Livingston County, MI Real Estate Market Report

Live housing market data, community-by-community breakdowns, and ZIP-code coverage for Brighton, Howell, Hartland, Pinckney, Whitmore Lake, South Lyon, Milford, Fowlerville, Hamburg, and the rest of Livingston County, Michigan.

Livingston County, Michigan covers eighteen standard postal ZIP codes spread across two cities, twelve townships, and several villages. Home prices, inventory levels, and pace of sale vary meaningfully from one community to the next. Brighton's two ZIPs behave differently from each other. The Howell area spans four mailing zones across the MHOG townships and the city itself. A "South Lyon" or "Milford" mailing address can place a home physically inside Livingston County despite the postal city name. This page is the central Livingston County real estate market hub, organized so home sellers and buyers can see the county at a glance, then drill into the specific community or ZIP code that matters for their decision.

Derek Bauer is a Southeast Michigan Associate Broker and REALTOR® with Real Estate One in Brighton, with 24+ years of full-time experience, 1,100+ closed transactions, $225M+ in closed real estate volume, and a 99.08% lifetime list-to-sale price ratio verified through MLS data. Livingston County is Derek's primary service area.

Current Livingston County Housing Market Snapshot

The most efficient way to read the current Livingston County housing market is the live county-wide market report, which aggregates active listings, new listings, pending sales, price reductions, days on market, and median list and sale prices across all of Livingston County's ZIP codes.

Livingston County Overview

Is Livingston County a Buyer's Market or Seller's Market?

Livingston County is not one market - it is eighteen ZIPs, several distinct submarkets, and price bands that behave very differently from each other. The right answer to "is it a buyer's or seller's market" almost always depends on the price range, the community, and the property type being looked at.

As a general framework, the Livingston County entry-level price band has consistently behaved as a seller's market, with limited inventory, multiple offers on well-priced homes, and shorter days on market. The mid-tier and upper-mid price bands tend to behave as a balanced or modestly seller-leaning market depending on community. The luxury and upper-luxury price bands, particularly waterfront and equestrian properties, behave as a buyer's market more often than not, with longer time on market, more frequent price reductions, and more negotiation leverage on the buyer side.

The Altos market action index on the county-wide report is the cleanest single read on this question for the county as a whole. For an answer specific to a particular home, price range, and ZIP, a Bauer Pricing Strategy review is the appropriate next step.

Livingston County Home Prices

Home prices in Livingston County vary widely by community, ZIP, lake access, lot size, and condition. A 2,000 square foot home in the City of Brighton trades at a different price per square foot than the same home in the Pinckney lakes area, in Hartland's rural-estate north, in Fowlerville's village core, or in the Howell area's MHOG townships.

The price drivers that matter most in Livingston County, in rough order of impact:

• Lake access. Frontage on a recognized chain of lakes, all-sports lake access, or a deeded private association beach materially changes price per square foot.
• Township and ZIP combination. Two physically similar homes in different townships and ZIPs can trade at meaningfully different prices because of municipal services, property taxes, and perceived community fit.
• Lot size and acreage. Livingston County's rural-estate inventory north of M-59 and west of US-23 prices acreage at a premium that does not exist in the more developed southern townships.
• Condition and updates. The gap between an updated, move-in-ready home and a comparable home needing kitchens, baths, mechanicals, and finishes is wider in Livingston County than in many Southeast Michigan markets.
• Walkability to a downtown. Homes within a short walk to the Brighton Mill Pond, downtown Howell, the Pinckney village core, or downtown Milford carry a premium that is consistent across cycles.

For a current price-band view, the live Altos county report shows the median list and sale prices for the active and pending inventory weekly. For a home-specific price assessment, a Bauer Pricing Strategy review pulls live competition, recent closeds, pending sales, and the specific homes the subject home will compete against in its actual price band and ZIP.

Inventory and Homes for Sale in Livingston County

Inventory in Livingston County is reported on the live Altos market report and updates weekly. The two metrics that matter most for a homeowner trying to read the market are active inventory count and months of supply.

Active inventory is the raw number of homes currently for sale countywide. Months of supply divides that inventory by the recent monthly closed-sale pace and translates to "how long would it take to sell every home currently listed at today's pace of sale." Less than three months of supply typically signals a seller-leaning market. Three to six months is balanced. More than six months tilts to buyer leverage.

