Metropolitan market · Michigan · September 2026 data

What is the Bay City, MI real estate market doing?

As of September 2026, the median home listed in Bay City, MI asks $184,950, down 10.3% year over year. Homes spend a median of 48 days on market, with 248 active listings and 28% carrying a price cut; pending contracts equal 64% of active listings, and inventory sits at 68% of the same month in 2019 — a balanced market. Estimated gross rental yield on the median listing is 6.7%. Figures come from public records and industry data, updated monthly.

Median listing price
$184,950
▼ 10.3% YoY
Median $ / sq ft
$131
1,530 sq ft median
Median days on market
48
September 2026
Active listings
248
For sale now
New listings
98
September 2026
Listings with price cuts
28%
Share of active
Inventory vs 2019
68%
Same month, 2019 = 100
Pending / active
64%
Contract activity
Median sale price (closed)
$200,000
▲ 10.1% YoY · closed sales · July 2026
Sale-to-list ratio
98.9%
Closed sales · July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Homes sold / month
109
Closed sales · July 2026, seasonally adjusted

What is the Bay City, MI housing market doing right now?

The Bay City, MI housing market lists at a $184,950 median as of September 2026, down 10.3% year over year, with a 48-day median market time and 248 homes for sale (28% with a price cut). Active inventory is 68% of the 2019 level, reading as a balanced market under WealthyBud's published buyer/seller rule. Gross rental yield is about 6.7%.

Bay City housing market statistics

The table summarizes Bay City's key housing figures for September 2026 — median listing and closed-sale prices, market pace, inventory and rental yield — each computed from public records and industry data. Closed-sale figures are Redfin's July 2026 data, the latest settled month Redfin reports for Bay City.

Bay City, MI housing market at a glance — September 2026
MetricLatestDetail
Median listing price$184,950-10.3% YoY
Median price per sq ft$1311,530 sq ft median
Median days on market48+31% YoY
Active listings248+41% YoY
New listings this month98September 2026
Listings with a price cut28%Share of active
Median sale price (closed)$200,000+10.1% YoY · closed sales, July 2026
Sale-to-list ratio98.9%Closed sales, July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Pending-to-active ratio64.0%159 pending
Inventory vs 201968%Active listings vs same month in 2019
Gross rental yield6.7%2BR fair market rent

How have home prices changed in Bay City?

Bay City home prices are down 10.3% year over year and -5.1% month over month as of September 2026, at a $184,950 median listing price. The chart tracks the trailing eight-quarter trend in the metro's median asking price.

$213K$205K$197K$189K Q4'24Q1'25Q2'25Q3'25Q4'25Q1'26Q2'26Q3'26

Median listing price, Bay City MI · trailing 8 quarters · source: public records and industry data.

The 10-year view
$212K$182K$151K$121K '17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26

10-year median listing price, Bay City MI · June of each year, 2017–2026 · source: public records and industry data.

How much inventory is on the market in Bay City?

Bay City has 248 active listings, 98 new this month, 159 pending as of September 2026. About 28% of active listings have cut their price, and inventory sits at 68% of its 2019 level — a balanced market by pace.

Active listings
248
New this month
98
Pending
159
Price-reduced
68

Is Bay City a good real estate investment?

Bay City scores 60/100 on WealthyBud's composite Investor Score, ranking #257 of 933 covered U.S. metros as of September 2026. The score blends price momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat into one percentile. It is a research opinion, not advice.

Investor Score
60/100
#257 of 933 covered metros
12-month outlook
-2.1%
▼ Cooling · model output, not advice
Price volatility
Medium
σ 6.4% · 20-yr price-index swings
Momentum
15
Value
48
Rental yield
97
Supply risk
25
Market heat
81

Bay City scores 60/100 on our composite Investor Score (#257 of 933 covered metros), a percentile blend of momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market-heat readings; the metro's long-run house price index has it up 55% over five years and +99% over ten, leaving prices 102% above its own 2000–2019 trend; at the published FY2026 fair market rent of $1,030/mo for a two-bedroom, the gross rental yield on the median listing is about 6.7%; active inventory sits at 68% of its June 2019 level, so supply is still below pre-pandemic norms; listing prices are down 10.3% year over year; all against a national 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 7.28% (national weekly average, 2026-10-01).

Scores are percentile ranks (0–100) across all covered U.S. metros, computed from the public data cited on this page — formulas here. They are data-derived opinions, not investment advice. See how Bay City ranks on the trending markets index.

