By Matthew Hutchison / news@whmi.com

Livingston County's real estate market saw more more homes on the market in May than in any May over the past five years, while sales also rose from a year ago.

Data from Realcomp II, the largest MLS in Michigan, shows that Livingston County had 515 homes on the market in May, up 11.7% from May 2025. That was the highest May inventory total for the county in the five-year comparison included in the report.

Closed sales in Livingston County were also up sharply, rising 13.7% from a year ago from 204 to 232. Pending sales increased from 230 May 2025 to 279 this May.

Karen Kage, CEO of Realcomp II Ltd., told WHMI the local numbers are encouraging.

“Livingston County is looking really, really good,” Kage said. “The sales are up almost 14% this month over last year. Prices are pretty steady. They only went up a half of 1%, and then inventory is up almost 12%.”

The Realcomp report shows Livingston County’s median sale price at $415,000 in May, compared with $417,000 a year earlier. That makes prices essentially flat from May 2025, even as more homes came on the market and sales increased.
Kage said the broader increase in inventory is good news for buyers who have been waiting for more choices.

“Having more homes available on the market is a great opportunity for buyers to actually have more choices than they’ve had in the past,” Kage said. “I think that is very encouraging for those that have been waiting to buy and are now ready to make that leap.”

The broader southeast Michigan market -- which includes the city of Detroit as well as Genessee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties -- also saw inventory rise to a five-year May high. The report shows 24,197 homes across the region on the market, up 10% from April and 11.7% from May 2025.

Closed sales across the area rose 14.8% from April to 9,507, while pending sales rose 13.7% to 10,401. Both categories remained below last year, with closed sales down 7.3% and pending sales down 3.9% from May 2025.

Prices, however, continued to climb. The median sale price across the Realcomp MLS area reached a record $300,000 in May, up 5.3% from a year earlier.

Kage said price remains the biggest concern in the market.

“If that (prices) continues to rise like it is, I’d like to see that maybe stabilize a little,” Kage said. “I love having the inventory, but only if people are going to be able to afford to purchase it.”

Kage said the summer months are historically one of the busiest times of year for real estate, as families look to move after the school year and before classes resume in the fall.