Michigan Home Loans
Michigan Home Loans From the Detroit Metro to the Lakeshore
Michigan pairs Great Lakes living with Midwestern affordability, and the right loan helps you make the most of both. The Smith Mortgage Group, Powered by FCM, finances homes on both peninsulas through FHA, USDA, VA and conventional mortgages, and you can see what you qualify for without a hard credit pull.
Get Your Michigan Rate Quote
No hard credit pull. No obligation. A response within two business hours.
Loading the secure contact form… If it doesn't appear, call or text 931-205-9873 or email sterling.smith@fcmhomeloans.com.
Local Expertise, Nationwide Strength
A Michigan Lender That Works the Way You Do
Michigan's economy is anchored by the auto industry around Detroit, with manufacturing, healthcare, higher education and agriculture spread across the rest of the state. That means our borrowers range from engineers and line workers to nurses, professors and farm families. Sterling Smith, NMLS #1726806, reviews overtime, shift differentials, union pay and self-employment income carefully so your approval reflects how you actually earn. Our mortgage consulting is free and starts with a conversation, not a credit pull. Retirees moving closer to grandchildren and remote workers chasing lake access round out the mix.
Backed by First Community Mortgage, Inc. (NMLS #629700) and its nationwide licensing, our Shelbyville, Tennessee branch serves Michigan buyers remotely. We keep no Michigan office; what you get instead is a direct line by phone or text at 931-205-9873, an answer inside two business hours and a secure portal for uploading documents. A typical Michigan closing lands 30–45 days out, and tidy, complete files can beat that. Closings are handled with a Michigan title company, so you sign close to your new home. Our team keeps you posted at every milestone.
Start your Michigan pre-approval →Where We Lend
Michigan metro areas we serve
- Detroit Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties, spanning revived Detroit neighborhoods and long-settled suburbs such as Troy, Livonia and Dearborn, where brick bungalows and colonials line most streets. Detroit mortgages →
- Flint Genesee County's manufacturing city and its suburbs, Grand Blanc, Burton and Fenton, offering some of mid-Michigan's most approachable entry prices and plenty of older homes ready for updates. Flint mortgages →
- Grand Rapids West Michigan's diversified hub in Kent County, stretching toward Holland and the Lake Michigan shoreline, with healthcare, manufacturing and steadily growing suburbs full of new construction. Grand Rapids mortgages →
- Kalamazoo Southwest Michigan's hub for higher education and medicine, taking in Portage and the Battle Creek area, with rentals near campus, family streets and outlying farmland that can be USDA-eligible. Kalamazoo mortgages →
- Lansing The capital region and Michigan State's home in East Lansing, where state workers, university staff and students create steady demand for both owner-occupied homes and rentals. Lansing mortgages →
Buying in Michigan
Michigan Buying Considerations: Winters, Water and Lake Country
Michigan homes face real winters, so inspectors pay close attention to roofs, furnaces, insulation and basements. Lake-effect snow is common along the western shoreline, and freeze-thaw cycles can stress foundations and driveways. Many older homes in Detroit, Flint and Lansing were built with basements that may show moisture, which is worth evaluating before closing. If an older Michigan house needs work, our construction and renovation loans can roll the upgrades into the purchase loan.
Once you leave Detroit, Grand Rapids and the other metros, many Michigan houses draw from a private well and drain to a septic system, and the lender may ask for a water test. Michigan also has a large second-home tradition, with cottages "Up North" and along the Great Lakes shoreline that can be financed as second homes under conventional guidelines. Much of the state's rural land may fall within USDA-eligible areas. Statewide and local assistance funds may also be worth a look for Michigan buyers, and we will check whether your situation fits.
Loan Programs
Popular Loan Programs for Michigan Buyers
USDA loans for small-town Michigan
From the Thumb to the countryside around Kalamazoo and Lansing, many Michigan communities sit outside major metros. With USDA home loans, a Michigan buyer whose household income and chosen property both pass program rules can usually purchase with no money down. We confirm a Michigan address qualifies before you get attached to it.
FHA for first-time buyers statewide
From a Flint ranch to a Lansing starter home, FHA usually needs only 3.5% down when credit qualifies and gives some leeway on debt-to-income ratios. It works well for brick bungalows in metro Detroit, starter homes in Grand Rapids suburbs and older houses in Flint, provided the home meets FHA property standards.
Conventional loans for lake cottages
Whether it sits on an inland lake or along the Lake Michigan shoreline, a cottage you plan to enjoy yourself often qualifies for a conventional second home loan. Count on a bigger down payment and more money in reserve than for the house you live in, with approval resting on underwriting and the program's rulebook.
Answers
Michigan mortgage FAQs
Can I finance an Up North cottage as a second home in Michigan?
In most cases, yes, provided the cottage works for your own use, whether all year or just summers, and is not operated as a full-time rental. Under conventional second home rules, you will put more down and hold more in reserve than on a primary residence. Remote cottages may also need well and septic testing during the purchase.
Do Michigan homes with wells need water testing before closing?
Often they do. Many loan programs require testing to confirm safe water, and some counties have their own requirements at sale. Schedule it early in your inspection window. We will spell out what your specific loan program expects from the well test so the lab results come back ahead of underwriting's deadline.
Can auto industry workers with overtime qualify for a larger mortgage?
Overtime and shift premiums can typically count as income when you have a documented history of receiving them and they are likely to continue. Underwriters usually average the amounts over a period of time. Pull together recent pay stubs and W-2s, and Sterling Smith will translate base pay plus overtime or bonuses into a Michigan price range.
Are there down payment assistance options in Michigan?
Michigan and some of its cities and counties fund buyer assistance, with access shaped by your earnings, where you buy and which house you pick. Rules and funding change, so we review current options with you rather than promising a specific program. Pairing assistance with FHA or conventional financing is common. Start with our first-time homebuyer guide.
Can Selfridge Air National Guard Base members use a VA loan?
Qualifying Guard members, active-duty personnel and veterans tied to Selfridge in Macomb County can usually buy with VA loans and put nothing down. FCM adds no lender fees to a Michigan VA purchase. We help confirm your eligibility and order the certificate so you can shop with confidence.
Keep Exploring
Related resources
Start Today
Ready to buy or refinance in Michigan?
Get a free, no-obligation consultation with Sterling Smith: clear answers, a side-by-side look at the programs you qualify for, and a plan built around your budget.