Outside the Big Four, MSHDA Gets Simpler
Program and regulatory figures verified September 26, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
The counties nobody writes about are the ones where this program is easiest to use, because most of them are targeted end to end.
Why it is simpler out here
In Wayne, Kent, Oakland and Macomb every MSHDA conversation starts with a township check. In the 66 counties targeted in their entirety it does not, because the whole county carries the same status.
That means one answer for the county: repeat buyers are eligible, and the targeted income figures apply. The specific address stops being a variable. Targeted-area status is determined by MSHDA at city and township level and must be confirmed for the specific address, and in a whole-county designation that confirmation is straightforward.
The markets
| Metro | Typical value, Aug 2026 | YoY | County status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traverse City | $422,480 | +2.9% | Grand Traverse, targeted entirely |
| Holland | $348,045 | +4.8% | Ottawa, split |
| Kalamazoo | $278,194 | +4.4% | Kalamazoo, targeted entirely |
| Muskegon | $257,800 | +4.5% | Muskegon, split |
| Lansing | $249,666 | +3.6% | Ingham targeted entirely; Clinton and Eaton split |
Lansing is the one to read carefully. The Ingham County side is targeted in its entirety, while Clinton and Eaton counties are split, and the Lansing metro spills into both. So a house on the Clinton or Eaton side needs the township check that an Ingham address does not.
Traverse City, the state's most expensive market
Grand Traverse County is targeted in its entirety, which is a useful combination with the market: the most expensive metro in Michigan, and no first-time buyer requirement anywhere in the county.
At a typical value of $422,480, up 2.9% year over year, the $566,355 sales price limit leaves $143,875 of headroom. That is the tightest margin of any Michigan metro, and Grand Traverse is one of the two places in the state where a specific house can genuinely exceed the cap: waterfront property here and in neighbouring Leelanau is the clearest example. The price limit.
Northern Michigan and the upper peninsula
Effectively all of the upper peninsula and most of the northern lower peninsula sit in whole-county targeted designations, Marquette among them. The targeted income floor of $118,080 for a one to two person household and $137,760 for three or more applies, and repeat buyers are eligible.
Against typical values in these counties that income limit has a great deal of room, which means the constraint that binds in practice out here is rarely income. It is more often the property: older housing stock, seasonal properties and the agency condition standards that come with the loan product underneath. Property rules.
Southwest Michigan
Berrien, Van Buren, Cass and Kalamazoo are all targeted in their entirety, so the whole southwest corner runs on one set of rules. Kalamazoo rose 4.4% to a typical value of $278,194 in August 2026, and Berrien's lakeshore market has its own dynamics that a county-level typical value does not capture well.
The splits to watch
Among the smaller markets, these counties are split rather than wholly targeted: Clinton, Eaton, Ottawa, Muskegon, Midland, Monroe, Calhoun, Bay and Shiawassee. If your address is in one of those, treat the status as an open question until it is checked.
That catches parts of the Lansing metro, Holland's Ottawa County side, Muskegon, Midland, Monroe, Battle Creek in Calhoun and Bay City.
Next
The county picture · income limits · the full test · send us the address.
Frequently asked questions
Is Traverse City eligible for MSHDA down payment assistance?
Yes. Grand Traverse County is designated a targeted area in its entirety, so repeat homebuyers are eligible countywide and the targeted income limits apply without a township check. Traverse City is Michigan's most expensive metro at a typical value of $422,480 in August 2026, which still leaves $143,875 under the $566,355 statewide sales price limit.
Is Lansing a MSHDA targeted area?
It depends which county side. Ingham County is targeted in its entirety, while Clinton and Eaton counties are split between targeted and non-targeted places, and the Lansing metro spills into both. So an Ingham address needs no township check while a Clinton or Eaton address does. Targeted-area status is determined by MSHDA at city and township level and must be confirmed for the specific address.
Which smaller Michigan counties are targeted in their entirety?
Among them are Grand Traverse, Kalamazoo, Berrien, Cass, Van Buren, Lenawee, St. Clair, Marquette, Ingham, Montcalm, St. Joseph and Wexford, along with most of the northern lower peninsula and effectively all of the upper peninsula. In total 66 of Michigan's 83 counties carry a whole-county targeted designation, which removes the address-level question entirely.
Where in Michigan can the MSHDA price limit actually bind?
Realistically only two places: the Grand Traverse and Leelanau waterfront market around Traverse City, where the metro typical value of $422,480 is the state's highest and leaves the tightest margin under the $566,355 cap, and parts of Ann Arbor, where the typical value is $416,914. Everywhere else in Michigan the cap has substantial headroom at typical values.
What usually stops a MSHDA file in northern Michigan?
Rarely income, because the targeted floor of $118,080 for a one to two person household has a lot of room against typical values in those counties. More often it is the property: older housing stock, seasonal construction and the condition standards that come with the agency product underneath the MI Home Loan. That is worth looking at early rather than at the appraisal.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal or tax advice. MSHDA program terms, income limits and sales price limits are set by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and change; figures here carry the date we verified them against MSHDA's published documents. Targeted-area status is determined by MSHDA at city and township level and must be confirmed for the specific address. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.