Berrien County Land Contract Form

Berrien County Land Contract Form
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.

Berrien County Land Contract Guidelines
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Berrien County Completed Example of the Land Contract Document
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees
Immediate Download • Secure Checkout
Additional Michigan and Berrien County documents included at no extra charge:
Where to Record Your Documents
Berrien County Register of Deeds
St. Joseph, Michigan 49085
Hours: 8:30 to 5:00 M-F
Phone: (269) 983-7111 Ext. 8562
Recording Tips for Berrien County:
- Ask if they accept credit cards - many offices are cash/check only
- Recording fees may differ from what's posted online - verify current rates
- Both spouses typically need to sign if property is jointly owned
Cities and Jurisdictions in Berrien County
Properties in any of these areas use Berrien County forms:
- Baroda
- Benton Harbor
- Berrien Center
- Berrien Springs
- Bridgman
- Buchanan
- Coloma
- Eau Claire
- Galien
- Hagar Shores
- Harbert
- Lakeside
- New Buffalo
- New Troy
- Niles
- Riverside
- Saint Joseph
- Sawyer
- Sodus
- Stevensville
- Three Oaks
- Union Pier
- Watervliet
Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Berrien County
How do I get my forms?
Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Berrien County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Berrien County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Berrien County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.
Can I reuse these forms?
Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Berrien County you only need to order once.
What do I need to use these forms?
The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.
Are there any recurring fees?
No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.
How much does it cost to record in Berrien County?
Recording fees in Berrien County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (269) 983-7111 Ext. 8562 for current fees.
Questions answered? Let's get started!
A land contract is a written legal contract used to purchase real estate; it is typically used in owner/seller financing. Once recorded it (shall have the same force and effect, as to subsequent encumbrancers and purchasers, as the recording of deeds and mortgages as now provided by law.) (565.354 section 4)
565.358 Land contract mortgage; document; form; execution, acknowledgement, and
recording; identification of encumbered interest; perfection of mortgage; priority.
Sec. 8.
(1) Any document that would be sufficient to constitute a real estate mortgage upon an interest in
real property shall constitute a land contract mortgage upon the vendor's or vendee's interest.
(2) A land contract mortgage shall be in a form and shall be executed, acknowledged, and recorded in the same manner as provided for real estate mortgages.
(3) A land contract mortgage need not specifically identify the interest encumbered as a vendor's or vendee's interest.
(4) A land contract mortgage that is recorded in the manner provided for real estate mortgages is perfected for all purposes, without filing, under the uniform commercial code, 1962 PA 172, MCL 440.1101 to 440.11102, any notice to the nonmortgaging vendor or the nonmortgaging vendee or the taking of possession of the original land contract document or otherwise. A land contract mortgage perfected in accordance with this section takes priority as a matter of law over all other mortgages, liens, security, or other interests in such vendor's or vendee's interests except those as to which a real estate mortgage would be subordinate.
565.359 Land contract mortgage; enforcement; foreclosure; additional remedies.
Sec. 9. (1) A land contract mortgage may be enforced in accordance with any existing procedure for the enforcement of a real estate mortgage, including, without limitation, foreclosure by advertisement and judicial foreclosure. Upon completion of a foreclosure by advertisement or judicial foreclosure of a land contract mortgage and the expiration of the applicable redemption period, the successful bidder at foreclosure shall succeed to all of the mortgaged interests of the respective foreclosed vendor or vendee.
(2) Other rights and remedies that may be available to a real estate mortgagee, including, without
limitation, future advance mortgages, assignments of rents, or receiverships may, in a proper case, be applied in favor of a land contract mortgagee.
(3) All remedies that existed before the effective date of sections 6 to 11 shall continue to apply. However, a land contract mortgage made pursuant to this act may, at the option of the land contract mortgagee, also be enforced as provided in this act.
Use this form for vacant land, residential housing, apartments/rental property, small commercial and condominiums.
For a Discharge of Land Contract, see Discharge of Mortgage form.
(Michigan LC Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example) For use in Michigan only.
Important: Your property must be located in Berrien County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.
This Land Contract meets all recording requirements specific to Berrien County.
Our Promise
The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Berrien County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.
Save Time and Money
Get your Berrien County Land Contract form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.
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RHONDA G.
February 22nd, 2024
Was driven to this site by the county website. It took a bit of work having to create an account, etc. The example was useful; however the example only showed both parties in the same county, nor did the instructions mention anything about differing counties. This caused an oversight on my part.
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Gary A.
March 15th, 2019
I believe this is the way to go without the need of a lawyer. Fast downloads, very informative, Now the work starts
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July 9th, 2021
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john m.
June 17th, 2020
its a bit confusing for a novice computer user. I would prefer to print out the forms, fill them out on paper, then attach them to an email to discuss the accuracy of the forms with a friend, and then take the completed forms to the County office to be recorded
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February 15th, 2022
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December 6th, 2021
The Quit Claim Deed for the state of Ohio worked for me, saving me the cost of an attorney doing it. O.K., maybe that wouldn't have amounted to more than a few hundred dollars, but anywhere I thought I could save money (and learn something new on top of it) is something I want to do. That said, be forwarned. While I'm not an attorney I'm not averse to spending many hours researching the lingo found in this kind of form and thoroughly understanding exactly how everything has to be filled in. I should add that my ex-wife and I remain friends and she was the one giving me the property/house (thus, technically I filled out the forms on her behalf). Because there was no personal conflict, it made it easier to undertake. Lastly, what others have said about the county office where you must file a Quit Claim Deed not being helpful, that's true in the sense that they do not want to be instructing non-attorneys on filling out the necessary forms. I did take a preliminary draft set of the forms to the county office but was VERY CAREFUL about explaining that I only needed a couple of questions answered about procedure for submitting the final documents. They were helpful once I made it clear I wasn't asking them for "legal advice". And their help was critical as the final submittals requires stopping at three different offices (MapDocuments, Auditor and finally the Recorder's office). So I say thank you to Deeds.com. Their service for the Quit Claim Deed was invaluable.
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August 23rd, 2022
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May 21st, 2021
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June 11th, 2019
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April 26th, 2021
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January 2nd, 2019
Deed was easy to download and complete. Will use again if needed.
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April 11th, 2023
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November 12th, 2019
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Arthur T.
September 9th, 2021
Thanks
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Lorraine F.
October 9th, 2024
I followed the instructions to download the form for my Mac, typed in the legal description of the real property but the space provided for it would not expand so I just typed the form into Word as a document. While I appreciate having the form to work with it would have been a breeze if it worked properly.
Your insights are invaluable to us and help us strive for better service. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.