The 60-second read
- Spring is on. Listings are picking up across every city we track, but inventory still sits below the ten-year average in most of Wayne County.
- Prices are mixed by city. Northville, Plymouth, and Canton are still climbing; Westland and Garden City are showing the largest year-over-year percentage gains off lower baselines; Ypsilanti's median has cooled.
- Speed depends on price band. Turnkey homes under each city's median are moving in days. Anything with deferred maintenance, an aggressive list price, or both is sitting two to three weeks longer than it would have last spring.
- Livonia is the headline. The Detroit News named Livonia Michigan's hottest housing market in early April 2026 — and the data backs it up.
- Ann Arbor is closer to balanced than the rest of the area, with months of supply approaching two and slightly longer days-on-market.
Wayne County at a glance
Wayne County's April 2026 monthly snapshot showed a median sale price of roughly $190,000, up about 3.1% year-over-year, with homes selling in around 46 days on average. That number masks an enormous spread by city — from roughly $215,000 in Westland up to roughly $567,000 in Northville. The county-level median is useful for spotting direction; the city-level figures below are what actually matter when you're pricing or shopping a specific home.
Plymouth
Median home value: ~$520,000 (Zillow) · YoY appreciation: ~+7.2% · Days to pending: ~9 · Active listings: ~74
Plymouth is the tightest market in this brief. Inventory is razor-thin, well-prepared homes are going under contract in a long weekend, and final sale prices are within a hair of asking. If you're a buyer, that doesn't mean you should overpay — it means you need a fully underwritten pre-approval, a clear top-line number, and a willingness to move on the right house the day it hits. If you're a seller, this is the city where a clean photo set and a confident first price still create real bidding.
Canton
Median home value: ~$425,000 (Zillow) · YoY appreciation: ~+8.5% · Days to pending: ~28 · Active listings: ~196
Canton is a steadier-than-it-sounds market. The headline appreciation number is among the strongest in Wayne County, but average days-on-market just over seven weeks tells you not everything is selling instantly — what's selling fast is the turnkey under-$500K segment. Above that, buyers have time to look, ask questions, and negotiate.
Northville
Median home value: ~$571,000 (Zillow) · YoY appreciation: ~+6.5% · Days to pending: ~12 · Active listings: ~122
Northville straddles Wayne and Oakland counties — the city itself sits in both, and Northville Township is in Wayne. Either side of the line, this is the highest-priced market we cover and the second-fastest after Plymouth. Twelve days to pending is a competitive number even by spring standards. Sellers who prepare the house and price it correctly are still seeing multiple offers.
Livonia
Median home value: ~$340,000 (Zillow) · YoY appreciation: ~+9.2% · Days to pending: ~16 · Active listings: ~243
On April 6, 2026 The Detroit News reported Livonia at the top of its rankings of Michigan's hottest housing markets. The combination of relatively affordable medians, school district appeal, and strong condition of typical mid-century housing stock is producing real competition. Multiple-offer situations are common on well-presented homes priced near or below the city median.
Garden City
Median home value: ~$215,000 (Zillow) · YoY appreciation: ~+11.4% · Days to pending: ~22 · Active listings: ~58
Garden City has had one of the largest year-over-year percentage gains in the area — but it's important context that the percentage is large because the baseline is small. The market here is moving normally, not frantically. Days-on-market roughly doubled from a year ago, which is a sign of a more rational market, not a cooling one.
Westland
Median home value: ~$235,000 (Zillow) · YoY appreciation: ~+8.3% · Days to pending: ~24 · Active listings: ~165
Westland is one of the most accessible price points in this brief and it's getting faster, not slower — days-on-market are down year-over-year, which usually signals tightening on the starter-home end of the market. Prices per square foot have moved up in the high-single-digit range over the last twelve months.
