Mortgage Broker in Oakland County, Michigan
Align Lending is a mortgage broker serving Oakland County, Michigan, and the 46 communities inside it, from our office in Waterford, in the middle of the county.
Oakland County is not one housing market. A typical home in Lake Angelus, near $1,052,000, costs more than 7 times as much as one in Pontiac, near $146,000. At the Lake Angelus end, typical prices reach the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750, so loan size shapes the deal. At the Pontiac end, the check you bring to closing usually matters more.
Buying a Home in Oakland County
Oakland County holds some of the priciest housing in the state and some genuinely affordable communities, often within a twenty minute drive of each other. It runs from the estate streets of Franklin and Bloomfield Hills through the walkable downtowns of Birmingham and Royal Oak, out to the lakes and acreage around Clarkston and White Lake, and down into Pontiac, Hazel Park and Madison Heights where the entry points are.
Home Values Across Oakland County
41 Oakland County communities have a city guide on our site, from Franklin near $853,000 down to Pontiac near $146,000. The middle of the list is Leonard, near $403,000. 1 of them have a typical value above the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750.
| Community | Typical home value, per its city guide | Typical housing |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin | $853,000 | estate and luxury homes, historic homes |
| Orchard Lake Village | $816,000 | estate and luxury homes, colonials and subdivisions |
| Bloomfield Hills | $665,000 | estate and luxury homes, historic homes |
| Birmingham | $608,000 | estate and luxury homes, condos and townhomes |
| Bloomfield Township | $605,000 | mid-century ranches, estate and luxury homes |
| Northville | $512,000 | historic homes, estate and luxury homes |
| Huntington Woods | $505,000 | historic homes, colonials and subdivisions |
| Highland | $481,000 | acreage and rural parcels, condos and townhomes |
| Oxford | $481,000 | lakefront/waterfront homes, colonials and subdivisions |
| Novi | $475,000 | colonials and subdivisions, estate and luxury homes |
| Rochester | $470,000 | colonials and subdivisions, mid-century ranches |
| Pleasant Ridge | $467,000 | historic homes, colonials and subdivisions |
| West Bloomfield | $462,000 | colonials and subdivisions, lakefront/waterfront homes |
| South Lyon | $458,000 | historic homes, mid-century ranches |
| Milford | $430,000 | colonials and subdivisions, historic homes |
| Rochester Hills | $428,000 | colonials and subdivisions, estate and luxury homes |
| White Lake | $425,000 | colonials and subdivisions, acreage and rural parcels |
| Clarkston | $416,000 | estate and luxury homes, colonials and subdivisions |
| Lake Orion | $415,000 | lakefront/waterfront homes, historic homes |
| Troy | $415,000 | colonials and subdivisions, estate and luxury homes |
| Leonard | $403,000 | estate and luxury homes, acreage and rural parcels |
| Commerce Township | $387,000 | colonials and subdivisions, lakefront/waterfront homes |
| Farmington Hills | $385,000 | colonials and subdivisions, mid-century ranches |
| Ortonville | $374,000 | mid-century ranches, acreage and rural parcels |
| Sylvan Lake | $359,000 | lakefront/waterfront homes, mid-century ranches |
| Royal Oak | $357,000 | mid-century ranches, condos and townhomes |
| Wixom | $355,000 | colonials and subdivisions, lakefront/waterfront homes |
| Berkley | $338,000 | mid-century ranches, colonials and subdivisions |
| Farmington | $330,000 | historic homes, mid-century ranches |
| Holly | $320,000 | lakefront/waterfront homes, historic homes |
| Lathrup Village | $292,000 | mid-century ranches, historic homes |
| Waterford | $280,000 | mid-century ranches, lakefront/waterfront homes |
| Clawson | $270,000 | mid-century ranches, colonials and subdivisions |
| Ferndale | $254,000 | mid-century ranches, historic homes |
| Auburn Hills | $253,000 | colonials and subdivisions, mid-century ranches |
| Oak Park | $236,000 | mid-century ranches |
| Walled Lake | $231,000 | lakefront/waterfront homes, estate and luxury homes |
| Southfield | $229,000 | mid-century ranches, colonials and subdivisions |
| Madison Heights | $225,000 | mid-century ranches, colonials and subdivisions |
| Hazel Park | $170,000 | mid-century ranches, colonials and subdivisions |
| Pontiac | $146,000 | historic homes, condos and townhomes |
We also lend throughout Lake Angelus, Bingham Farms, Beverly Hills, Keego Harbor and Wolverine Lake. Those city guides are being written now.
Oakland County Property Taxes After a Sale, Community by Community
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. Across the 52 assessing units in Oakland County, our 2026 Michigan Property Tax Uncapping Study puts the typical rise in taxable value after a sale between about 21% in the City of Bloomfield Hills and 108% in the City of Oak Park, against about 39% for the county as a whole. 13 of the 52 sit above the statewide 50.5%.
