Buyer Home Inspection in Metro Detroit
A practical top-to-bottom evaluation of the home's major systems before you close.
15% off for active and retired military, first responders, nurses, and teachers. Any inspection — just mention it when you book.
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What It Is
What a buyer home inspection covers.
A buyer's inspection is your one chance to understand a home before it becomes your problem. It happens after your offer is accepted, inside your inspection contingency period — the window where you still have leverage to negotiate repairs, ask for a credit, or walk away.
Every PreFlight inspection follows the InterNACHI® Standards of Practice and the same checklist discipline I used on aircraft for twenty-one years. Nothing skipped, nothing assumed. The roof gets documented from the air where conditions allow, the attic gets a camera, and the panel cover comes off wherever it can be done safely. Those aren't upsells — that's how every inspection is done.
Expect two to four hours depending on the size, age, and condition of the home. Walk along if you can. If you can only make part of it, come for the last 45 minutes and I'll walk you through everything that matters. You'll have a photo-documented Spectora report within 24 hours, organized by priority so you and your agent can act on it immediately.
Scope
Systems inspected
Inside each of those:
- Roof and exterior — covering, flashing, gutters and downspouts, siding and trim, grading, walks and drives, decks and porches. Drone documentation of the roof where conditions allow.
- Foundation and structure — visible foundation walls, floor structure, signs of movement, and evidence of moisture or past water.
- Electrical — service size, panel and breakers with the cover removed where it can be done safely, wiring type where visible, GFCI and AFCI protection, and a representative sample of outlets, switches, and fixtures.
- Heating and cooling — equipment type and age, operation under normal controls within seasonal limits, distribution, venting, and filters.
- Plumbing — supply and drain materials where visible, water heater, fixtures run and checked for flow and leaks, and the sump pump tested where accessible.
- Attic and insulation — insulation depth, ventilation, air sealing, bath fan terminations, and evidence of leaks or ice damming, with GoPro imaging of what I can't reach by hand.
- Thermal scan — a FLIR thermal camera on the electrical panel, the plumbing walls and the ceilings under bathrooms, and anywhere I suspect moisture or missing insulation, on every inspection at no extra charge. It’s a targeted scan, not a wall-by-wall infrared survey; anything it flags gets confirmed with a moisture meter and photographed for the report.
- Interior, windows, and doors — walls, ceilings, floors, stairs and railings, window and door operation, and the presence of smoke and CO alarms.
Limits
What a standard inspection doesn't cover.
A home inspection is visual and non-invasive. I don't open walls, move the seller's belongings, or evaluate anything that isn't safely accessible on inspection day. It isn't a code inspection, an appraisal, or a warranty, and it can't predict how long a system will keep working.
Specialty items are separate services or separate specialists: radon testing, sewer scope, mold or air-quality sampling, wood-destroying insects, private wells and septic systems, pools, seawalls, and the inside of chimney flues. When something needs a specialist, the report says so plainly and tells you which kind.
Process
How it works.
1. Book
Online in two minutes, or call or text 586-522-8733. I schedule around your contingency clock, not mine.
2. Sign the agreement
Sent electronically before inspection day, so you know exactly what's covered before I show up.
3. Inspection day
Two to four hours. Walk along, ask anything. I explain findings as I go, in plain English.
4. Report in 24 hours
Photo-rich Spectora report, prioritized, with a repair-request tool your agent can use to draft the addendum.
5. After
Call with questions three days or three months later. If the seller agrees to repairs, a re-inspection verifies the work before you close.
Pricing
What it costs.
$449 for a typical single-family home up to roughly 2,000 square feet; $479 to 2,500 square feet and $499 to 3,000, with modest steps above that. Homes built before 1950 carry a small surcharge for the extra time they take. You get a firm price before anything is scheduled — no surprises on inspection day.
