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Home / Michigan Licensed Statewide · Firefighter-Owned

Michigan Mortgage Broker.
From The Lakes To
The Auto Belt.

Hero Mortgage Group is a firefighter-owned brokerage licensed across Michigan. We close loans for buyers in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Traverse City, and the small communities throughout the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. Michigan has been quietly one of the most affordable big-state housing markets in America — and we work the MSHDA MI Home Loan menu, MI 10K DPA, VA programs (Selfridge ANG Base), and the full conventional and FHA bench statewide.

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MSHDADPA
MI Home Loan + $10K DPA
4.25%
Flat State Income Tax
$832K
2026 Conforming Limit
15DAYS
Average Michigan Close
Why Hero In Michigan

Affordable Inventory.
Disciplined Financing.

Michigan is one of the most affordable states in America to buy a home — Detroit and the inner-ring suburbs, Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, and much of the Upper Peninsula all sit well below national medians. Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor run premium. Traverse City and the lakeshore (Holland, Petoskey, Charlevoix) function as resort markets with their own pricing dynamics. Detroit-area revitalization has been real but uneven; we know which neighborhoods underwrite cleanly.

Hero closes in 15 days, fully-underwritten, with MSHDA layered when applicable. Our typical Michigan first-time buyer file uses MI Home Loan + MI 10K DPA together. We also handle the auto-industry W-2 stack — Big Three plus suppliers — which has its own income-volatility nuances most lenders fumble.

Programs · Michigan

MSHDA, VA, FHA,
+ The Full Menu.

MSHDA MI Home Loan.

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority's flagship program. Pairs a competitive 30-year fixed first mortgage with a forgivable or repayable DPA second. Available statewide. Income limits scale by household size and county — typically $112,000-$140,000+. Purchase price cap is generally $244,000 statewide (the program is built for affordability, not premium markets).

The standout pairing is MI Home Loan + MI 10K DPA — up to $10,000 in down payment assistance structured as a 0% interest, no-monthly-payment second mortgage. Repayment is deferred until sale, refinance, or the home stops being your primary residence. For first-time Michigan buyers (and non-first-time buyers in targeted areas), this is the most powerful single tool we deploy.

VA Loans In Michigan.

Michigan has roughly 540,000 veterans — one of the larger veteran populations in the Midwest. Selfridge Air National Guard Base (Macomb County, north of Detroit) is the primary active-duty installation, supporting Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy Reserve, and Marine Reserve units. The 2026 baseline VA loan limit is $832,750 statewide — Michigan has no high-cost counties. Full-entitlement veterans buy at any price with $0 down.

FHA In Michigan.

2026 FHA single-family limits sit at the baseline $524,225 across Michigan. Multi-unit limits scale up significantly — Michigan's housing stock has substantial 2-4 unit inventory, particularly in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and the older Lake Michigan towns. 2-4 unit FHA owner-occupied is one of our most-used wealth-building structures in the state.

Conventional & The Auto-Industry Stack.

Michigan W-2 income often includes substantial overtime, shift differentials, and bonus structures — particularly in auto, manufacturing, and the trades. These income types are usable for qualifying but require careful 2-year averaging. We pre-structure the income calc upfront so the underwriter accepts the file the first time. UAW retirees and pension-income files also need specific handling — we know it.

Non-QM & The Self-Employed.

Michigan has a large small-business and contracting population. Our Non-QM bank-statement and 1099-only programs serve self-employed Michigan buyers whose tax returns understate true cash flow. DSCR also serves Michigan investors well — Detroit and Grand Rapids have strong rental-yield ratios.

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Michigan · Statewide Coverage

Detroit, West Michigan,
The U.P., & Beyond.

Michigan FAQ

Questions From Michigan
Buyers, Answered.

What's the MSHDA MI Home Loan + MI 10K DPA and how does it work?

It's Michigan's flagship first-time-buyer combo. MSHDA provides a competitive 30-year fixed first mortgage (FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional). The MI 10K DPA layers on top as a $10,000 second mortgage at 0% interest with no monthly payment — repaid only when you sell, refinance, or stop occupying the home as your primary residence. Income limits typically $112K-$140K+ depending on household size and county; price cap generally $244,000 statewide. We pre-screen eligibility on every Michigan file.

I'm at Selfridge ANG Base. How does my VA loan work in Michigan?

Selfridge is the primary VA-volume installation in Michigan, supporting Air National Guard, Coast Guard, Navy Reserve, and Marine Reserve. Same VA rules apply: full entitlement = $0 down up to the $832,750 statewide 2026 limit; above that you can still buy with $0 down using full entitlement, no county cap. PCS-move? We can structure dual-active VA loans — keep your Macomb County home, use remaining entitlement at the new station. We routinely close VA files in Macomb, Oakland, and St. Clair counties.

What's Michigan's "pop-up" tax issue at closing?

Michigan caps annual taxable-value increases for current owners — but at sale, taxable value resets to the assessed value (the "pop-up"). This means the prior owner's tax bill is NOT a reliable predictor of yours. We pull the assessor's assessed value (not the cap-protected taxable value) and re-run the PITI estimate for the new owner. Failing to do this is one of the most common Michigan financing mistakes — buyers think their tax bill will be $4,000 when it's really $7,200. We get it right upfront.

I work for Ford / GM / Stellantis. Can my overtime and shift premiums count for qualifying?

Yes, with documentation. Overtime and shift differentials are usable income but must show a 2-year history of consistent receipt with a reasonable likelihood of continuance. We pull pay stubs and YTD earnings, average across 24 months, and structure the file accordingly. UAW pension and retiree health benefits also have specific underwriting rules — we know them. Auto-industry W-2 stacks are a regular file type for us; we structure them clean the first time.

What's the Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) and how do I get it?

The PRE exempts your primary residence from Michigan's 18-mill school operating tax — a substantial reduction in your annual property tax bill. To claim it, you file a Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit (Form 2368) with the local assessor by May 1 of the year claimed. It's automatic for many new owner-occupied closings if your title company files it; we always confirm with the closing attorney that PRE filing is in the package.

Is a 2-4 unit owner-occupied a good play in Michigan?

It's one of the strongest wealth-building plays in the state. Michigan's older housing stock — particularly Detroit, Grand Rapids, Hamtramck, Royal Oak, Ferndale — has substantial 2-4 unit inventory. FHA owner-occupied at 3.5% down lets you live in one unit, rent the others, and use 75% of projected rents toward qualifying. 2-4 unit FHA loan limits are significantly higher than single-family. We close these regularly.

How fast can you close a Michigan mortgage?

Our average Michigan close is 15 days from contract acceptance. Variables: appraisal turn (5-8 days metro Detroit and West Michigan, 10-14 days in the U.P. and rural areas due to appraiser availability), title (Michigan has good title turn typically 5-7 days), and MSHDA layering if applicable adds 2-3 days for the program review. VA IRRRL and FHA Streamline refinances often close in 10 days.

For Every Michigan Buyer

Affordable Inventory.
Disciplined Lending.

No documents required to start. MSHDA eligibility and Michigan-specific programs verified on the first call.

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