A Michigan transaction coordinator handles contract-to-close on Michigan Association of REALTORS (MAR) residential files. Michigan is a Category D title-company state: title companies run closings, not attorneys. The state's two defining features on the TC side are the 2-banking-day earnest money deadline (one of the fastest in the country) and the Seller's Disclosure Act's 72-or-120-hour delivery window. Miss either and the buyer gains a cancellation path the contract didn't otherwise grant.
This guide covers what a Michigan TC does on every file, how the MAR contract structures the timeline, how title-company closings work, who holds earnest money, and the Seller's Disclosure Act compliance rules. Written for Michigan agents and the TCs running their transactions from Detroit metro across to the western shore.
Key takeaways
- Michigan is a Category D title-company state. Title companies run closings, not attorneys.
- MAR Purchase Agreement is the standard statewide form, with regional GMAR variants common in the Detroit metro.
- Earnest money is typically deposited within 2 banking days (faster than most states).
- LARA's Bureau of Professional Licensing oversees brokers and audits broker files.
- Michigan's Seller's Disclosure Act requires delivery within 72 hours (in person) or 120 hours (by mail), with cancellation rights on missed delivery.
What does a transaction coordinator do in Michigan?
A Michigan transaction coordinator runs the administrative side of the file from executed MAR Purchase Agreement to recorded deed. The core work:
- Build the contract calendar with every deadline placed and reminded from contract execution forward
- Deliver (or track delivery of) the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement inside the 72-hour or 120-hour window
- Verify earnest money deposit at the title company inside the 2-banking-day statutory window
- Coordinate inspection scheduling, repair amendments, and resolution windows
- Push lender and appraisal updates against the financing contingency deadline
- Review the title commitment for exceptions needing cure or waiver
- Route amendments, addenda, and contingency removals between parties
- Confirm buyer broker agreement execution and compensation terms are documented
- Assemble the broker file to LARA audit standards at close
Michigan is a title-company state, so the TC's primary counterpart is the closing processor at the title company from intake through recording. The title company opens the file, holds earnest money (in most cases), orders the commitment, runs the closing table, disburses funds, and records the deed. The TC manages everything from the agent's side against that title-company timeline.
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), through its Bureau of Professional Licensing and Real Estate Board, regulates brokers and salespersons statewide and audits broker files for compliance with recordkeeping, disclosure, and trust-account rules. Quill's Michigan broker-file deliverable is built against those LARA standards on every file.
What is the MAR Purchase Agreement?
The Michigan Association of REALTORS (Michigan REALTORS) publishes the statewide standard Purchase Agreement, often referred to as the Michigan Buy and Sell Agreement. Regional boards publish their own variants. The most common regional form is the Greater Metropolitan Association of REALTORS (GMAR) version used across the Detroit metro.
The 2024 revisions updated the contract in two main ways:
- Financing-contingency language was tightened to address post-NAR settlement buyer broker agreement integration; buyer commission is now negotiated separately from the seller-side listing agreement
- Lead-based paint disclosure was reinforced for pre-1978 homes, federal requirement but particularly relevant to Michigan's older housing stock
Regional form variation is a real issue on Michigan files. A GMAR-format contract with clauses mixed in from the statewide MAR form creates ambiguity on contingency timing, inspection windows, and closing dates. We verify at intake that the contract is consistent (either all GMAR or all MAR, with any addenda matching the base form) rather than a hybrid.
Key MAR deadlines a Michigan TC tracks on every file:
| Deadline | Timing | What it controls | Who gains cancellation right if missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnest Money Deposit | 2 banking days from execution | Deposit at title company or broker trust | Contract earnest money clause may be void |
| Seller's Disclosure Delivery | 72 hours (in person) / 120 hours (mail) | Disclosure statement to buyer | Buyer |
| Inspection Contingency Removal | Commonly 7 days | Buyer's inspection and resolution | Buyer |
| Financing Contingency | 21 to 30 days | Loan approval | Buyer |
| Appraisal Contingency | 21 to 30 days | Appraised value versus purchase price | Buyer |
| Title Commitment Review | Per contract | Objection window on exceptions | Buyer |
| Closing Date | 30 to 45 days typical | Recording, funding, possession | Either via breach |
How does Michigan's title-company closing work?
