Transaction Coordination

Michigan Purchase Agreement Deadlines: Disclosure, Earnest Money and Contingencies

Which Michigan purchase agreement deadlines come from state law and which come from the agreement: the Seller Disclosure Act's 72- and 120-hour termination windows, the 2-banking-day earnest money rule, lead paint, condos, and the contingency dates to copy from your contract.

Ijharul Islam October 30, 2026 10 min read

Michigan purchase agreement deadlines, in short: state law sets only a few. The seller's disclosure is due before a binding purchase agreement; if it arrives later, the buyer has 72 hours after personal delivery, or 120 after registered mail, to terminate in writing. Brokers deposit earnest money within 2 banking days of acceptance. The agreement sets the rest.

More on this topic: Contract deadlines by state, every guide in one place.

Michigan has no state-mandated purchase agreement. Michigan REALTORS publishes a members-only form (its Form A was revised in January 2024), and brokerages and local boards use others, so we don't quote default day counts from any of them. This guide covers the deadlines Michigan law fixes and the ones to copy from your executed agreement. It's general information, not legal advice. Neighbouring states: Ohio purchase agreement deadlines and Wisconsin WB-11 deadlines.

Key takeaways

The Seller Disclosure Act applies to transfers of one to four residential units, and the statement must be delivered before the seller signs a binding purchase agreement (MCL 565.954(1)).
A disclosure or amendment delivered after signing gives the buyer 72 hours (in person) or 120 hours (registered mail) after delivery to terminate by written notice; the right ends at transfer by deed or installment contract (MCL 565.954(3)–(4)).
A broker must deposit earnest money within 2 banking days after learning the offer was accepted by all parties, or deliver it to a named escrowee in the same time (MCL 339.2512(k)(v), (vii)).
There's no general 3-day right to rescind a Michigan home purchase; the 9-business-day condo right applies only to a developer's first sale of a unit, per Michigan REALTORS.
Inspection, financing, appraisal, title and closing dates come from the agreement, so copy every blank on day one and ask about any left empty.

Which Michigan deadlines are set by law?

These apply whatever purchase agreement form the parties use:

Deadline	Length	Counted from	Unit	If it's missed
Seller's Disclosure Statement	Before the seller signs a binding purchase agreement	—	—	Buyer gets the termination window below (MCL 565.954(1))
Buyer terminates after a late or amended disclosure (personal delivery)	72 hours	Delivery of the statement or amendment	Hours	Termination right lost (565.954(3)(a))
Same, delivered by registered mail	120 hours	Delivery	Hours	Termination right lost (565.954(3)(b))
Broker deposits earnest money in trust	2 banking days	Broker's notice that all parties accepted	Banking days	A breach of the broker's licensing duties (339.2512(k)(v))
Licensee delivers deposit to a named escrowee (e.g. a title company)	2 banking days	Licensee's notice of acceptance	Banking days	Same (339.2512(k)(vii))
Lead-based paint inspection opportunity (pre-1978 homes)	10 days	Set by the contract	Days	Unless changed in writing or waived by the buyer (federal rule)
New condo unit from the developer	Agreement not binding until 9 business days after the buyer gets the condominium documents	Receipt of documents	Business days	Applies to initial sales only, per Michigan REALTORS

Everything else, including the inspection period, mortgage commitment, appraisal, title objections, closing and possession, is set by the purchase agreement.

How does the 72-hour disclosure rule work in Michigan?

The Seller Disclosure Act covers transfers of any interest in one to four residential units, whether by sale, land contract, lease with an option to purchase or similar arrangement, as Michigan REALTORS' Legal Hotline Companion summarizes MCL 565.952. Under MCL 565.954, the seller must deliver the written disclosure statement to the buyer, or to either side's agent, before signing a binding purchase agreement, and the seller must show compliance on the purchase agreement, an addendum or a separate document.

If the statement, or an amendment to it, is delivered after the purchase agreement is signed, the buyer can terminate by written notice to the seller or the seller's agent within 72 hours after delivery in person, or 120 hours after delivery by registered mail. The right ends once the property transfers by deed or installment sales contract. Michigan REALTORS' hotline adds that sellers generally have no duty to volunteer information beyond the statement, though they can't conceal known defects or mislead.

Because the window runs in hours from the moment of delivery, record the delivery time, not just the date. A statement handed over at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 opens a window that closes at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, November 6; by registered mail delivered at the same time, at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 8. See seller disclosure requirements by state.

When must earnest money be deposited in Michigan?

Within 2 banking days after the broker receives notice that the offer has been accepted by all parties (MCL 339.2512(k)(v)). If the agreement names an escrowee other than a broker, such as a title company, the licensee holding the check must deliver it to that escrowee within the same 2 banking days ((k)(vii)). These are banking days, not calendar days, so a weekend or bank holiday in between pushes the date out.

Michigan REALTORS' hotline adds some practical limits. The 2-banking-day rule applies to a check in the broker's hands; buyer and seller can agree that the buyer delivers the check later, for example within a week of a binding agreement, and a backup offer can say the check isn't delivered until it becomes primary. A salesperson must pass a check to the broker on receipt and can't sit on it, and once a broker has the check it must be deposited. If a deal fails and both sides claim the deposit, it stays in the trust account until they agree in writing or a court decides, or the broker deposits it with the court. More in the earnest money deadline and earnest money disputes.

Is there a right to cancel a Michigan purchase agreement?

