Detroit, MI
Metro Detroit homebuyers face higher prices but more inventory, lower mortgage rates
Eric Vance knows a good house when he sees one.
The 54-year-old contractor from Southfield, who has spent years buying and flipping homes, recently toured a property in Redford Township that immediately caught his attention.
“It was the fireplace and that kitchen,” he said. “Because I am a family man, and it put me right where I needed to be and what I needed to see.”
Buyers like Vance who are looking for a new home are navigating the housing market at a time when inventory, prices and days on the market are on the rise, even as interest rates begin to trend down. Metro Detroit’s housing market saw prices climb modestly in August, even as sales slowed, with the market heading into a seasonal slowdown.
The median sales price across Metro Detroit rose 4.4% year-over-year to $332,500 across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Livingston counties, according to the latest RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan Housing Report. The supply of inventory increased to 2.8 months in August, compared with 2.6 months in July and 2.4 a year earlier, according to the report.
“We are continuing to see a bit more inventory coming into the market that is starting to be reflected in the month supply,” said Jeanette Schneider, president of RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan. “We’re seeing that inch up a little bit. That’s a signal that we’ve got more and more inventory coming to market.”
The median sales price rose across a broader area — 18 Michigan counties — to reach $289,000 for residential and condo sales combined, according to a Realcomp August sales report, up 5.1% from $275,000 the year before. Realcomp, the state’s largest multiple listing service, looks at Genesee, Hillsdale, Huron, Jackson, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Montcalm, Oakland, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Clair, Tuscola, Washington and Wayne counties.
The supply of inventory across the 18 counties increased 16%, from 2.5 months to 2.9 months year over year. Pending sales decreased 4.9% from 10,345 to 9,839 year over year, while pending sales increased from 9,778 month over month by 1%. Closed sales decreased 3.7% from 10,530 to 10,138 year over year, and decreased from 10,507 month over month, a decline of 3.5%.
“As we prepare to move from summer into fall, homebuyers have more choices than they have had all year,” Karen Kage, CEO of Realcomp II Ltd., said in the report. “While median sales prices remain fairly consistent, inventory is at its highest August levels in 5 years.”
‘Holding our own’
One notable point in the data was Detroit, which saw its median sales price jump about 16% from last year to a record $111,500, according to Realcomp.
Darralyn Bowers of Bowers Realty in Southfield said the housing market remains healthy in the city and across Metro Detroit: “So far, we’re holding our own, and we’re still seeing property values go up.
“Even in Detroit, we’re seeing growth. Michigan is unique in the Midwest here. We’ve got so many positive qualities, like the water and the amenities and the desirability of Detroit and some of the things that are happening here in Detroit. I think those all accelerate to a better market.”
Nathan Boji, an agent with RE/MAX Classic in Farmington Hills, said the market varies across Metro Detroit, with Oakland County staying strong in cities like Novi, Farmington Hills and Bloomfield Hills. Livingston County properties are selling quickly, while Macomb County offers solid value. He said Wayne County remains the most affordable for entry-level buyers, with Livonia and Dearborn competitive under $400,000. Sterling Heights is also seeing steady activity.
“If it’s priced right, it’s selling,” he said. “If it’s not priced right, it’s going to sit.”
Jessica Belanger, an agent with RE/MAX Advisors in New Baltimore, said homes in the northern subdivisions in Macomb County, such as New Haven and Shelby, Washington and Macomb townships, are selling relatively quickly: “The nice houses, nice upgrades that don’t need a lot of updates and not priced hopefully over market, are still selling.”
Mortgage rate slide helps
As housing prices rise, mortgage rates continue to trend down, according to Freddie Mac. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.35% as of Thursday, down from the previous week when it averaged 6.5%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.2%.
“The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 15 basis points from last week, the largest weekly drop in the past year,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, said in the report. “Mortgage rates are headed in the right direction and homebuyers have noticed, as purchase applications reached the highest year-over-year growth rate in more than four years.”
Schneider said September will be the month to watch as the Federal Reserve meets mid-month and markets look for a possible rate cut.
While mortgage rates are more closely tied to the 10-year Treasury than the Fed’s actions, she said Fed decisions can signal direction and influence buyer sentiment. Schneider added that even if rates don’t drop significantly, a Fed cut could give buyers more confidence and push some off the fence, potentially leading to more activity in the fall housing market.