Michigan is a Category D title-company state. Closing conventions across US states sort into 5 categories; Michigan's falls firmly in the title-company bucket. The title company is the neutral third party. They handle title search, issue the title commitment, draft or coordinate closing documents, conduct the closing table itself (buyer and seller sign), disburse funds, and record the deed with the county.
Attorney involvement is optional and uncommon on standard residential transactions. Some buyers or sellers hire attorneys for review, particularly on estate transactions, complex trusts, or contested boundary lines, but the baseline residential close has no attorney at the table. The title company handles everything.
A typical Michigan file runs:
- Days 1-2. Contract executed; TC opens file with title company; earnest money deposited within 2 banking days.
- Days 2-5. Seller's Disclosure Statement delivered inside 72-hour or 120-hour window; inspection scheduled.
- Days 5-14. Inspection conducted; repair amendment negotiated if needed; inspection contingency removed or deadline reached.
- Days 10-25. Title commitment issued and reviewed; exceptions addressed; appraisal ordered by lender.
- Days 25-40. Lender underwriting; financing contingency removed; clear-to-close from lender; final walkthrough; closing disclosure reviewed.
- Day 30-45. Closing conducted at title company; funds disbursed; deed recorded; keys transferred at recording.
The TC works with the title company across this timeline. Communication cadence is typically weekly at first, daily in the final week. On Michigan files we usually work with title companies end to end, running the file against the title company's closing calendar rather than inventing a separate one.
Who holds earnest money in Michigan?
The title company is the standard earnest money holder in Michigan. Alternatives:
- Broker trust account. Allowed under Michigan rules with strict anti-commingling requirements and LARA audit expectations. Some brokerages prefer to hold earnest money in-house; others default to title.
- Attorney trust account. Rare on standard residential closings; occasionally used on complex transactions where an attorney is involved.
Typical earnest money in Michigan runs 1 to 3 percent of the purchase price. The exact amount is negotiated into the MAR Purchase Agreement at offer time.
The big Michigan-specific rule: earnest money must be deposited within 2 banking days of contract execution. This is one of the faster earnest money deadlines in the country; most states allow 3 to 5 business days. Missing the 2-banking-day window can void the earnest money clause entirely, which disrupts the seller's protection against a bad-faith buyer.
The operational catch is that "banking days" exclude weekends and federal holidays, but the clock starts at contract execution regardless of when that happens. A contract executed Friday afternoon has earnest money due by end-of-day Tuesday. A check sitting in an agent's desk over the weekend can make the deposit unenforceable. The TC's job is verifying the deposit lands at the named holder inside the window, not chasing the check on day 3.
For the broader earnest-money mechanics across states, see earnest money in Utah real estate (Utah's 4-day rule is the next-tightest in the country) and how escrow works in real estate.
What is the Michigan Seller's Disclosure Act?
Michigan's Seller's Disclosure Act, MCL 565.951 et seq., requires the seller on most residential transactions of one to four units to deliver a written Seller's Property Disclosure Statement to the buyer. The Act defines both the content and the timing of the disclosure.
Content. The form covers known defects, property condition, utilities, structural components, environmental conditions, and other material facts. The statutory disclosure form is what Michigan sellers complete.
Timing. This is where Michigan gets strict. The Act sets two distinct delivery windows depending on method:
- 72 hours (3 days) if delivered in person
- 120 hours (5 days) if delivered by mail
The window counts from the time the seller accepts the buyer's offer. Email or electronic delivery generally treated as in-person for these purposes, but specific brokerage practice varies. Some brokerages and boards run a more conservative 120-hour window for any non-hand delivery.
Missed delivery consequence. If the seller doesn't deliver the disclosure statement inside the applicable window, the buyer gains the right to cancel the contract and recover earnest money. The right persists even if the buyer otherwise would have removed contingencies.
This is the asymmetric deadline that catches Michigan files most often. The seller gains nothing by being fast on disclosure; the buyer gains a cancellation path if the seller is late. A Michigan TC treats the disclosure delivery as a first-week priority and confirms receipt (with buyer acknowledgment) inside the window, not at contingency-removal day when it's already late.
What trips up Michigan files?