Within Livingston County, inventory tends to be tightest in the entry and mid-tier bands of the more in-demand ZIPs - the City of Brighton 48116, the City of Howell 48843, and the Hartland 48353 area. Inventory is more readily available in the upper price bands, in the rural-estate sections of the northern townships, and on properties that need updates. The county-wide Altos report shows this distribution week-over-week.

How Fast Are Homes Selling in Livingston County?

Days on market is reported live on the Altos county report. The headline number disguises significant variation by price band, ZIP, and condition. A well-priced, updated, move-in-ready home in a sought-after Livingston County ZIP often goes pending in well under the county median. A home priced too aggressively against its live competition, or one with deferred maintenance against an updated competing inventory, can sit for several times the median.

The single biggest controllable factor for time on market is initial list price relative to live competition. The Bauer Pricing Strategy is built specifically to address this - it anchors the list price to what buyers are negotiating against right now in active inventory, rather than to where the market was when the most recent comparable home closed sixty to ninety days ago.

Livingston County Market by Community

Each Livingston County community has its own market personality. The summaries below provide a quick orientation. For depth on any community with a dedicated market report, follow the link to the spoke page.

Brighton

Brighton is two ZIPs that behave differently. The 48116 City of Brighton and immediate ring carries the downtown walkability premium, the Mill Pond, and a tighter, more competitive entry and mid-tier inventory. The 48114 ZIP covers Brighton Township and portions of Genoa and Hartland, with more rural-estate inventory, larger lots, and a different price-per-square-foot trajectory. Brighton consistently runs as one of the more competitive markets in Livingston County in the entry and mid-tier bands.

Read the full Brighton MI Market Report →

Howell

The Howell housing market spans the City of Howell and the four MHOG townships - Marion, Howell Township, Oceola, and Genoa - across two ZIPs, 48843 and 48855. The City of Howell and the immediate township ring carry downtown walkability, the historic district, and a relatively tight inventory in the entry and mid-tier bands. The outer MHOG townships add rural-estate and acreage inventory at a different price-per-square-foot. Howell tends to track Brighton's market personality at a slightly different price level.

Read the full Howell MI Market Report →

Hartland

Hartland is the M-59 and US-23 corridor community at Livingston County's northeast quadrant. The market splits along that corridor: south of M-59 trends to commercial corridor proximity and the Hartland Schools area, north of M-59 trends to rural-estate inventory and larger lots. The 48353 Hartland ZIP is entirely within Livingston County. The 48430 Fenton-area ZIP and the 48442 Holly-area ZIP also pick up portions of Hartland Township at the eastern and northern edges.

Read the full Hartland MI Market Report →

Pinckney

Pinckney is the Portage Chain of Lakes community at Livingston County's southwest corner. The 48169 ZIP is entirely within Livingston County and covers the Village of Pinckney, most of Putnam Township, and most of Hamburg Township. Pinckney's market is distinct because of waterfront and lake-access inventory - homes with chain-of-lakes frontage trade in their own price band and on their own time-on-market curve, separate from the inland inventory in the same ZIP.

Read the full Pinckney MI Market Report →

Whitmore Lake

Whitmore Lake is a county-line community where the 48189 ZIP is primarily in Washtenaw County but covers portions of southern Green Oak Township and southern and eastern Hamburg Township within Livingston County. The market is a mix of lake-area inventory around Whitmore Lake itself and inland residential inventory toward US-23. Buyers often compare Whitmore Lake to South Lyon, Brighton, and northern Ann Arbor, which makes it a useful comparison point in the Livingston County market mix.

Read the full Whitmore Lake MI Market Report →

South Lyon (Green Oak Township portion)

The 48178 South Lyon ZIP is primarily in Oakland and Washtenaw counties but covers southeastern Green Oak Township within Livingston County. South Lyon as a real estate market is one mailing address spanning three counties and four jurisdictions, which means a home with a "South Lyon, MI" address can be in Livingston County, Oakland County, or Washtenaw County depending on the exact parcel. The Livingston County portion shares the South Lyon market's general characteristics with the added consideration of Livingston County property tax rates and services.

Read the full South Lyon MI Market Report →

Milford (Livingston County portion)

The 48380 Milford ZIP is primarily in Oakland County but covers eastern edge portions of Brighton Township and Hartland Township within Livingston County. Milford's market is anchored by the village walkability of downtown Milford, but the Livingston County portion is rural-estate inventory at the western edge of the ZIP. Buyers comparing Milford to Brighton are usually weighing village character against Brighton's broader retail and dining footprint.

