Memorandum of Land Contract (Michigan)
A short recordable document that tells the world a land contract exists — protecting the buyer's interest without publishing the purchase price or payment terms.
Important: Clear Path Document Services is a non-attorney document preparation service and cannot provide legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created. Read full disclaimer
Quick Answer
A memorandum of land contract is a short document recorded with the Michigan county Register of Deeds stating that a land contract exists between named parties for a described property. It exists so the buyer's interest shows up in a title search without the full contract — and its financial terms — becoming public. Recording matters: an unrecorded interest can be difficult to protect if the seller later tries to sell, mortgage, or encumber the property. Both parties normally sign, the signatures are notarized, and the document has to meet the county's recording format. When the contract is paid off or terminated, a discharge should be recorded to clear the record. Clear Path prepares the memorandum and the discharge.
Who qualifies for this service?
This document preparation service is a fit for Michigan residents who match the criteria below. If your situation is different, contact us and we'll tell you whether we can help or whether you should speak with an attorney.
- Land contract buyers who want their interest on the public record
- Sellers who agreed to record the contract as part of the deal
- Parties who signed a land contract years ago and never recorded anything
- Buyers refinancing or selling who need the record cleaned up
- Sellers who paid off a land contract and need a discharge recorded
- Investors keeping consistent documentation across multiple properties
How the process works
Clear, predictable steps from intake to court-ready paperwork.
Send us the contract
The signed land contract, the property address, and the county.
We review your matter
We verify the legal description and the parties against the recorded deed.
Written quote
Flat preparation fee, with the county recording fee listed separately.
Memorandum prepared
Prepared in your county's recording format with preparer and return information.
Signing and notarization
Notarized in office or at your location.
Recording
Recording instructions, or submission at your direction, plus the discharge later on payoff.
Paperwork we organize for you
Document preparation only. We do not represent you in court.
Documents and information you'll need
- A copy of the signed land contract
- Property address and parcel identification number
- A copy of the recorded deed with the legal description
- Full legal names of all sellers and buyers
- The county where the property is located
- Photo ID for everyone signing
Common mistakes to avoid
Small errors can cost you weeks. Here's what we see most often.
- Recording the full land contract, which makes every financial term public.
- Recording nothing at all, leaving the buyer's interest invisible to title searchers.
- Using a legal description from a tax bill rather than the recorded deed.
- Missing a notarization or a required signature, which the Register of Deeds will reject.
- Ignoring the county's formatting standards — margins, first-page space, and preparer information.
- Never recording a discharge after payoff, leaving a cloud on the title for years.
Local Michigan considerations
Every Michigan county Register of Deeds sets its own recording fees and document formatting standards, including margin requirements and space for the recording stamp, and documents that don't comply get rejected and returned. The memorandum should describe the property using the legal description from the recorded deed — not the shortened description printed on a tax bill. Record in the county where the property is located, not where anyone lives. When the land contract is eventually paid in full, record a discharge so the memorandum doesn't sit on the title as an unresolved interest; buyers refinancing years later routinely run into that problem.
Key Terms
- Memorandum of land contract
- A short recordable notice that a land contract exists, without disclosing its financial terms.
- Register of Deeds
- The county office that records real estate documents and maintains the public land records.
- Constructive notice
- The legal effect of recording — the public is treated as knowing about a recorded interest.
- Discharge
- A recorded document clearing a prior interest, filed after a land contract is paid in full.
People Also Ask
Reviewed and updated by the Clear Path document team. Informational only — not legal advice.
Ready to get your paperwork started?
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