How much is a monthly mortgage payment in Bay City?

A home at Bay City's $184,950 median listing runs about $1,012 a month in principal and interest — 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at the current 7.28% national average rate. Taxes, insurance and HOA are extra.

If rates fall 1% · 6.28%
$914/mo
−$98/mo vs today
At today's rate · 7.28%
$1,012/mo
National weekly average
If rates rise 1% · 8.28%
$1,115/mo
+$102/mo vs today

Principal & interest on the $184,950 median listing with 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan — excludes taxes, insurance and HOA. Current rate: 7.28% (national weekly average, 2026-10-01). Model a full deal in the deal analyzer.

How much income do you need to buy a home in Bay City?

To buy Bay City’s $184,950 median listing with 20% down, a household needs about $54,000 a year in gross income, keeping principal, interest and property tax ($1,264/mo) at 28% of income. The area’s median household income is $60,523, so the median listing is within reach of a typical Bay City household on these terms.

Income needed to buy the median home in Bay City, MI — September 2026
ItemAmountBasis
Median listing price$184,950September 2026
Down payment (20%)$36,990Assumption
Principal & interest (7.28%, 30-yr fixed)$1,012/moRate as of 2026-10-01
Property tax (1.63% effective rate)$251/moCensus ACS
Income needed (28% rule)$54,000Gross household income / yr
Median household income$60,523Census ACS 2023 ACS 5-year

Excludes homeowners insurance, HOA dues and mortgage insurance, so the true income needed is higher. Compare every market in the income-needed ranking and the price-to-income ranking.

What is driving the Bay City housing market?

Longer-run demand in Bay City shows up in 59 homes permitted in 2025; net migration of +196 residents; +0.6% job growth. Natural-hazard risk rates Relatively Low. These federal supply-pipeline, migration and jobs signals shape where prices head next.

Building permits (2025)
59
▲ 51.3% vs 2024
0.6 per 1,000 residents
Net migration (2022–2023)
+196
▲ people, via tax-return records
net income flow +$237,000/yr
Job growth (YoY)
+0.6%
▲ 36.0k nonfarm jobs · August 2026
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Low
National hazard index · top hazard: Riverine flooding

Based on public government records — building-permit, tax-return migration, employment and natural-hazard statistics, aggregated to the metro. Details on /methodology.

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Bay City housing market FAQ

What is the median home price in Bay City?
As of September 2026, the median listing price in Bay City, MI is $184,950, down 10.3% year over year (source: public records and industry data). Figures cover the Bay City, MI metro area.
How much does it cost to buy a home in Bay City?
The median home listed in Bay City asks $184,950 as of September 2026. With 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at the current 7.28% national average rate, that runs about $1,012 a month in principal and interest, before taxes, insurance and HOA.
How fast are homes selling in Bay City?
The median property in Bay City spends 48 days on the market, with 248 homes actively listed and 28% of them carrying a price cut — a balanced market as of September 2026.
Is it a buyer's or seller's market in Bay City?
With a median 48 days on market and 28% of active listings carrying a price cut, pending contracts at 64% of active listings, Bay City reads as a balanced market as of September 2026. Labels use WealthyBud's published DOM / sale-to-list / price-cut / pending rule. Conditions shift monthly.
Is Bay City a good place to invest in real estate?
Bay City scores 60/100 on WealthyBud's Investor Score, ranking #257 of 933 covered U.S. metros as of September 2026. The score blends price momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat. It is a data-derived research opinion, not investment advice.
Who are the top real estate agents in Bay City?
See WealthyBud directories for the top-producing agents, teams and brokerages serving Bay City and the wider Michigan market, ranked by recent sales from public profile data.
Based on public records and industry data, September 2026 — see our methodology for how every figure is computed. Figures cover the Bay City, MI metro area. Figures change monthly — verify current conditions with a local agent or MLS. Portions of market data courtesy of Realtor.com and Redfin; additional statistics from U.S. government sources.

More Michigan housing markets

Marcus Bell Real Estate Market Analyst

Marcus Bell leads market and career research at WealthyBud, turning public housing and labor data into plain-English answers for investors and agents. He focuses on U.S. metro housing markets, agent economics and licensing.

Editorial persona: WealthyBud bylines are editorial personas, not real individuals. Pages are produced by the WealthyBud research team from the public data cited on each page.