Distressed properties in Detroit
Distressed Properties in Detroit, MI
12,438 houses across the City of Detroit carry at least one distress signal right now: probate estates, foreclosures and code violations. 1,999 of them carry two or more at once.
Last updated November 10, 2026See sample list · DealSherpa Pro $99/month, 3 days free · All plans
What's on the list
Detroit Lead Types Available
Records per lead type in the City of Detroit as of November 10, 2026. One house can carry several, so these add up to more than the 12,438 houses.
Wayne County Probate Records: Probate Leads in Detroit
- 107 probate: The owner has died and an estate is open.
The decision-maker is an executor or heir, often with no plan for the house.
Pre-Foreclosure Leads in Detroit
- 84 foreclosure filed: A foreclosure has been filed.
- 230 sheriff sale: The property is scheduled for a sheriff sale.
- 3 lis pendens: A lawsuit affecting the property is pending.
The owner has months, not years, to sell on their own terms.
Detroit Code Enforcement: Violations and Vacant Houses
- 9,648 code violation: An open case on the property: something the owner has been told to fix.
- 2,667 vacant structure: Nobody is living in the house.
- 209 condemned / emergency order: The building is condemned or under an emergency order.
- 557 demolition permit: A demolition permit has been pulled.
- 1,087 structure fire: A structure fire was reported at the property.
Repairs the owner hasn't made are repairs they may not want to make.
Wayne County Sheriff Sale
230 houses in the City of Detroit are on the Wayne County sheriff sale list in DealSherpa today, each with its sale date and status, matched to the owner and every other signal on the house.
The weeks before a sale are when an owner can still sell on their own terms, which is why investors watch this list.
- Most Michigan foreclosures are by advertisement (no court case): after published notice, the house is sold at a sheriff sale.
- The owner usually keeps a redemption period after the sale, so the buyer at a sheriff sale does not get possession right away.
A look at the list
Sample Detroit Leads
A few real Detroit houses on two or more signals, as they look in DealSherpa. The address and owner are in the app.
| Priority | Property | Owner | Signals | Added | Skip trace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent | Detroit, 48204Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Detroit, 48238Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Vacant lot | Detroit, 48227Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Detroit, 48238Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Detroit, 48204Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Vacant lot | Detroit, 48227Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead |
Detroit coverage
Detroit Market Snapshot
Where the flagged houses are, as of November 10, 2026. Property type, age or value does not keep a house off the list.
| ZIP code | Flagged houses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 48227 | 1,247 | 10% |
| 48219 | 1,171 | 9% |
| 48235 | 1,042 | 8% |
| 48228 | 1,005 | 8% |
| 48224 | 928 | 7% |
| 48205 | 885 | 7% |
| 48221 | 797 | 6% |
| 48238 | 727 | 6% |
| 48234 | 649 | 5% |
| 48223 | 608 | 5% |
| 48204 | 555 | 4% |
| 48213 | 446 | 4% |
How we rank a house
Here's how we rank a Detroit house.
We start with every house in the City of Detroit that carries a signal. Then we look for the same house on a second list, and a third. A house with unpaid tax and an open code case, or a vacant house in probate, is a different conversation than either signal alone. Those are the houses a small mail or call budget goes to first.
Counts as of November 10, 2026. Recently sold houses are left out.
What the data says
Detroit, by the numbers
Observations computed from the flagged houses, not opinions. They move when the data does.
53% of flagged owners don't live in the house
6,559 houses have an owner whose mail goes somewhere else, and 1,577 of those owners are out of state. An absentee owner with a problem property is the classic seller.
12,315 houses with a visible problem
9,648 have an open code case and 2,667 are recorded as vacant. These are the houses a driver would spot from the street; here they are flagged before anyone drives.
1,999 houses sit on two or more lists at once
A house with unpaid tax and an open code case, or a vacant house in probate, converts at a different rate than either signal alone. The stacked list is where a small mail or call budget goes first.
107 houses are in probate right now
The owner has died and an estate is open. The contact is the executor or an heir, and the house is often the only asset they need to deal with.
Foreclosures in Detroit
Looking for foreclosed homes to buy in Detroit? This is not a listing site: the houses here are pre-foreclosure data for investors, owners who are behind on a mortgage or have a foreclosure case filed, before the house is sold at auction or taken back by the lender.
DealSherpa has 317 pre-foreclosure and sale records in the City of Detroit today, each matched to the house and its owner. An investor can reach these owners while they can still sell on their own terms.
Homes already owned by a bank are sold through agents and listing sites instead.
Also on DealSherpa
Nearby Markets
Detroit questions
Detroit Distressed Property FAQ
How many distressed properties are in Detroit?
12,438 houses in the City of Detroit carry at least one distress signal as of November 10, 2026, and 1,999 carry two or more. Records by type: probate 107, pre-foreclosure 317, code violation 14,168.
Where does the Detroit data come from?
From public records: court filings and county and city records for the City of Detroit. DealSherpa reads them, matches each record to its house, and joins the lists so a house on several of them shows once, with every signal.
How often are Detroit leads updated?
The Detroit lists were last updated on November 10, 2026. Court and sale lists move daily or weekly; tax lists move with the county's collection calendar. Houses that are paid up, sold or resolved come off the list.
How much does DealSherpa cost?
DealSherpa Pro is $99/month and includes these lists, with a 3-day free trial. Plans for other tools start at $49/month; see the pricing page. Skip tracing is 12¢ per owner.
Which nearby markets are covered?
Toledo, OH. Each has its own page with its own counts.
Other questions? See plans and pricing or email jack@dealsherpa.app.
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About this page. The counts cover the City of Detroit, Michigan, and are read from DealSherpa's own records, last updated November 10, 2026; the market has been tracked since October 2026. A flagged house is one with at least one of the signals listed above; it is not a listing, an offer or a guarantee that the owner will sell. Recently sold houses are excluded. The sample houses show the city and ZIP only; addresses, owner names and contact details are available inside DealSherpa to subscribers, subject to its terms.