“So it seems, from my perspective, the market has already kind of anticipated what the Fed is going to do, and the interest rates are already starting to kind of reflect that,” she said. “So I don’t necessarily think we’re going to see a huge drop in the mortgage interest rates, even if the Fed does a cut. But what I think a Fed cut could do is psychologically be a very positive confidence booster for buyers that have been iffy.”
While mortgage rates have eased into the mid-to-high 6% range, Boji said many consumers are still holding back: “A large percentage of the consumer still sees that as being a very high rate. They’re sort of holding their breath for a kind of a magic kind of reduction, in the sense of possibly seeing rates that we saw several years ago — 3, 4, 5%.”
Jessica Belanger, an agent with REMAX Advisors, said she’s noticing some clients becoming accustomed to the mortgage rates. “Everybody out there in general is kind of coming to that realization that those 2.5% interest rates were not a realistic expectation. It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
To help prospective buyers make home ownership more affordable, Bowers said her team hosts a monthly brunch to educate them about down payment assistance and help them explore their options. She noted that some banks are offering grants up to $17,500, while others provide low- or no-interest loans, some with no income limit.
“If you had a grant of $10,000,” Bowers said, “that also is equity.”
Vance, whose budget is between $200,000 and $250,000, said he isn’t a fan of the current mortgage interest rates. But a divorce last year has prompted his move.
The father of three, including two adult children, is considering the three-bedroom home in Redford Township for its roominess. He said he could see himself building an outdoor kitchen off the back patio, a place for entertaining and spending time with loved ones.
For Vance, homeownership is about more than space: “When you are a homeowner, it means a lot. It gives you that peace of mind … a feeling of accomplishment, like you’re doing something right.”
cwilliams@detroitnews.com
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Federal regulators say the autonomous vehicle company Waymo must stop its cars from blocking first responders. Waymo has been testing its vehicles in Detroit. The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the agency found several cases of Waymo driver-less vehicles traveling into emergency scenes, blocking firefighters or failing to stop for flashing lights and flares. Federal regulators say they will meet with autonomous vehicle developers to devise ways to address the problem. A Waymo vehicle will stop, however, if it notices nefarious activity from kids riding in it. A Waymo car in California recently stopped in a parking lot and called police after two teens in its back seat allegedly began drinking alcohol and shooting water beads from a toy gun.
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DETROIT (FOX 2) – Some Detroit officials are shining a light on ICE chases calling for change, saying they are too fast, too risky, and a danger to the community and everyone involved.
The backstory:
On Wednesday council members Denzel Anton McCampbell, Gabriela Santiago-Romero and Detroit Police Commissioner Victoria Camille, sent a letter addressing it to the head of the Department of Homeland Security – Markwayne Mullin.
In the letter they are demanding that ICE ends “dangerous pursuits through residential neighborhoods.”
They cited two pursuits — in May and June — where ICE sped through areas where children played, and both ended in injury.
Both individuals who were being pursued, they say, had no criminal activity – so they’re calling for an end to these chases.
McCampbell spoke about the letter and what they hope to accomplish.
“Talk about immigration law, this is not criminal law. So these chases are happening based on civil issues and endangering our community,” he said. “So we wanted to ensure that we sent a letter for accountability to Homeland Security to demand that they stop this and follow their own rules to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
In the letter, McCampbell, Santiago-Romero, and Camille call on DHS to:
- Cease vehicular pursuits
- Publicly release its most current vehicular pursuit policy
- Confirm key details regarding the May and June incidents
- Share findings from the resulting investigations
- Hold accountable any agents who break the rules.
They say that the majority of individuals targeted in the Detroit operations do not have criminal records, and that no civil immigration objective justifies high-speed chases that endanger the people being pursued, the agents involved, and innocent bystanders, homeowners, and children.
The other side:
FOX 2 reached out to the Detroit Department of Homeland Security Office requesting an interview and we are waiting to hear back.
