County file · Michigan · Seat: Petoskey
Emmet County home appraisals
Water sets the tone for home values in Emmet County. Of its 882 square miles, 415 are water, and the shoreline towns on Little Traverse Bay hold most of the high sales. Zillow's county index reached $437,678 in September 2026, up 8.5% year over year. The 2020 census found 31.7% of the county's 21,771 housing units vacant, yet the homeowner vacancy rate was only 1.1%, so very few of those empty units were actually for sale.
$437,678Typical home value, Emmet County, Zillow, September 2026
$315,700Median owner occupied home value, ACS 2020 to 2024, Census Reporter
31.7%Share of 21,771 housing units vacant, 2020 census, Wikipedia
$541,2872026 FHA one unit loan limit, Emmet County, Homebuyer.com
Market files in Emmet County
PetoskeyPetoskey has almost no slack in its owner market.Open market file →Bay ViewBay View cottages sit on land leased from the Bay View Association, and the Association must approve every buyer before a sale closes.Open market file →Bay HarborBay Harbor was built on a reclaimed cement plant in Resort Township, a township whose census median owner value was $394,500 for 2020 to 2024.Open market file →Harbor SpringsHarbor Springs covers only 1.3 square miles, on what Wikipedia calls the deepest natural harbor on the Great Lakes, and much of its market lies in the townships around it.Open market file →AlansonAlanson is a village of 778 people (2020) on the Crooked River, the channel that carries Crooked Lake into the Inland Waterway.Open market file →PellstonPellston straddles the Maple River and McKinley township line and is home to Pellston Regional Airport, where Delta flies to Detroit.Open market file →Mackinaw CityMackinaw City lives on visitors to the Mackinac Bridge, Colonial Michilimackinac and the island ferries, and its housing follows that calendar.Open market file →Cross Village and Good HartFew people live along this stretch of M-119 year round.Open market file →
Common questions
What are the 2026 FHA and conforming loan limits in Emmet County?
For 2026 the FHA limit on a one unit home in Emmet County is $541,287 and the conforming limit is $832,750, according to Homebuyer.com's county table. Zillow's September 2026 median list price for Harbor Springs was $694,783, which shows how close some shoreline asking prices run to the conforming ceiling. Loans above $832,750 need jumbo financing.
Why does the census show so many Emmet County homes as vacant?
The 2020 census counted 21,771 housing units in the county and found 31.7% vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%. That gap says most empty units on census day were not listed for sale or rent. Bay View is an extreme case: the ACS shows 592 housing units there for 164 residents.