Home inspections in Wayne County, from Detroit to Belleville
We inspect across all of Wayne County from our Southfield office: Detroit, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Livonia, Canton, Westland, Taylor, Southgate, Wyandotte, Lincoln Park, Allen Park, Redford, Garden City, Romulus, Belleville, Plymouth, Northville, the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck and Downriver. Wayne has the oldest housing of any county we serve, with a median build year of 1956, so the add-ons that matter here are the sewer scope, lead testing, asbestos sampling before a renovation, a mold inspection for basements that have flooded, and a radon test; the well and septic package matters only at the county's western and southern edges.
Every inspection is done by a certified inspector, comes with thermal imaging and a drone view of the roof when the weather allows, and the digital report is in your inbox the same day. 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 Wayne County homes were built before 1980, when lead paint and asbestos flooring, siding and insulation were still in use. We test for both.
0%
of Wayne County homes date from before 1950, the oldest housing of any county we serve: knob-and-tube, clay sewer lines, plaster.
0%
of Wayne County radon tests were above the EPA fix-it level of 4 pCi/L, Northville 12% (EGLE map, 3,971 tests). A 48-hour test runs during the inspection.
What buyers run into in Wayne County
The oldest housing of any county we serve: lead, asbestos and original systems
The median Wayne County home was built in 1956, 80% of the county's 801,083 housing units went up before 1980 and 35% date from before 1950 (Census American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). 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: 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. In Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park and the older Downriver cities, plan on knob-and-tube remnants, galvanized pipe, plaster and clay sewer lines as the norm rather than the exception.
Basements that have flooded, and mold
Detroit, Dearborn and the Grosse Pointes saw basement flooding and sewer backups across whole neighborhoods in the storms of June 2021, and a finished basement that was dried out in a hurry can hide mold for years. Thermal imaging and moisture readings are part of every home inspection, so hidden moisture behind a finished wall shows up in the report with a picture. 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.
Sewer lines, rentals and lead in the water
Clay and cast iron sewer lines from the 1920s to 1960s, mature street trees and decades of rental use are the three reasons we recommend a sewer scope here more than anywhere else. 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. Detroit is still replacing lead service lines, so a water test (from $175) with a lead panel tells you what is coming out of the tap inside the house. One thing we do not do: the lead inspection or risk assessment Detroit requires before a rental can be registered has to come from a state-certified lead inspector or risk assessor, and we are not on that list. Our lead test is the buyer's test of paint, dust and water, not the rental certificate.
Radon, wells and the western townships
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. In Wayne County, 7% of the 3,971 tests reported to EGLE's radon map came back above that level (272 of 3,971), with Northville at 12%, Plymouth and Belleville at 11% and Canton at 5% to 7%. A 48-hour radon test starts at $200 and runs during the inspection. Private wells and septic systems survive in Sumpter, Van Buren and Huron townships and parts of Canton and Northville: There is no county-wide time-of-sale rule for wells and septic in Wayne County; a few townships and most lenders have their own requirements, so give us the address and we will tell you what applies. The well and septic package starts at $500, or the well alone from $275 and the septic alone from $300. VA loans require a water test on any private well and FHA lenders ask for one in most cases. We pull the sample, send it to a certified lab and deliver the results in the format the lender wants, usually in 2 to 7 business days. The water test starts at $175 and covers coliform bacteria, nitrates, nitrites, lead, arsenic and more.
Services and starting prices in Wayne County
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. 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
- Thermal imaging, 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
Wayne County towns we cover
Detroit, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Livonia, Canton, Westland, Taylor, Southgate, Wyandotte, Lincoln Park, Allen Park, Redford, Garden City, Inkster, Romulus, Belleville, Van Buren Township, Plymouth, Northville, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Harper Woods, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Trenton, Riverview, Woodhaven, Brownstown, Flat Rock, Rockwood, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Melvindale, Ecorse, River Rouge and Huron and Sumpter townships. If your address is in the county, we cover it.
Questions from Wayne County buyers
Do you inspect in Detroit?
What should I add on a 1920s Detroit house?
Is radon a problem in Wayne County?
Can I be there for the inspection?
We Proudly Serve Most Areas in Michigan
Areas We Serve