Five Michigan communities saw home values increase at more than twice the state average over the last year.

Greenbush in Alcona County had its typical home value increase 14% to about $235,435 between December 202 3and December 2024, according to Zillow data analyzed by Stacker, a New Jersey-based data media company.

Other significant risers included Mackinac Island (13%), Copper Harbor in Keweenaw County (12.7%), Douglas in Allegan County (10.5%), and Somerset Center in Hillsdale County (9.6%).

Below is home pricing data for 50 Michigan communities. Home values are “typical,” meaning they’re in the 35th to 65th percentile, according to Zillow data compiled by Stacker.

Below are three takeaways from MLive’s recent article, “Home prices are increasing fastest in these Michigan communities”

Michigan home values rising

Throughout Michigan, the typical home value in December was $241,165, according to Zillow’s home value index. Home values were up 4.7% from the same time in 2023.

Nationally, the typical home value in late 2024 was $358,461 — up 2.6% from a year ago.

Oakland County remains a hot spot

Of the top 50 communities included in the Stacker report, 15 were located in Oakland County, Michigan’s second-largest county.

Oakland County is home to much of Detroit’s northern suburbs. Its median household income ranks second in the state and 180th in the nation, according to federal records.

RELATED: These 14 Michigan homes sold for more than $5M in 2024

The Village of Franklin saw its typical home value increase by more than $56,000 in one year, and almost $245,000 over five years.

Similarly, the city of Lake Angelus had a five-year increase of $487,503, pushing the typical home value beyond $1.6 million.

Northern Michigan home values soaring

Northern communities made up the top three cities/villages for year-over-year home value percentage increases. They also earned four of the top nine spots in dollar increases from December 2023 to December 2024.

The typical home price in the small coastal town of Leland was more than $1.06 million in late 2024. Located in Leelanau County, about 30 minutes north of Traverse City, the community had the largest five-year increase in home value with the typical price increasing by more than $472,000,

Also representing Leelanau County were Glen Arbor, Lake Leelanau, Northport and Maple City.

CLARE COUNTY, MI – A Michigan man is accused of trying to burn his own house down and destroying multiple cars and sheds in a fire, police say.

Cameron Hill, 36, was arrested Saturday, Jan. 25, after he allegedly started several fires on his property, according to a news release from the Clare County Sheriff’s Office. The Hayes Township man was arraigned this week on one count of second degree arson and one count of third degree arson.

The Harrison Fire Department was dispatched at 2:58 p.m. Saturday on reports of a possible vehicle fire at a residence on the 5100 block of Fishing Site Road in Hayes Township. The caller reportedly told dispatchers he saw black smoke and heard “explosions” in the area.

Firefighters arrived to find several different fires burning in the yard and saw Hill trying to start more fires, according to the release.

Hill allegedly lit several vehicles on fire, one of which he owned and two that were owned by a family member. He also set two sheds ablaze on his property. Police said Hill had poured gasoline inside his home and was trying to light the gas on fire to try and burn the house down, according to the release.

Hill was unsuccessful in his effort to completely burn the house down, but the home did sustain damage from the fire and smoke, the sheriff’s office said.

The vehicles, sheds and its contents were destroyed by the fires, according to the release.

No one was injured in the fires, authorities said.

Hill was arrested and lodged in the Clare County Jail, and he later was arraigned in 80th District Court. His bond was set at $1 million.

In Michigan, second degree arson is defined as when a subject willfully or maliciously burns, damages or destroys by fire a dwelling regardless of whether it is occupied or unoccupied by fire or explosion. Third degree arson involves willfully burning, destroying, or damaging by fire or explosion any building or structure, or its contents having a value of $20,000 or more. It doesn’t matter if the person owns the building, property or its contents, according to the release.

A ballot proposal by Michigan House Republicans would both reject votes cast without photo ID and require new voter registrants to show proof of U.S. citizenship.

A top House Republican, calling the measures a “no-brainer,” said they would enhance voter security. However, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson countered that they would “gut Michiganders’ voting rights in our state constitution.”

“Only U.S. citizens should vote in our elections,” said state Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford. “And people should have to show ID when voting to prove that they are who they say they are. That’s just common sense.”

The proposed constitutional amendment is unlikely to pass the state Legislature, as it requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers. While Republicans have a majority in the House, they would need to pursuade Democrats in both chambers.

Posthumus said it would be “political suicide” for Democrats not to support the measure.

If the legislature passed the measure, the proposed constitutional amendment would be placed on the ballot for voters to decide.

Benson called the proposal a failed policy that has been overturned in other states for “being blatantly unconstitutional.” She also claimed that in other states it has created a separate and unequal system of voting access for citizens or blocked “tens of thousands of eligible voters from casting their legal ballot in an election.”

“I stand with the people of Michigan who have overwhelmingly passed ballot measures to make voting more accessible and to enshrine citizens’ voting rights into our constitution,” she said. “We need to hold the line on protecting every eligible citizen’s constitutional right to cast a ballot in every election and get back to the business of working together on honest proposals to keep Michigan’s elections safe, secure and accessible.”

According to Votebeat, Arizona is the only state to enforce proof of citizenship requirements.

After legal challenges to those requirements, Arizona now allows those without citizenship proof to vote only in federal elections, while those providing citizenship proof can vote in state, federal and local elections, according to Arizona voter instructions.

The proposed constitional amendment comes after a Chinese national allegedly cast his ballot during the 2024 presidential election in Michigan. That man, a University of Michigan student, faces criminal charges.

The other way the Michigan proposal could get on the ballot is by garnering enough petition signatures. A group called Prove it, Michigan has already vowed to start a petition drive if the legislation fails.

Currently, voters don’t need a photo ID to vote in person. They can sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury if they don’t have one.

The proposed constitutional amendment would require a valid photo ID to vote. If voters don’t have one, they can sign an affidavit and cast a provisional ballot, but that ballot won’t be counted unless a photo ID is presented within six days.

Absentee voters would have to verify their identity by providing a copy of their ID, a driver’s license number, state personal identification number, or the last four digits of their social security number.

Currently, voters requesting an absentee ballot online must provide the last four digits of their Social Security number along with a photo ID number or acknowledgement that they do not have a photo ID.

Under the proposal, the state would provide free photo ID to people who cannot afford it. State IDs cost $10 and some residents are already eligible for a free ID.

Michigan doesn’t require residents to show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. However, new registrants must attest under penalty of perjury that they are a U.S. citizen and that the information about their identity and residency is accurate.

The proposed constitutional amendment would require all new voter registrants after Dec. 18, 2026, to provide proof of U.S. citizenship or have the Secretary of State verify their citizenship. Proof of citizenship would not be required for every election.

Lawmakers would later define the acceptable forms of proof of citizenship.

The state would also have to routinely verify the citizenship of all voters in the statewide qualified voter file.

Posthumus said citizenship proof requirements would help prevent instances of noncitizens voting in elections, citing the incident last fall where a Chinese student at the University of Michigan allegedly cast his vote in the presidential election.

That student, Haoxiang Gao, faces criminal charges. He allegedly used his student identification and documents showing his Ann Arbor residency to register to vote.

Chinese University of Michigan student arraigned for illegally voting

Posthumus said the incident proves that non-citizen voting is a “real problem that needs to be fixed.”

“No citizen should ever have their vote canceled out by a non-citizen voting the opposite direction,” he said.

However, Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit said at the time that noncitizen voting is “an extremely isolated and rare event.”