Detroit, Dearborn, Livonia, Canton, Westland, Plymouth and Northville. The oldest housing in Southeast Michigan sits next to some of its newest, and the two need very different inspections.
Illustration of a Detroit-area brick home. Not a photo of a property we inspected.
Wayne County has the oldest housing stock in Southeast Michigan by a wide margin — in Detroit itself, roughly 58% of homes were built before 1950, and several communities including Grosse Pointe Park and Hamtramck have more than 70% of their housing predating 1950. That history shows up in specific, predictable ways during an inspection: original knob-and-tube wiring that's since been partially updated (and partially not), lead service lines that weren't required to be documented when installed, plaster-and-lath walls instead of drywall, and — on the sewer side specifically — clay tile or Orangeburg pipe that's now well past its intended service life. None of this makes an older Wayne County home a bad buy. It does mean the inspection needs to actually know what it's looking at, not run a generic checklist built for a house half its age.
Detroit's building activity has also shifted differently than its suburbs — in 2023, only about 28% of the city's new residential permits were single-family, with the rest multi-family redevelopment. If you're evaluating a converted flat, a small multi-family, or a rehab in the city itself, that's a genuinely different inspection than a single-family homebuyer inspection in Livonia or Canton, and it gets treated as one.
Pre-1950 houses, two-family flats and rehabs make up much of the city. Permits and inspections run through the city's BSEED department, which is worth checking on any property that has had work done.
Detroit BSEED permits and inspections ↗Dearborn has a dedicated page for people buying a home in the city, covering inspection and re-occupancy steps that can apply to a sale.
City of Dearborn: buying a home ↗Largely postwar subdivisions of ranches and colonials. Original furnaces, water heaters, roofs and electrical panels are the usual conversation.
Canton grew quickly from the 1990s on, so the focus there is grading, drainage and the first round of mechanical replacements. Plymouth and Northville add older, historic homes to the mix.
Clay tile and Orangeburg pipe are common in older Wayne County neighborhoods. A camera scope is the only way to see the condition of the main line, and it is included with our full inspection.
Partial knob-and-tube updates, mixed old and new circuits and undersized panels turn up regularly in pre-war homes.
Older homes may still have lead service lines or galvanized supply pipes. We note what we can see and tell you what to ask the seller.
Converted flats and small multi-family buildings in the city are inspected unit by unit, not like a single-family house.
A full Wayne County inspection starts at $350 and the price follows square footage and unit count. Multi-unit buildings are quoted by the unit. Radon is $145 and water testing $99 if you want either on the same visit. See pricing · See a sample report
Wayne County buyers usually end up needing three offices: the county for records, the city for permits, and the state for radon guidance. Here they are. These are outside links to official sites and may change.
Yes. Older Detroit housing is a large part of our work, including two-family flats and rehabs. Multi-unit properties are priced and inspected as multi-family. See our commercial and multi-family page.
Often, yes. Clay tile and Orangeburg pipe are common in the older parts of the county, and the camera shows roots, breaks and bellies that a visual inspection cannot. It is included in our full inspection.
Municipal requirements vary by city and by the sale. Check the city links on this page or ask your agent or closing attorney. We inspect the home itself and do not replace a municipal re-occupancy inspection.
Throughout Wayne County, including Detroit, Dearborn, Livonia, Canton, Westland, Plymouth and Northville.
One inspection. One complete report. Every finding, every cost, every photo — organized so you can act on it before closing.
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