The report
What you get
Every report has the same six sections, in the same order, for every address — so you always know where to look. Written in plain English, no jargon left unexplained.
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Section 0
A plain-English glossary, up front
Parcel, assessed value, taxable value, mill, uncapping, owner-occupied rate — each one explained in a sentence or two before any numbers appear.
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Section 1
The property, and where the numbers came from
The address, the parcel number, the date the report was pulled, and every source used — with the date each one was checked.
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Section 2
The property's tax position now
Current taxable and assessed values, the county's actual most recent tax bill, what's owed, whether taxes are delinquent — plus the ownership history over time, not just today's name.
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Section 3
What YOU will pay after uncapping
Your estimated bill after the sale resets the taxable value, the expected jump per year and per month — with the formula printed in the report so you can check the math yourself.
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Section 4
Red flags, each with a one-line action
Delinquent taxes a buyer could inherit. City and county records naming different owners. A past transfer that wasn't a real sale. A county bill that doesn't match the math. If a flag isn't tripped, it doesn't appear.
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Sections 5–6
What we could NOT verify — in writing
Anything the records couldn't confirm is listed plainly instead of guessed at, followed by the disclaimer: what this report is, and what it isn't.
See it first
A real report, start to finish
This sample was built from a real Detroit property's public records. Personal details are removed, but nothing about how the report works is hidden. On this one house, the report caught:
- $3,722.32 in delinquent taxes — unpaid, and able to follow the property to the buyer
- An owner mismatch — the city record and the county tax record name different owners
- A math gap — the county's actual bill is $627 higher than the standard formula gives
- A records correction — public records list a different ZIP code than the one the address was entered with
Sample report — illustrative figures, personal details removed.
Pricing
Two reports. No surprises.
One address per report. Both are built from public records and reviewed by a person before you get them.
Basic
$19
- Full six-section report for one Detroit address
- Built from the free public sources: county treasurer, city and county records, and open data
- Your after-uncapping estimate, with the formula shown
- All four red-flag checks
- “Could NOT verify” list included, as always
Full
$39
- Everything in Basic
- Plus the full paid city record pull (BS&A): assessed value, SEV, and the complete tax history
- Fewer “could NOT verify” gaps — the deepest version of the file
- Best if the free records disagree or come back thin
If we can't build your report — if the parcel number or the tax rate can't be verified in public records — you get a full refund. We would rather hand your money back than guess at your numbers.
For current homeowners
Already own your home? The Homeowner Tax Check
If you own and live in your home in Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Ferndale, Oak Park, or Portage and money is tight, Michigan law — the poverty exemption, MCL 211.7u — lets your city reduce your home's taxable value by 25% to 100% for a year. You apply to your city assessor on a state form, and your Board of Review decides. Its December meeting is the last one that can touch your 2026 taxes, and each city sets its own application deadline:
| Battle Creek | Application received by Sat, Dec 5, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Portage | Application received by Mon, Dec 7, 2026 |
| Ann Arbor | Application delivered by Mon, Dec 14, 2026 |
| Ferndale | Application returned in person by Mon, Dec 14, 2026 |
| Oak Park | Board meets Tue, Dec 15, 2026 — file by Dec 14 |
The Exemption Ready Packet is an 8-page packet built for your household and your city:
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Pages 1–2
Your deadline, and your home's tax picture
Your city's exact deadline and filing instructions in big print, plus a check of your home's public tax record where one is published — or a worksheet that shows you where every figure lives on your own tax bill.
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Pages 3–4
The eligibility screen, with the math shown
Your household size, income, and assets run against your city's own published guidelines — likely, borderline, or unlikely, with the guideline line that decided it printed next to the result, and what the reduction is worth in dollars.
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Pages 5–6
The checklist and the form, in plain English
Your city's own required-documents list as a got-it / need-it tracker — incomplete packets are the ones that get denied — and a part-by-part walk-through of state Form 5737.
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Pages 7–8
Filing day, appeals, next year
How to file, what happens after, your right to appeal a denial to the Michigan Tax Tribunal within 35 days, and how the exemption works next year.
Honest terms: we screen and prepare. We do not file your application for you, and we cannot guarantee the Board of Review's decision — anyone who promises you an outcome is guessing.
Homeowner Tax Check
$19
- All 8 pages, built for your address and your city
- Screen run against your city's published guidelines
- Delivered by email after a person reviews it
- Hardship case? Coming through a partner below makes it free — and if cost is the wall, email us and ask
Partner organizations
Free for your clients
- Housing agencies, senior centers, legal aid, libraries, and city offices in the five cities
- One partner code per organization — your clients enter it at checkout and pay $0
- A workshop edition is available for December classes
At checkout we'll ask for your address, your city, and three household numbers (people in the home, yearly income, bank/investment total) — those are the screen. Nothing else is sold or shared.
How it works
Three steps
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You send the address
Order a report and tell us the Detroit address you're looking at. One address per report.
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We pull the public records
Taxable and assessed values, the county tax bill and amount due, ownership history, and the current tax rate — each figure from its official source, each one dated.
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You get the report — reviewed by a real housing counselor
Every report is checked by a person before it goes out: the pull, the flags, and the finished numbers. If a number can't be explained, the report says so.
Why trust it
Built to be checked
- Figures from public records, with dates.
Every number names its source and the date it was checked, so you — or your counselor, or your attorney — can verify it.
- A human reviews every report.
No auto-generated PDFs. A working housing counselor reviews each pull and each flag before delivery.
- The math is printed in the report.
The formula and the rate used are right on the page. If the county's real bill disagrees with the math, the report flags the gap instead of hiding it.
- Gaps are admitted in writing.
Section 5 of every report lists what could not be verified. A report that admits its limits is worth more than one that pretends to know everything.
Questions
Before you order
Is this tax advice?
No. The report is information only — it shows what public records say and what Michigan law does when a property sells. It is not tax advice, legal advice, or a title search, and it doesn't replace any of them. See the full disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
How fast will I get my report?
Every report is researched and then reviewed by a person, so delivery is a few business days — not a few minutes. If anything about your address needs a closer look, we'd rather take the extra day and get it right, and we'll tell you if that's happening.
What cities do you cover?
The buyer reports on this page cover Detroit, Michigan — for now. The system is built so each new city is added carefully, with its own tax rate and records sources verified, rather than stretched thin. Separately, the Homeowner Tax Check for current homeowners covers Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Ferndale, Oak Park, and Portage, because those cities' poverty-exemption rules and December deadlines have been verified the same way.
What if you can't build my report?
Two pieces are non-negotiable: the property's parcel number and the applicable tax rate. If either one can't be verified in public records, an honest report can't be built — and you get a full refund. Everything else that can't be confirmed is listed in the report's “could NOT verify” section instead of stopping the report.
Why is my tax bill going to be higher than the seller's?
Michigan's Proposal A caps how fast a home's taxable value can rise while the same owner holds it — so a long-held home is often taxed on far less than its assessed value. When the home sells, that cap comes off: the taxable value resets to the assessed value, and the new owner's bill is calculated on the higher number. The report estimates that new bill before you buy, not after.
Who makes these reports?
The reports are produced by a small Detroit-based business and reviewed by a working housing counselor — someone whose day job is helping buyers understand housing costs and paperwork. The point of the product is the review: software pulls the records, a person stands behind the result.