On the same $300,000 house, that is about $4,650 more in the first year's tax in the City of Oak Park against about $920 in the City of Bloomfield Hills, which is why we price your payment on the post-sale figure for the exact address. Figures from State Tax Commission records, at each unit's median homestead millage.
Where to Look in Oakland County, by the Kind of Home You Want
Sorted from what each Oakland County city guide says about its own homes: 19 of them describe lake and waterfront communities, the largest group.
Lake and waterfront communities
Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Clarkston, Commerce Township, Highland, Holly, Lake Orion, Northville, Novi, Orchard Lake Village, Ortonville, Oxford, Pontiac, Sylvan Lake, Walled Lake, Waterford, West Bloomfield, White Lake and Wixom.
Historic downtowns and older homes
Birmingham, Clarkston, Farmington, Franklin, Holly, Huntington Woods, Lake Orion, Lathrup Village, Milford, Northville, Ortonville, Oxford, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac, Rochester, Royal Oak, Troy and Wixom.
Rural acreage and farm country
Franklin, Highland, Leonard, Milford, Ortonville, Oxford, South Lyon and White Lake.
Newer subdivisions and new construction
Clarkston, Commerce Township, Farmington Hills, Highland, Holly, Novi, Orchard Lake Village, Ortonville, Pontiac, Rochester, Royal Oak, Southfield, Sylvan Lake, Troy and White Lake.
Postwar bungalows and starter homes
Berkley, Clawson, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Lathrup Village, Madison Heights, Milford, Oak Park, Ortonville, Pontiac, Rochester, Royal Oak, Southfield and Waterford.
Which Loan Usually Fits Where in Oakland County
Set against the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750, the 41 Oakland County communities with a guide sort into 5 groups. The largest is "Conventional, competitive offers common", with 16. Your own down payment, credit and the specific house decide the real answer.
Near the conforming limit; the down payment decides
Franklin and Orchard Lake Village (typical values $816,000 to $853,000).
Conventional, jumbo only on the largest homes
Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Northville, Huntington Woods, Highland, Oxford, Novi, Rochester, Pleasant Ridge, West Bloomfield and South Lyon (typical values $458,000 to $665,000).
Conventional, competitive offers common
Milford, Rochester Hills, White Lake, Clarkston, Lake Orion, Troy, Leonard, Commerce Township, Farmington Hills, Ortonville, Sylvan Lake, Royal Oak, Wixom, Berkley, Farmington and Holly (typical values $320,000 to $430,000).
Conventional and FHA, strong first-time buyer fit
Lathrup Village, Waterford, Clawson, Ferndale, Auburn Hills, Oak Park, Walled Lake, Southfield and Madison Heights (typical values $225,000 to $292,000).
FHA and down payment assistance do the heavy lifting
Hazel Park and Pontiac (typical values $146,000 to $170,000).
Help With Cash to Close in Oakland County
Cash to close, the down payment plus closing costs plus reserves, is often the number that decides a purchase in Pontiac, Hazel Park, Madison Heights, Southfield and Walled Lake and 6 more, where typical values sit between $146,000 and $292,000.
- MSHDA homeownership programs, Michigan's down payment assistance and first-time buyer loans.
- Our first-time buyer page and the budget review.
Oakland County Records and Official Sources
- Oakland County Treasurer, property taxes, for parcel records and the current taxable value on a specific address.
- Michigan DIFS, to verify any mortgage company or loan officer you are considering, including us.
Oakland County Mortgage FAQs
Do you lend everywhere in Oakland County?
Yes, in all 46 communities on this page, from Lake Angelus to Pontiac, and anywhere else in Michigan.
Where in Oakland County is the property tax jump after a sale biggest?
In our 2026 Uncapping Study the largest typical rises in taxable value after a sale are in the City of Oak Park (about 108%), the City of Pontiac (about 87%), the City of Hazel Park (about 81%). The smallest is the City of Bloomfield Hills, about 21%.
Where in Oakland County do buyers most often need a jumbo loan?
Where typical values sit near or above the 2026 conforming limit of $832,750: Lake Angelus (near $1,052,000), Franklin (near $853,000) and Orchard Lake Village (near $816,000). Elsewhere in Oakland County most purchases fit a conforming loan.
Where are homes least expensive in Oakland County?
Among our city guides, Pontiac (near $146,000), Hazel Park (near $170,000) and Madison Heights (near $225,000). A typical home in Pontiac costs roughly 15 percent of one in Franklin, so the same budget buys a very different house across the county.
Talk With an Oakland County Mortgage Expert
Tell Samantha where in Oakland County you are looking, Lake Angelus or Pontiac or somewhere between, and she will tell you what actually matters for that purchase, including whether the timing is right.
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Align Lending LLC · NMLS #2041154 · Equal Housing Opportunity · 2625 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford, MI 48328 · 248-506-5727