Five issues repeat on Michigan files we inherit or review:
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Seller's Disclosure delivery misses the 72/120-hour window. The most common Michigan cancellation path. A seller or listing agent treating the disclosure as due "sometime this week" rather than a 72-hour hard deadline creates a buyer termination right that can survive through closing-day.
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Earnest money misses the 2-banking-day window. A check sitting in an agent's desk over the weekend, a delivery routed to the wrong broker account, a deposit that hit the title company's "received" stamp on day 3 instead of day 2. Any of these can void the earnest money clause and undermine the seller's protection. The TC confirms deposit on day 1 or 2, not day 3.
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MAR-versus-GMAR form drift. The statewide MAR form and the GMAR regional form have different addenda structures. A contract that mixes clauses from one into the other creates ambiguity on timing, contingency scope, and obligations. Intake check: verify the contract is internally consistent.
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Tax proration disputes. Michigan's property-tax calendar and the two summer/winter tax cycles create proration issues that some out-of-state operators miss. Cities that bill annually on July 1 and December 1 (or other local variations) create specific proration math that the closing disclosure needs to reflect correctly. A TC who doesn't verify the proration at closing-disclosure review creates post-close disputes.
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Detroit metro abandoned-property history and mineral rights in rural Michigan. Detroit and some surrounding metros have a concentration of properties with complex title histories (tax foreclosure, land bank transfers, side-lot programs). Rural Michigan, particularly in the Upper Peninsula and parts of northern Lower, has severed mineral rights that can appear as exceptions on the title commitment. Both categories need commitment review with attention to exceptions that may require cure, title exception endorsement, or buyer acknowledgment.
How does Quill coordinate Michigan files?
Quill's Michigan coordination runs the MAR (or GMAR) timeline with the state's specific deadlines wired in:
- Day 1. File opened with the title company. Contract calendar built. Buyer broker agreement verified as executed.
- Days 1-2. Earnest money verified deposited at the named holder inside the 2-banking-day window.
- Days 1-5. Seller's Property Disclosure Statement delivery tracked against the 72-hour or 120-hour window; receipt confirmed with buyer-side acknowledgment.
- Days 5-14. Inspection coordinated; amendments routed; contingency-removal paperwork tracked.
- Days 10-25. Title commitment reviewed; exceptions addressed; lender and appraiser kept current.
- Days 25-40. Financing cleared; final walkthrough scheduled; closing disclosure reviewed against the commission demand.
- Closing day. Recording confirmed with the county; broker-file package assembled to LARA audit standards.
The same Quill team handles files from Detroit metro through Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and the northern lake markets. We're not a brokerage and we don't practice law. Michigan's title-company closing model means we coordinate with the title company as the primary counterpart on every file.
For the end-to-end closing sequence across states, see the real estate closing process and the cross-state overview on what does a transaction coordinator do. For the state hub page with Michigan-specific service details, see /states/michigan.
How Michigan volume affects TC hiring
The NAR 2025 Member Profile shows the typical US agent closes 10 transaction sides per year. Michigan agents working in Detroit metro (35,000-plus Michigan REALTORS members statewide) see median home prices around $259,600 (February 2026, Redfin), with volume concentrated in the Southern Lower Peninsula.
At 5 files per year, a Michigan agent can probably track the 2-banking-day earnest money and 72/120-hour disclosure deadlines themselves. At 10-plus files per year, the compression of Michigan's deadlines starts absorbing hours that compete directly with prospecting and client work. The disclosure-delivery clock alone doesn't forgive forgetfulness; neither does the banking-day earnest money window.
A flat-fee TC service at $350 per file on 15 Michigan transactions is $5,250 per year. The time returned runs 15 to 25 hours per file. For the cost-benefit analysis across markets, see how much does a transaction coordinator cost and is a transaction coordinator worth it.
Michigan TC work is deadline-disciplined title-company coordination
Michigan's title-company closing model is straightforward on paper. The 2-banking-day earnest money rule and the 72-or-120-hour Seller's Disclosure Act window are the two deadlines that separate a clean Michigan file from a contested one. A Michigan TC who's internalized both, and who runs the file directly with the title company from contract open through recording, handles Michigan deals without drama. One who treats Michigan like a more generous title-state timeline creates file issues on delivery windows that other states forgive and Michigan doesn't.
See /states/michigan for Quill's Michigan service details. Your first Michigan file is free.
First file free.