Read the full Milford MI Market Report →

Fowlerville

Fowlerville is Livingston County's western anchor community. The 48836 ZIP is entirely within Livingston County and covers the Village of Fowlerville, Handy Township, Conway Township, much of Iosco Township, and portions of Howell Township and Cohoctah Township. The inventory mix tilts toward acreage parcels, rural-estate properties, and village lots, with the I-96 corridor running through the center of the ZIP. Days on market, median list price, and inventory dynamics are tracked on the live Fowlerville 48836 market report.

Read the full Fowlerville MI Market Report →

Hamburg Township

Hamburg Township is split between two ZIPs - most of it falls under the 48169 Pinckney ZIP, with the southern and eastern portions falling under the 48189 Whitmore Lake ZIP. The market reflects this split: the Pinckney-side portion tracks the chain-of-lakes inventory dynamics, while the Whitmore Lake-side portion tracks the county-line submarket. Lake access on Hamburg Township parcels is a primary price driver.

View the Pinckney 48169 Market Report →

Gregory and Unadilla Township

The 48137 Gregory ZIP covers most of Unadilla Township and portions of southern Iosco Township and western Putnam Township. This is the county's southwestern corner, with rural-estate inventory, larger lots, and a price-per-square-foot trajectory distinct from the more developed eastern Livingston County. The ZIP also extends into Washtenaw County, which is worth noting for any specific parcel evaluation.

Read the full Gregory MI Market Report →

Fenton and Tyrone Township (48430)

The 48430 Fenton ZIP straddles three counties but is primarily within Livingston County, covering Tyrone Township and portions of Deerfield Township and Hartland Township. The market is a hybrid: the Fenton-side inventory tracks Genesee County dynamics, while the Tyrone Township and Deerfield Township inventory tracks Livingston County dynamics. The Tyrone Township portion specifically carries rural-estate, acreage, and lake-access inventory and is functionally part of northern Livingston County's market mix even though the mailing address reads Fenton.

Read the full Fenton / Tyrone Township Market Report →

New Hudson

The 48165 New Hudson ZIP is in Lyon Township in Oakland County, but is a relevant Livingston County comparison ZIP because of its proximity to South Lyon and the Brighton-area corridor. New Hudson's market characteristics are tracked on its own Altos report.

Read the full New Hudson / Lyon Township Market Report →

Green Oak Township

Green Oak Township sits at the southeast corner of Livingston County and is split across multiple ZIPs - 48116 Brighton, 48178 South Lyon, and 48189 Whitmore Lake all cover parts of the township depending on the parcel. The township's market is best read by reading whichever ZIP covers the specific parcel. Green Oak Township homes with a Brighton mailing address generally track the 48116 dynamics, while those with a South Lyon or Whitmore Lake address track those respective submarkets.

Livingston County Market by ZIP Code

Livingston County is served by eighteen standard street-delivery ZIP codes. Seven are entirely within Livingston County. Eleven are cross-boundary, meaning the ZIP covers parts of Livingston County and parts of one or more neighboring counties. The distinction matters: a "South Lyon," "Milford," "Holly," "Linden," or "Stockbridge" mailing address may or may not place a home physically inside Livingston County. The table below shows all eighteen with the Altos market report link for each.

Core Livingston County ZIPs (entirely within the county)

Cross-boundary ZIPs (covering parts of Livingston County and neighboring counties)

What the Data Means for Livingston County Sellers

Reading the live county-wide market report and the relevant ZIP-level reports answers the macro question of where the market is. The micro question - what does the data mean for selling this specific home, in this specific community, at this specific time - is what the Bauer Pricing Strategy is designed to answer.

