Home inspections in Detroit, from Rosedale Park to Jefferson Chalmers
We inspect every Detroit neighborhood from our Southfield office: Rosedale Park and North Rosedale Park, Grandmont, Palmer Woods, the University District, Sherwood Forest, Boston-Edison, Indian Village and West Village, East English Village, Morningside, Jefferson Chalmers, Corktown, Southwest Detroit, Warrendale and Brightmoor, across all seven council districts. This is the oldest housing we work in: 90% of the city's homes were built before 1980 and 57% before 1950, 1920s to 1940s brick colonials, Tudors and bungalows in the neighborhoods buyers name first, 1840s to Victorian-era houses in Corktown and 1890s to 1920s houses in Indian Village, so the add-ons that matter most here are the sewer scope, lead and asbestos testing, a structural integrity inspection (priced with the home) and a mold inspection for any basement that flooded in June 2021; radon comes last.
Every inspection is done by a certified inspector and the digital report is in your inbox the same day. Thermal imaging of the heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical systems and of any area showing signs of water intrusion is included in every home inspection, along with a drone view of the roof when the weather allows and a sump pump test. We test; we never repair or remediate, so nothing in the report is a sales pitch. A home inspection starts at $425; the final price depends on the size and age of the home, which is why the instant quote asks for the address.
0%
of Detroit's homes were built before 1980, when lead paint and asbestos flooring, siding and insulation were still in use, and the median house dates to 1947 (Census ACS 2020 to 2024). We test for both.
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of Detroit's homes were built before 1950: the brick colonials, Tudors and bungalows of Rosedale Park, East English Village and Palmer Woods (Census ACS 2020 to 2024). Knob-and-tube wiring, clay sewer laterals and lead service lines come with that age; the sewer scope and a structural look are where we start.
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of Detroit radon tests came back above the EPA fix-it level of 4 pCi/L (14 of 650 across the city's ZIP codes on EGLE's map), well below Wayne County's 7%. Test anyway; the only way to know is to test.
What buyers run into in Detroit
A median build year of 1947: lead, asbestos, knob-and-tube and the structure itself
The median Detroit home was built in 1947; 90% of the city's 329,393 homes went up before 1980 and 57% before 1950 (Census ACS 2020 to 2024). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says 87% of homes built before 1940 are likely to have lead paint. Lead paint was legal until 1978 and asbestos was still common in flooring, siding, insulation and ceiling texture into the 1980s, so anything of that age gets a lead test (from $100) and, if you plan to pull up floors or siding, asbestos sampling (from $300, with or without a home inspection): flooring installers, including Home Depot's, will not pull up pre-1980 vinyl or linoleum without an asbestos test (Home Depot's own installation guidance says so), so we sample flooring, siding and insulation and send it to an accredited lab. Knob-and-tube wiring has no ground and is refused by many insurers, and a 1920s brick house with a settled foundation, a leaning chimney or a cut joist gets a structural integrity inspection, priced with the home. We recommend a sewer scope (from $150) on any home built before 1980, any home that has been a rental, and any lot with mature trees near the sewer line, because roots are what break clay and cast iron pipe.
Great Lakes water, 80,000 lead service lines and a free replacement program
Detroit's water comes from the Great Lakes through the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) as the retail utility. The pipe is the problem, not the source: DWSD estimates more than 80,000 lead service lines in the city, has replaced roughly 16,000 since 2018, works neighborhood by neighborhood at no cost to the owner, and is under a state rule that requires every lead line out within 20 years of January 2021. Citywide lead sampling fell from 13 parts per billion in 2024 to 8 in summer 2025, under Michigan's action level of 12, but that is a citywide figure, not your tap. The FHA (Federal Housing Administration) or VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) water test that lenders require on a private well does not come up on DWSD water; what does is a water test (from $175) with a lead panel, which tells you what is coming out of the tap.