Read the full letter below:
Dear Secretary Mullin:
We write on behalf of the residents of Detroit’s Districts 6 and 7 to demand that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) immediately stop conducting high-speed vehicular pursuits through our neighborhoods, and that the Department of Homeland Security enforce its own pursuit standards with the seriousness that human life demands. In the span of three weeks, two such pursuits in Detroit have left two people critically injured, damaged residents’ homes and property, and placed children and bystanders in mortal danger. These are not unfounded notions; they happened on our streets in front of families.
On May 19, 2026, a vehicular pursuit and crash involving ICE left Yerlys Moreno López, a Detroit asylum seeker, with a broken knee and other injuries requiring emergency surgery. On June 5, 2026, ICE confirmed its officers pursued a driver on Detroit’s west side near Whitlock Avenue and Warwick Street. The driver, Mohamd Salim Abdessamed, lost control, crashed through a residential fence and garage, was impaled by a fence post, and landed atop two parked vehicles. He was hospitalized in critical condition. The homeowner reported that her garage was knocked off its foundation, and a vehicle on her property was destroyed. According to neighbors who witnessed the event, agents operated unmarked vehicles, with only one having its emergency lights activated. At this time, it is unclear if sirens were activated.
That last detail is not a minor one. Federal regulation at 8 C.F.R. § 287.8(e) defines a lawful immigration pursuit as one carried out in a “designated pursuit vehicle.” A pursuit conducted in an unmarked vehicle without activated lights and sirens does not appear to satisfy the Department’s own regulatory definition. ICE’s own 2012 Emergency Driving Handbook further directs agents to “consider and evaluate critical safety issues posed by emergency driving, including the potential risk of death or serious physical injury to themselves, the general public, and the suspect, and should engage in emergency driving only when they determine that the seriousness of the emergency or the severity of the suspected criminal offense outweighs the risk of death or serious physical injury associated with such driving.” We have seen little evidence that such a weighing occurred in either of the Detroit incidents.
The U.S. Department of Justice discourages the use of unmarked vehicles in pursuits, precisely because of the catastrophic risk to uninvolved bystanders. Most American police departments, including Detroit, prohibit chases for non-violent offenses and permit them only to prevent an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. It is indefensible that federal agents operating on the same residential streets should hold themselves to a lower standard of public safety than the local police who patrol those blocks every day. The overwhelming majority of individuals targeted in these Detroit operations have no criminal record. No civil immigration objective justifies driving a vehicle at high speed past a park where children are playing.
Accordingly, we demand that the Department take the following actions:
1. Immediately direct ICE and HSI personnel operating in Detroit and across the nation to cease vehicular pursuits in residential and populated areas except where there is an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to a person, consistent with best practices.
2. Confirm in writing whether the agents involved in the May 19 and June 5, 2026, Detroit pursuits complied with 8 C.F.R. § 287.8(e), including the requirement that pursuits be conducted in designated vehicles with activated emergency lights and sirens, and whether unmarked vehicles were used in either pursuit.
3. Publicly release the current ICE and HSI vehicular pursuit policy, as the most recent publicly available guidance dates to 2012.
4. Provide the complete findings of the Department’s investigations into both Detroit incidents, including any after-action review, supervisory authorization records, and any disciplinary or corrective measures taken.
5. Commit to a binding pursuit and use-of-force standard that requires supervisory authorization, prohibits pursuits for non-violent civil immigration matters, and holds agents accountable when they violate it.
Detroit is a community that looks out for its neighbors, and we will not accept a regime in which federal agents treat our streets as a place where bystanders, homeowners, and children are acceptable collateral. The next pursuit may not end with injuries but with a funeral. I urge you to act before it does, and I request a written response within fourteen (14) days of receipt of this letter.
Respectfully,
Denzel Anton McCampbell
Council Member, District 7
Detroit City Council Gabriela Santiago-Romero
Council Member, District 6
Detroit City Council
Victoria Camille
Police Commissioner, District 7
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
Cc:
The Honorable Rashida Tlaib, U.S. House of Representatives (MI-12)
The Honorable Shri Thanedar, U.S. House of Representatives (MI-13)
The Honorable Gary Peters, United States Senate (MI)
The Honorable Elissa Slotkin, United States Senate (MI)
Watch FOX 2 Detroit Live:
The Source: Information for this report is from an interview with Denzel Anton McCampbell and the letter sent to DHS.
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