Live data — updated October 13, 2026
Michigan Over-the-Counter Tax Deeds (2026): 57 County-Held Listings
Quick answer: Michigan counties hold 57 unsold tax-deed properties you can buy over the counter at a price the county sets (Michigan has no statutory over-the-counter price; these are properties the county kept after its auctions and sells by request form), with no auction.
What you are buying. The property itself. These went to a Michigan tax sale, drew no bid, and the county kept them, so the county sets the price rather than an auction room.
The catch. A tax deed is not a warranty deed. Title is exactly as good as the sale that produced it.
Budget for what a deed does not clear: surviving liens, occupancy, condition, and in most states a quiet-title action before a normal buyer's lender will touch it.
In Michigan these sell at a price the county sets (Michigan has no statutory over-the-counter price; these are properties the county kept after its auctions and sells by request form). Confirm the price and the application process with the county before you plan around it.
Ask for it by the county's name, not ours. "OTC" is investor shorthand — call a county asking for their OTC list and you may be told they have none, because that is not what it is called on their side of the desk.
Elsewhere the same inventory turns up as county-held property, leftover tax deeds, post-auction sales, or land-bank property — and land-bank stock is worth a second look, because once a parcel has been transferred to a land bank the county no longer owns it and is no longer the seller. The question that cuts through all of it, asked of the treasurer or the assessor: what happens to the properties that do not sell at the auction? If the first person says nothing is left, ask a second.
The same due diligence as auction buying applies, and the best time to look is right after a sale has run and the county has moved what did not sell.
See the full Michigan investor guide and the live Michigan auction calendar.
Where the inventory is
| County | County-held listings |
|---|---|
| Jackson | 20 |
| Monroe | 11 |
| Arenac | 7 |
| Oceana | 6 |
| Otsego | 6 |
| Bay | 5 |
| Montcalm | 2 |
Counts update daily.
Frequently asked questions
What does over-the-counter (OTC) mean in tax sales?
Depending on the state, what is sold over the counter is either the property or the county's tax lien certificate. When nothing bids at the county tax sale, the county (or the state) keeps it ("struck off") and sells it afterward. In some states that is at a set minimum — back taxes plus costs — to the first qualified applicant, with no auction. Many work differently: Texas re-offers struck-off property at a public resale or by private sale (Tex. Tax Code 34.05), Alabama's State-held parcels are sold by the Department of Revenue on a price quote, Michigan and Minnesota at a county-set or appraised price, and Arkansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Missouri and West Virginia by bid or offer. Each state page says which.
Why would a property go unsold at auction?
Mostly obscurity, not defects: small rural counties get few bidders, some lists never circulate, and low-value parcels aren't worth a professional's trip. Plenty are genuinely rough — the same title and condition research applies as at auction.
Are OTC properties cheaper than auction properties?
Often — where there is no competitive bidding, the price stays at the minimum the state or county sets instead of getting bid up; for a lien certificate it is what is owed on it. Some states sell this inventory by bid or offer instead. The tradeoff is the inventory skews toward what bidders passed on, so research matters even more.
How do I buy an OTC property in Michigan?
Each county publishes its held list and application process — typically a form plus payment of taxes and fees. DeedFlex members see the scored Michigan OTC list with valuations and risk flags to pick targets before applying.