How buying a home at Alta Vista works.

No. You own the home and lease the homesite under it from Alta Vista. Site rent for new buyers is $650 a month as of October 2026. There’s no land to buy and no mortgage on dirt.

The homesite, the Lodge (great room, event hall, kitchen and fitness room), the outdoor pool, the pickleball court and future amenities, plus the community side of things: utilities for the common areas, upkeep of the streets, sewer system and grounds, streetlights, landscaping and snow removal in common areas, community events, the management and maintenance staff, and insurance and real estate taxes on the community itself. You pay your own gas, electric, phone and garbage pickup, plus the $70 a month Spectrum cable and internet package billed through Alta Vista. You also mow your lawn and clear your own porch, deck, sidewalk and driveway, or pay the community’s contractor to handle it.

The homesite lease runs a year at a time, so rent can change at renewal under the lease terms. Site rent for new buyers is $650 a month as of October 2026. Ask us for the lease and we’ll walk through exactly what it says.

Homes in a licensed manufactured housing community in Michigan pay a $3 a month specific tax instead of the regular property tax on the home itself, and at Alta Vista it’s already included in the $650 site rent, so there’s no separate bill for it. A garage, deck or other addition is assessed separately by East Bay Township as real property, so homes with a garage have a small tax bill too. (MCL 125.1041) Confirm current amounts with the township assessor.

Not on the homes we list for Alta Vista. The sales tax is paid by the seller and already built into the list price, and our purchase agreement says so in writing. On a resale between two owners, Michigan charges a 6% use tax when the title transfers (Michigan Secretary of State), so ask us how it’s being handled on that sale.

Most buyers use a chattel loan, which is a loan on the home as personal property rather than a mortgage on land. Rates, down payments and terms differ from a regular mortgage, and some lenders hold back part of the loan funds after closing, anywhere from a couple of days to as long as 90 days, so ask each lender. Several lenders have closed loans here, and we’re happy to connect you. The participating lenders are listed above. Paying cash is fine too.

A manufactured home in Michigan is titled like a vehicle, through the Secretary of State, not recorded with a deed. There’s no title company. The state title fee is $90. Real Estate One is a licensed Michigan mobile home dealer (license No. 1103710) and handles the title application at closing.

Yes. Any Michigan real estate agent can show these homes and represent you. Agents don’t need a dealer license to sell here, because Real Estate One’s license covers the sale. How your agent is paid is set out in your written buyer agreement with them.

Your agent’s brokerage holds it in its trust account, the same as on any other home sale.

Each home has a manufacturer’s warranty, and it transfers to you. On homes built ahead of time and set on a site, the manufacturer starts the warranty when the home was delivered, not when you move in, so on some older homes it has already run out. Ask us for the warranty certificate on the home you’re looking at and we’ll show you the start date.

A manufactured home policy on the home and your belongings, plus liability coverage. The homesite lease sets what’s required, and we’ll show it to you. Get a quote from an insurance agent before you write an offer.

You can sell through any agent you like, or on your own. Your buyer has to be approved by Alta Vista and sign a homesite lease, the same as you did. Michigan law also bars a community from stopping you from selling your home on site, at your price, to a buyer who qualifies (MCL 125.2328).