Radon: low here, but a basement is a basement
Michigan EGLE (the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) says about 1 in 4 homes in Michigan tests above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L. Detroit runs far below that: 2% of the 650 tests across the city's ZIP codes on EGLE's map came back above that level (14 of 650, four of them in ZIP 48228), against 7% for Wayne County, and a low citywide number says nothing about one house. A 48-hour radon test starts at $200 when added to a home inspection and runs during the inspection.
Combined sewers, the June 2021 flood and the free backup program
Detroit runs a combined sewer system, 3,000 miles of storm, sanitary and combined sewers, and on June 25 and 26, 2021 nearly seven inches of rain overnight put water and sewage into hundreds of basements; private lateral repairs after that ran up to twenty thousand dollars. DWSD's Basement Backup Protection Program has since installed backwater valves, lateral repairs and downspout disconnections at no cost in eleven neighborhoods (Aviation Sub, Victoria Park, Barton-McFarland, Chadsey Condon, Cornerstone Village, East English Village, Garden View, Jefferson Chalmers, Morningside, Moross-Morang and Warrendale), but applications are closed until the first round is finished, and it is the city's program, not ours, so the buyer's sewer scope is the only pre-sale look at the lateral. What we add on a basement that flooded in 2021 and was finished after it dried is the moisture reading behind the wall. Our mold inspection (from $275) is done by an IAC2-certified inspector: thermal imaging and moisture meters to find the source, spore-trap air samples and surface samples, and accredited lab results that name the species. The EPA's rule of thumb is that anything that stays wet longer than 24 to 48 hours will usually grow mold, and a finished basement hides exactly that.
Services and starting prices in Detroit
Prices are starting points. Add-on services (radon, well and septic, water, mold, sewer scope, termite, lead, pool and spa) are priced as shown when added to a home inspection; booked on their own they are quoted separately. Asbestos sampling starts at $300 with or without a home inspection. Thermal imaging of the heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and water-intrusion areas is part of every home inspection; the energy-efficiency scan of windows, doors and insulation is the add-on. The final price depends on the size and age of the home, and the instant quote gives you a firm number before you book. Commercial building inspections are quoted by the building.
- Home inspection, starting at $425
- Radon testing, starting at $200 when added to a home inspection
- Well and septic inspection package, starting at $500 (well alone from $275, septic alone from $300) when added to a home inspection
- Water testing, starting at $175 when added to a home inspection
- Sewer scope, starting at $150 when added to a home inspection
- Mold testing, starting at $275 when added to a home inspection
- Termite (WDI) inspection, starting at $200 when added to a home inspection
- Energy‒efficiency thermal scan, starting at $125
- Lead testing, starting at $100 when added to a home inspection
- Pool and spa inspection, starting at $125 when added to a home inspection
- Pre‒listing inspection, starting at $425
- New build blue tape inspection, starting at $525
- Investor property verification, starting at $250
- Soil testing, starting at $250
- Asbestos testing, starting at $300
Areas we cover around Detroit
Every Detroit neighborhood in all seven council districts, including Rosedale Park, North Rosedale Park, Grandmont, Palmer Woods, the University District, Sherwood Forest, Boston-Edison, Indian Village, West Village, East English Village, Morningside, Jefferson Chalmers, Corktown, Southwest Detroit, Mexicantown, Warrendale and Brightmoor. Next door: the Grosse Pointes, Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, and Downriver, from Melvindale and River Rouge to Lincoln Park, Allen Park, Southgate, Wyandotte and Taylor.
This page is part of our Wayne County coverage; the county page has the county-wide radon numbers, the township well and septic rules and every town we work in. All 18 counties are on the Areas We Serve page.
Questions from Detroit buyers
Do you serve the Detroit area?
Does Detroit require a lead inspection before I rent the house out?
I am buying a Detroit Land Bank house. What should I know?
Can I replace the windows on a historic-district house?
Can I be there for the inspection?
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