itself lies in Oakland Township, so check which one a listing is in. Market research puts the typical value near $534,000, the highest of the three. Named areas: Clear Creek.
The south and central city, about a third of its land, wrapping around downtown Rochester. This ZIP also covers almost all of the City of Rochester, a separate city with its own millage. It has the widest range of homes, from 1960s ranches to the Great Oaks golf community, with listings typically around $376,000. Named areas: Great Oaks, Avon Manor Estates.
The west side, the largest share of the city at about 45% of its land, around Oakland University and the Clinton River. Established subdivisions and condo communities, with values near $438,000. Much of the southwest is in the Avondale School District. Named areas: Christian Hills, Butler Ridge, Hunters Creek.
Where to look
Colonials around the Great Oaks Country Club golf course, between Livernois and Rochester Road north of Walton. Rochester Community Schools.
A wooded, hilly subdivision south of Avon Road between Adams and Livernois, known for privacy and custom homes.
Custom homes north of Tienken between Rochester Road and John R, with recent sales around $1 million.
Large custom homes near Adams and Hamlin backing onto the Clinton River, with recent sales and listings above $2 million.
An established subdivision west of Adams near Walton.
An established subdivision near Adams and Walton on the city's west side.
A condominium community near Auburn Road and Crooks, in the Avondale School District, for buyers who want less upkeep.
Ranch homes from the early 1960s south of Hamlin near John R, one of the subdivisions that keeps the old Avon Township name.
Most of Rochester Hills is in Rochester Community Schools, with nearly 15,000 students in 13 elementary, 4 middle and 3 high schools, and all three high schools (Rochester, Adams and Stoney Creek) are inside the city. The southwest corner is in the Avondale School District. The district on the property record also sets part of your millage, so it shows up in your payment as well as your school options.
Downtown Detroit is about 28 miles away, roughly 35 to 40 minutes without traffic by I-75, and longer at rush hour. Troy is about 15 minutes south and Auburn Hills about 10 minutes west, and the Census puts the average commute for residents at about 24 minutes (Census Reporter).
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 Rochester Hills, our 2026 Uncapping Study found taxable value typically rises about 42% the year after a sale: roughly $1,490 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.
Know your taxing unit
The 48307 ZIP covers almost all of the City of Rochester as well as the south of Rochester Hills, and most of 48306 lies in Oakland Township. Each taxing unit has its own story after a sale, measured in our 2026 Uncapping Study.
Typical rise in taxable value the year after a sale, about $1,490 added to the first-year bill on a $300,000 home.
About $1,076 added on a $300,000 home. A separate city with its own millage, almost all of it inside the 48307 ZIP.
Rochester mortgage guideAbout $863 added on a $300,000 home. Most of the 48306 ZIP lies here rather than in Rochester Hills.
Local resources
The official offices behind the tax and school details on this page.
Most buyers talk to one lender and stop. In a federal survey of 2023 home buyers, 66% applied with only one lender or broker. One application with Align goes to multiple wholesale lenders, so your offer rests on the loan that fits your situation, not the only one a single bank sells.
Comparing pays. In a 2024 Polygon Research analysis of federal mortgage data, commissioned by United Wholesale Mortgage, broker borrowers paid about $10,662 less over the life of a $400,000 loan than borrowers at nonbank retail lenders. Local agents bring Samantha in for a second opinion when a buyer arrives preapproved elsewhere, and she regularly finds a lower rate or less cash to close, whichever helps the buyer more.
She lives and works in Oakland County and handles your loan herself from the first call to the closing table, with a processor supporting her behind the scenes. Over the last 12 months her loans averaged under 14 days from application to clear to close, across more than 100 loans. Your closing date is set by your purchase agreement. Her job is to have your loan ready well before it.
Already preapproved with a big national lender? Bring us the Loan Estimate and we will show you where we can do better.
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The pre-approval process for my home search in Bloomfield Hills was fast and organized. Samantha answered all my questions and helped me feel confident moving forward.
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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.
Individual experiences. Results vary.
If yours is not here, ask it on the call. There are no dumb questions.
A broker. Align Lending is a Michigan-licensed mortgage broker based in Waterford, in Oakland County, and Samantha Shelton shops your loan across multiple wholesale lenders instead of offering one bank’s products. You work with the same person from the first call to the closing table, and you can talk through your options before anyone pulls your credit.
Market research puts the citywide typical home value near $428,000, with condos well below that, listings in 48307 around $376,000, 48309 near $438,000 and the larger-lot part of 48306 near $534,000. Averages run higher because custom homes pull them up: Realcomp MLS figures for Rochester and Rochester Hills together show single-family sales averaging about $586,000 through July 2026, up 6% on a year earlier.
Usually within a month: 2026 market research puts the typical time to a contract at about 22 to 27 days, and it runs longer in winter. At that pace, have a full pre-approval, not just a pre-qualification, before you start touring, so an offer can go in the day you find the house.
Yes. The 2026 FHA limit for a one-unit home in Oakland County is $541,287, which covers most of the city’s condos and many of its ranches and colonials. If you are buying a condo, the complex needs FHA approval or the unit needs a single-unit approval, so check that before you write an offer. FHA carries mortgage insurance, and many owners later refinance to a conventional loan to drop it once they have enough equity.
Rarely. Jumbo is about the size of the loan, not the price of the house: you need one only when the amount you borrow is above the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750. With the typical home near $428,000, most purchases are well under it. Jumbo financing comes up mainly with custom homes like those in Clear Creek and Butler Ridge, and it asks for stronger credit, more reserves and usually a larger down payment.
It depends on what you want the new loan to do. The common reasons are lowering the rate or the payment, moving from FHA to a conventional loan to drop mortgage insurance, and taking cash out for a renovation. A refinance only makes sense if the savings outrun the closing costs over the time you plan to stay, so we run that break-even with you before you apply.
No. Michigan uncaps taxable value after a transfer of ownership, and the law lists a transfer for security, and the discharge of a security interest, as not being one. So a refinance on its own leaves your cap in place. Changing who is on the deed is a separate question, so ask us, and a title company or attorney, before you add or remove anyone.
Not what the seller pays. Our 2026 Uncapping Study found that in the City of Rochester Hills a typical home’s taxable value rises about 42% the year after it sells, which adds roughly $1,490 to the first-year bill on a $300,000 home. Homestead millage in 2025 was 30.86 mills in the Rochester Community Schools part of the city and 35.99 in the Avondale part. File your Principal Residence Exemption when you move in, and we build your payment on the post-sale number.
Not always. Rochester Hills and the City of Rochester are separate cities with separate tax rates, and the Postal Service uses Rochester as the default city name for 48306, 48307 and 48309, with Rochester Hills accepted. The 48307 ZIP covers almost all of the City of Rochester as well as the south of Rochester Hills, and most of 48306 is in Oakland Township. Check the taxing unit on the property record: our Uncapping Study puts the typical jump after a sale at about 42% in Rochester Hills, 28% in the City of Rochester and 27% in Oakland Township.
Ask each lender for a Loan Estimate on the same day, for the same loan amount and the same lock period, then compare the rate, the points and the lender fees in sections A and B. A broker can put several wholesale lenders’ pricing in front of you at once; a bank or retail lender can only show its own. Read the reviews too, and notice how quickly each one answers you before you are a customer.
Tell Samantha what you are trying to do in Rochester Hills 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.