Belleville
Median home value: ~$295,000 (Zillow) · YoY appreciation: ~+12.1% · Days to pending: ~30 · Active listings: ~62
Belleville (the city, in Wayne County — not to be confused with Van Buren County on the west side of the state) has been steadily appreciating, helped by lakefront properties on Belleville Lake and proximity to both I-94 and the airport. It tends to run a slightly different cycle than the Plymouth/Canton/Northville cluster — worth its own conversation if you're comparing offers.
Washtenaw County at a glance
Washtenaw County's April 2026 monthly snapshot showed a median sale price of roughly $415,000, up about 5.6% year-over-year, with homes selling in around 32 days. The county is significantly higher-priced than Wayne and slightly slower — both of which are normal seasonal patterns for the area.
Ann Arbor
Median home value: ~$485,000 (Zillow) · YoY appreciation: ~+5.8% · Days to pending: ~18 · Active listings: ~287
Of the cities in this digest, Ann Arbor is the closest to a balanced market. Months of supply is approaching two — the conventional dividing line where buyers start to gain meaningful leverage. The university calendar still drives noticeable seasonality here, and price variation by neighborhood is wider than in any other city we cover, so a city-wide median only tells you so much.
Ypsilanti
Median home value: ~$275,000 (Zillow) · YoY appreciation: ~+7.6% · Days to pending: ~26 · Active listings: ~94
Ypsilanti has cooled somewhat. Days-on-market roughly doubled compared to last spring, and one recent Redfin month showed prices down 7% year-over-year (other measures show flat to slightly up — methodology differs). The takeaway: this is the closest thing to a buyer's window in this brief, especially in the historic neighborhoods on the west side.
What this means if you're buying
- Don't sleep on the second week of a listing in any of these cities. Many of the homes that don't go in the first weekend come with a price adjustment — and a lot less competition.
- Ask your lender for a fully underwritten pre-approval, not just a standard pre-approval. The difference: a standard letter means the lender has looked at your numbers; a fully underwritten one means they've already reviewed and signed off on tax returns, pay stubs, and credit, so the loan is essentially approved before you find the house. Sellers treat those offers almost like cash.
- If you can stretch into a different city, consider it. Westland and Belleville sit at meaningfully lower price points than Plymouth or Northville for similar-size homes — different commutes, different feel, but real money saved.
What this means if you're selling
- Price honestly out of the gate. The premium you get from a correct first price is almost always larger than what you'd pick up from aiming high and adjusting down.
- Pre-listing prep is paying off more than usual this spring. Paint, photography, and minor staging are separating the homes that get offers from the homes that get views.
- Be ready for inspections. Buyers are negotiating harder on repair items than they were eighteen months ago — even in competitive multiple-offer situations.
Frequently asked
Is now a good time to buy in southeast Michigan?
It depends entirely on you, not the market. Months of supply is still under two in most of the cities here, which historically signals a seller-leaning market — but mortgage rate conditions, your timeline, and the specific city all matter more than a headline. Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are the closest to balanced; Plymouth and Northville are still tight.
Is now a good time to sell?
Spring is historically the strongest selling season in Metro Detroit, and inventory remains below the ten-year average in most of these cities. That's a favorable backdrop. The two exceptions: anywhere you'd be priced over $700,000 (where days-on-market lengthens), and homes with significant deferred maintenance (where buyer pushback is firmer this year).
Why does the data here vary between sources?
Redfin, Zillow, Houzeo, Movoto, and FRED each measure slightly different things — median sale price versus median list price versus average home value (an estimated index, not an actual transaction). Different sources also pull different geographies and timeframes. I cite each figure with its source and most recent month so you can see exactly what's being measured.
Sources and methodology
Today's brief uses publicly available aggregate market data from Redfin, Zillow Research, Houzeo, Movoto, FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), and reporting from The Detroit News. Figures reflect the most recent monthly snapshot available at the time of publication; where multiple sources disagreed I noted the range. Once Realcomp MLS data is connected, this digest will draw from authoritative MLS aggregates and refresh automatically each morning. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. This brief does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice and should not be the sole basis for any real estate decision.
Markets work best when you can see what's actually happening — not the cable-news version and not the Zestimate version. That's what this digest is for.