Not a general one. Michigan REALTORS' Legal Hotline Companion answers flatly that there's no 3-day right of rescission on a contract for the sale of real estate. A buyer's ways out are the ones in the agreement, its contingencies, and the late-disclosure window above.

Condominiums are a partial exception. The hotline explains that under the Condominium Act, a purchase agreement for a developer's initial sale of a unit isn't binding until 9 business days after the buyer receives all the condominium documents. A resale has no such right, so a buyer who wants to review the documents needs a contingency written into the agreement, with its own deadline.

What deadlines does the purchase agreement itself set?

Because the forms aren't public and vary by brokerage and board, read these from the executed agreement and its addenda. The dates to copy on day one:

The acceptance date and how the agreement defines it (signed only, or signed and delivered).
The inspection contingency: the number of days, what the buyer must deliver by the deadline, and what happens next.
Mortgage application and commitment dates, and any appraisal contingency.
Title commitment delivery and the buyer's objection period, plus any survey.
Condo or HOA document review, if the agreement includes it.
Any home-sale contingency and its deadlines.
Closing date and possession or occupancy terms, including any per-day occupancy charge.
Whether days are calendar or business days, and whether time is of the essence.

If a blank is empty, ask the agents before calendaring anything; don't assume a default the form may not have. Use the real estate deadline calculator once you have the numbers.

How do Michigan inspection contingencies work?

It depends on the clause, and Michigan REALTORS' hotline is candid that they vary. Typically the buyer can go ahead with the agreement as written or terminate; the buyer can ask the seller for repairs but usually can't force them. Some clauses say that if the seller won't make the requested repairs, the buyer chooses between terminating and waiving the objections; others give the seller the right to terminate if the buyer asks for concessions. Once a buyer has validly terminated, the seller offering to fix the problem usually doesn't revive the deal.

Two things follow for a TC. Find out from the clause whether a repair request puts the seller's termination right in play before the buyer sends one, and calendar any response windows the clause sets. The hotline also notes a seller may counter with an inspection waiver, which the buyer can accept or reject. See the repair request process.

What does a Michigan timeline look like?

Here's one worked through, assuming notice of acceptance on Monday, November 2, 2026 and contingency days written into the agreement:

Example (accepted Monday, November 2, 2026)	Deadline
Broker deposits earnest money (2 banking days)	Wednesday, November 4
Late disclosure handed over Tuesday, November 3, 3:00 p.m.: buyer's termination window (72 hours)	Friday, November 6, 3:00 p.m.
Same disclosure by registered mail, delivered at that time (120 hours)	Sunday, November 8, 3:00 p.m.
Inspection contingency, if the agreement says 10 calendar days	Thursday, November 12
Mortgage commitment, if it says 30 days	Wednesday, December 2
Closing	The date in the agreement

The dates are illustrative; the executed agreement controls. Banking days skip weekends and bank holidays such as Veterans Day (November 11), so an acceptance on Tuesday, November 10 would move the deposit deadline to Friday, November 13. See calendar days vs business days.

What happens if you miss a deadline in Michigan?

For the statutory windows, the result is fixed: once 72 or 120 hours pass, the buyer's right to terminate over the late disclosure is gone, and a late earnest money deposit is a licensing issue for the broker rather than a ground to cancel. For contract deadlines, the agreement decides: many contingencies are waived if the buyer doesn't act in time, and whether a missed date is a default often turns on whether the agreement makes time of the essence. See what happens if you miss a contingency deadline.

How do you track Michigan purchase agreement deadlines in Closingbird?

Copy every blank from the executed agreement on day one, along with the acceptance date and time and the disclosure delivery date and time. Add the statutory dates next to the contract ones so they all sit on one file.

Closingbird reads the executed agreement and fills in the dates it finds; you check and edit them. Contract reading covers about the first 12,000 characters of a long document, so check that dates in addenda came through (see how contract reading works). Calendar-day contingencies go in as “X days after acceptance”. Closingbird counts whole days, not hours, so for the 72- and 120-hour windows set a fixed date and note the time. Its business days skip weekends and US federal holidays, which is close to, but not guaranteed to match, a given bank's banking days, so check the 2-banking-day deposit date with the broker. Each owner gets a morning reminder. See deadline tracking and business days vs calendar days.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Michigan buyer have to cancel after receiving the seller's disclosure?

If the disclosure or an amendment arrives after the purchase agreement is signed: 72 hours after personal delivery or 120 hours after delivery by registered mail, by written notice (MCL 565.954(3)).

Is there a 3-day right of rescission on a Michigan home purchase?

No. Michigan REALTORS' Legal Hotline Companion says there's no 3-day right of rescission on a contract for the sale of real estate.

When does earnest money have to be deposited in Michigan?

Within 2 banking days after the broker learns the offer was accepted by all parties, or delivered to a named escrowee in the same time (MCL 339.2512(k)).

How long is the inspection period in Michigan?

Whatever the purchase agreement says. State law doesn't set one, and the Michigan REALTORS form isn't public, so copy the number from your executed agreement.

Do Michigan purchase agreement deadlines include weekends?

It depends on the agreement's definitions. The statutory disclosure windows run in hours around the clock; the earnest money rule uses banking days.

Run it in Closingbird

Upload a Michigan purchase agreement, add the disclosure and earnest money dates next to the contract's own, and let Closingbird remind each owner. Start a free trial (14-day free trial, no credit card required) or see pricing.

Sources

Checked in October 2026. Rules and prices change, and many vary by state, so confirm with the source, your state's real estate commission or your broker before you rely on them.

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