In Michigan, a personal representative’s powers and duties start with appointment. Being named in a will is not current signing authority by itself. The case file should include current certified Letters of Authority; read them with the will, supervision status, bond, restrictions, and any court orders.
Michigan Compiled Laws § 700.3715 gives an appointed personal representative statutory power to dispose of estate property, including land, subject to the law’s limits and the actual estate file. A state or county public administrator is different and must get court approval to sell a decedent’s real property. A small-estate sworn-statement route under § 700.3983 does not transfer real property.
The house being in Bay City does not by itself establish where the estate proceeding belongs. For a Michigan-domiciled decedent, the first appointment proceeding is generally in the county where the person lived at death; a separate property-location rule may apply to a nonresident. A tax bill, ZIP code, family relationship, or will nomination does not identify the signer for this particular house.
We help coordinate the sale, but we do not provide legal advice. The title company or a qualified attorney can confirm who has authority to sign for the estate.
Bay County’s published recording guidance lists Michigan state transfer tax at $7.50 per $1,000 of consideration and Bay County transfer tax at $1.10 per $1,000 for covered transfers. Michigan law expresses the same rates as $3.75 per $500 state and 55 cents per $500 county for the applicable statutory branch. Exemptions depend on the instrument; probate or inheritance context alone does not make a later sale to a buyer exempt.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. This does not pay a mortgage balance, liens, back taxes, or your share of current property taxes. The actual instrument, consideration, and any exemption determine the applicable transfer tax and recording charges; ask the title or closing professional to confirm the property-specific figures.