Source: https://www.deedclaim.com/michigan/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 09:07:27+00:00

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Three of these deeds forms are named after the type of warranty that they either do or don’t provide.
Michigan Warranty Deed Form – Transfers property with a full warranty that covers all title defects, including those that arose before the grantor owned the property.
Two other types of Michigan deeds are not defined by the warranty, but by the probate avoidance feature associated with the deed.
Life Estate Deed – Divides ownership into different time periods by giving one owner (the life tenant) a life estate to own the property during life while transferring all interests in the property another owner (remainder beneficiary) on the death of the life tenant.
Michigan Lady Bird Deed – Uses the same structure as a life estate deed, but gives the life tenant broad retained powers over the property, including the ability to sell or mortgage the property or create a new deed leaving it to someone else.
Our Deed Generator can prepare each of these types of deeds, depending on the information provided in the interview.
The deed must be printed in 10-point font in black ink on letter-sized or legal-sized white paper that is not less than 20-pound weight.
The deed must list the name and business address of the person that prepared the deed. MCL § 565.201a.
The deed must be notarized. MCL § 565.8.
The deed should include the grantor’s marital status. If a male grantor is married, Michigan law has historically required his wife to sign the deed to release her dower rights. MCL § 565.221. As discussed below, this requirement has changed recently.
The deed must state the consideration or, if the deed lists only nominal consideration, an affidavit listing the actual consideration (a Real Estate Transfer Tax Valuation Affidavit) must accompany the deed. MCL § 207.504.
If the deed is transferring unplatted land, it must include following statement: “This property may be located within the vicinity of farm land or a farm operation. Generally accepted agricultural and management practices which may generate noise, dust, odors, and other associated conditions may be used and are protected by the Michigan right to farm act.” MCL § 560.109.
The deed must state the statutory basis for any exemption from real estate transfer tax.
In addition to these legal requirements, there are also customary best practices that apply to Michigan deeds. The deeds prepared by our Deed Generator were designed by attorneys with each requirement in mind.
Because Michigan is a separate property state, one spouse does not automatically have an interest in property deeded to the other spouse during the marriage. If only one spouse is listed on the deed, the property belongs only to that spouse. But a spouse without ownership rights may nonetheless have dower rights in the property.
MCL § 565.221 has historically provided the wife of a married man with dower rights. These rights prevent a husband from conveying property without his wife’s consent. Dower rights were abolished in Michigan effective April 6, 2017, but there is a potential conflict between the repealed law and the Michigan Constitution. The real estate title industry has not had time to adjust to this recent change. To protect against title issues, the deeds created by our Deed Generator include a space for the grantor’s spouse to spouse sign the deed.
Tenancy by the Entirety – A married couple is treated as a single unit and neither spouse can transfer the property without the other spouse’s consent.
Only a married couple can hold property as tenancy by the entirety. Because of the right of survivorship, only individuals (humans) can own property as joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Businesses and trusts have no lifetime, so joint tenancy with right of survivorship is not available to business or trust owners. Any type of owner can hold property as tenants in common.
Find the most recent deed to the property. It is helpful to begin by locating the most recent deed to the property (the deed that transferred the property to the current grantor). You will need information from the prior deed to prepare the new deed. This information includes the exact wording of the owner’s name and the legal description for the property.
Create the new deed. Once you have the information from the prior deed, you can create the deed to transfer the property to the new owner or owners. Our Deed Generator creates customized, state-specific deeds using a simple interview to collect information about the transfer. Once the interview is submitted, the software creates a deed that matches the choices made in the interview.
Sign and notarize the deed. To be valid, the grantor must sign the deed and a notary public or equivalent official must acknowledge the grantor’s signature. Unsigned deeds are invalid. Only the grantor must sign the deed; the grantee need not sign it.
File the deed in the county land records. The deed should be filed in the land records of the county where the property is located soon after it is signed and notarized. Any recording fees or Michigan real estate transfer tax owed must be paid when the deed is filed.
These steps are explained in more detail in the instructions (Next Steps) that are included with each deed prepared by our Deed Generator.

References: § 565
 § 565
 § 565
 § 207
 § 560
 § 565