The framework Derek uses with sellers in Livingston County:

• Pricing strategy comes first, and it is anchored to live data. The Bauer Pricing Strategy combines a full Realcomp MLS read of active competition, recent closed sales, pending sales, and failed-to-sell listings, with the primary anchor on live active inventory rather than older closed sales alone. The reason is simple: buyers do not negotiate against homes that closed two months ago. They negotiate against the homes they are seeing this weekend.
• Pre-listing preparation is leverage. The gap between an updated, move-in-ready home and a comparable home needing work is wider in Livingston County than in many Southeast Michigan markets. Strategic, targeted preparation often returns several times its cost in sale price and in faster time to pending.
• Timing the launch. Livingston County has clear seasonal patterns, but the right launch week for a specific home depends on its price band, ZIP, and competing inventory. The county's "best week to list" headline is rarely the right answer for a specific listing.
• Inventory leverage. When months of supply is tight in the relevant price band and ZIP, sellers carry leverage. When inventory is more readily available, the leverage shifts. Reading both the county and the relevant ZIP report together, weekly, is how Derek calibrates negotiation strategy on every listing.
• Township and community matter. Two physically similar Livingston County homes in different townships can trade at meaningfully different prices because of property taxes, services, and perceived community fit. The Bauer Pricing Strategy reflects this rather than averaging it away.

For a starting point on net proceeds before any home-specific Bauer Pricing Strategy review, the SellerProceeds.com Michigan calculator estimates net proceeds based on user-entered assumptions including transfer taxes, prorated property taxes, and broker compensation.

Estimate Your Net Proceeds →

What the Data Means for Livingston County Buyers

For buyers, the market data answers two strategic questions: how much competition will there be on the home being considered, and how much negotiation leverage is realistic. The county-wide market report and the relevant ZIP-level report together provide the read.

• Competition level is price-band specific. Entry and mid-tier inventory in the most in-demand Livingston County ZIPs - 48116, 48843, 48353 - moves faster and with more competing offers than upper-band inventory in the same ZIPs.
• Offer strategy follows the data, not the headline. A market that the headline calls "balanced" can have specific price bands and ZIPs running as strong seller's markets. The right offer terms depend on the live competition for the specific home, not the county average.
• Inspection and appraisal flexibility. In tighter submarkets, buyers may need to consider how to structure inspection and appraisal contingencies competitively. In looser submarkets, full contingencies remain readily available.
• Price-range differences across the county. The same dollar amount buys different homes in Brighton, Howell, Hartland, Pinckney, Fowlerville, and Hamburg Township. Knowing where the dollar goes furthest for a specific buyer's needs is part of how Derek structures the home search.

For buyers earlier in the process, the BuyerDiscoverySession.com intake walks through financial readiness, geography, and home fit before any home tours - which is the structured approach Derek uses to make the search efficient rather than reactive.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Livingston County Real Estate Market

Is Livingston County a buyer's market or a seller's market right now?

Livingston County is not a single market. The entry and mid-tier price bands in the more in-demand ZIPs - 48116 Brighton, 48843 Howell, 48353 Hartland - typically run as seller-leaning markets. Upper-tier and luxury inventory often runs more balanced or buyer-leaning. The county-wide Altos market action index is the cleanest single read; for a specific home, a Bauer Pricing Strategy review answers the question precisely. Equal Housing Opportunity.

What is the average home price in Livingston County, Michigan?

The live county-wide Altos market report shows current median list and sale prices weekly for active and pending inventory. Median price varies meaningfully by community, ZIP, and price band - Brighton's two ZIPs trade differently from each other, the Pinckney lakes inventory trades on its own curve, and Fowlerville tracks at a more affordable price band. The live report is the right source for current numbers. Equal Housing Opportunity.

How long does it take to sell a home in Livingston County?

Days on market is reported live on the county-wide Altos report, but the headline number disguises significant variation. A well-priced, updated, move-in-ready home in a sought-after ZIP often goes pending in well under the county median. A home priced too aggressively against its live competition can sit for several times the median. Pricing relative to live active inventory is the single biggest controllable factor. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Which ZIP codes are part of Livingston County?

Livingston County is served by eighteen standard street-delivery ZIP codes. Seven are entirely within the county: 48114, 48116, 48169, 48353, 48836, 48843, and 48855. Eleven are cross-boundary ZIPs that cover parts of Livingston County and one or more neighboring counties: 48137, 48178, 48189, 48380, 48418, 48430, 48442, 48451, 48872, 48892, and 49285. The full ZIP table on this page covers all eighteen with mailing city, areas served, and a market report link for each. Equal Housing Opportunity.

How does the Brighton MI housing market compare with Howell?

