Homes with barns, land, and outbuildings: the Macomb County hunt

The Metro Detroit buyer who wants land has been told for years that it does not exist within commuting distance. Tell that to the horse farms in Washington Twp, the pole barns in Shelby Twp, and the multi-acre lots in Macomb Twp. The inventory is not huge, but it is real, and it sells to people who know how to move fast. That is the market I work every week.

The acreage towns, roughly north to south

Washington Twp is the marquee: rolling acreage, equestrian trails, estates measured in multiple acres. Shelby Twp's north end is quieter and a step more affordable. Macomb Twp mixes horse-friendly zones with newer subdivisions. Chesterfield and the northern edge of Clinton Twp round it out with bigger lots that still sit closer to the freeways. Every property is its own animal, which is exactly why comps barely exist up here.

The barn is a building. The land is the asset.

Buyers often panic over a barn's condition. Let me reframe it: barns are uninsulated pole or post-frame buildings with a roof and a floor. They are repaired and replaced every day, and I can get you a realistic number for what any barn in Macomb County costs to bring back. The land, the zoning, the water, and the well are the things you cannot change about a property. Grade the lot first, treat the barn as a line item.

Questions to ask before you offer

• Is the lot zoned for livestock, or just gardening? Check before you plan the horses.
• Septic or sewer? When was the septic last pumped and inspected?
• What is the well depth and the recent water test result?
• Flood or wetland designation on the buildable area?
• Is the barn electricity live, and does the panel serve it? (Electrical work is often the surprise.)

The good news: I have crawled through, measured, and priced more of these than almost anyone in the county. Bring me the wish list (barn for the horses, shop for the tractor, land for the kids) and I will find the property where the numbers and the reality line up.