Brighton and Howell tend to track similar market personalities at slightly different price levels. Both have a downtown walkability premium - Brighton around the Mill Pond, Howell around its historic district. Both span multiple ZIPs that behave differently from each other. Brighton's 48116 City of Brighton tends to run tighter than its 48114 township ring; Howell's 48843 City of Howell tends to run tighter than its 48855 northern Howell-area ZIP. The dedicated Brighton and Howell market report pages cover the comparison in depth. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Is now a good time to sell a home in Livingston County?

"Good time to sell" depends on the specific home, the specific ZIP, the price band, and the seller's actual goals - relocation timing, upcoming purchase, financial considerations, or other factors. The live market data answers half of the question. The other half is the seller's specific situation, which is what a Seller Discovery Session is built to walk through. The dedicated "Is It a Good Time to Sell" page covers the framework in detail. Equal Housing Opportunity.

How accurate are online home value estimates for Livingston County homes?

Automated valuation models pull from public records and prior closed sales, which means they can be useful as a rough starting point but are often dated and miss the home-specific factors that drive actual sale price - condition, updates, lot specifics, lake access, basement finish, and current live competition. For a defensible price assessment, the Bauer Pricing Strategy combines a full Realcomp MLS read with the primary anchor on live active inventory, which is what buyers are negotiating against right now. Equal Housing Opportunity.

What is the Bauer Pricing Strategy and how is it different from a typical pricing analysis?

The Bauer Pricing Strategy is Derek's branded methodology that combines a full Realcomp MLS read - active competition, recent closed sales, pending sales, and failed-to-sell listings - with the primary pricing anchor on live active inventory rather than older closed sales alone. The methodological difference matters because most pricing analyses tell a seller where the market was sixty to ninety days ago. The Bauer Pricing Strategy tells a seller where buyers are negotiating today. This live-versus-lagging distinction is the reason the 99.08% lifetime list-to-sale price ratio has been sustainable across 24+ years and 1,100+ transactions. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Does Derek work with sellers and buyers across all of Livingston County?

Yes. Livingston County is Derek's primary service area, and Derek is active in all eighteen ZIPs covered on this page - Brighton, Howell, Hartland, Pinckney, Whitmore Lake, South Lyon, Milford, Fowlerville, Hamburg, Gregory, Fenton/Tyrone, New Hudson, Green Oak Township, and the smaller fringe communities. Derek has 24+ years of full-time experience, 1,100+ closed transactions, and 250+ verified five-star reviews across Google, Zillow, and Experience.com. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Where can I see the live Livingston County market data updating each week?

The live county-wide Altos Research market report is linked at the top of this page and refreshes weekly with active inventory, new listings, pending sales, price reductions, days on market, and the market action index. The ZIP-level Altos reports linked in the table above refresh on the same weekly cadence. Each existing dedicated market report page - Brighton, Howell, Hartland, Pinckney, Whitmore Lake, South Lyon, Milford, and Fowlerville - also embeds the relevant live Altos report. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Connect With Derek

Whether you are evaluating a sale, a purchase, or just trying to read the Livingston County market more carefully before making a decision, Derek welcomes a direct, confidential conversation.

Derek Bauer

Associate Broker, REALTOR® | Real Estate One

Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) - Residential Real Estate Council

Board Member, Livingston County Association of REALTORS®

565 E. Grand River Ave., Brighton, MI 48116

734-678-4745

Derek@BauerRealtySolutions.com

Related resources:

• Top Real Estate Agent for South Lyon, Brighton, and Howell →
• Home Seller Guide →
• Home Buyer Guide →
• Bauer Listing Standards and Marketing Plan →
• Is It a Good Time to Sell in SE Michigan? →
• SellerProceeds.com Michigan Net Proceeds Calculator →
• MovingRealityCheck.com Seller Toolkit →
• Schedule a Seller Discovery Session →
• Schedule a Buyer Discovery Session →

Broker compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable. All compensation is determined through negotiation between the parties. The information on this page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional real estate, legal, financial, or tax advice. Market data displayed via Altos Research embeds is provided by a third party and is not warranted by Derek Bauer or Real Estate One; market conditions vary and individual results may differ. Net proceeds estimates referenced via SellerProceeds.com are based solely on user-entered assumptions and do not constitute legal, financial, or appraisal advice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Individual transaction outcomes vary. Derek Bauer is a licensed Michigan Associate Broker (License #6506038159) operating under Real Estate One, 565 E. Grand River Ave., Brighton, MI 48116. Equal Housing Opportunity.