Complete Inspection — $749, save $74. Add radon testing ($175) and a sewer scope ($199) to the same visit and the same report. It's the combination I recommend on most homes in this market, and the one most buyers choose. Active and retired military, first responders, nurses, and teachers get a permanent 15% Heroes Discount — just mention it when you book. Prefer to hold your cash until closing? See Pay at Closing below.
More on cost, timing, and scope on the FAQ page.
See the full price list — every size tier, the older-home and distance adjustments, add-ons and the Heroes Discount.
Backed by InterNACHI®
Three programs most inspectors can't offer.
Two through InterNACHI®, one through Spectora. All three come standard with a buyer inspection.
“We'll Buy Your Home” Guarantee
If I miss a covered item I should have caught and reported, InterNACHI® will buy your home back for the full purchase price. Honored up to 90 days after closing. Primary residences; subject to InterNACHI® program terms.
Pay at Closing
Don't pay out of pocket on inspection day. Through Spectora's Pay at Close program you sign a short agreement, put a backup card on file, and the inspection fee is invoiced to your title company at closing — radon and sewer scope included if you add them. If the closing is canceled or payment isn't received within 10 business days after closing, the backup card is charged. Pay at Close info sheet (PDF).
Inspection Warranty — Included
Every buyer inspection includes an InterNACHI® Inspection Warranty (Pro plan) at no extra cost. It reimburses eligible repair costs over $150 per claim, up to $3,000 total — central heating and cooling, water heater, main plumbing lines, electrical panel and wiring, structure, built-in kitchen appliances, mold remediation, and roof leaks — for 120 days from inspection or 90 days after closing, whichever comes first. No age limit on appliances, no service fee, and claims are filed online with the warranty administrator.
Buy-Back Guarantee is offered by InterNACHI® for primary residences and is subject to program terms and conditions. Full terms at nachi.org/buy-legal. The InterNACHI® Inspection Warranty is administered by Elite Inspection Warranty Company, LLC and comes with buyer inspections of owner-occupied one- or two-family homes and condominium units (unit only); new construction and pre-listing inspections are not eligible. Coverage applies to systems inspected and found free of defects; per-element limits apply ($2,250 electrical, structural, or mold; $1,500 mechanical or appliances; $1,000 roof leaks), reimbursement covers eligible costs over $150 per claim, and other exclusions apply. Full warranty terms (PDF).
Pay at Close in under a minute.
Sample Report
See what you'll get before you book.
Want to see exactly what a PreFlight report looks like — the photos, the priorities, the plain-English write-ups? This is a real buyer inspection of a 1990s Metro Detroit condo, with the radon test, exactly as the client received it. Address and names removed.
Opens on Spectora. Prefer a PDF? Call or text 586-522-8733 and I'll send one.
Questions
Buyer inspection questions.
How much does a buyer home inspection cost in Metro Detroit?
PreFlight buyer inspections start at $449 for a typical single-family home up to roughly 2,000 square feet, $479 to 2,500 and $499 to 3,000. Larger, older, or more complex homes scale from there, and you get a firm price before anything is scheduled. Radon testing adds $175 and a sewer scope adds $199 in the same visit.
How long does the inspection take?
Two to four hours for most homes, depending on size, age, and condition. Older homes and larger properties run longer, and I don't cut the inspection short to make the next appointment.
Should I be there?
You don't have to be, but it helps. Seeing a finding in person and asking about it on the spot is worth more than any paragraph in the report. If you can only make part of it, come for the last 45 minutes.
When do I get the report?
Within 24 hours of the inspection, usually the same evening. It's a photo-documented Spectora report organized by priority — what matters, what can wait, and what it means — so you and your agent can act on it right away.
What happens if you find something major?
I tell you what it is, what it typically costs to address, and whether it's urgent or can wait. Nothing is a deal-killer by default. You and your agent decide whether to negotiate repairs, ask for a credit, or walk away. I don't blow up deals, and I don't rubber-stamp them either.
Can I get radon and a sewer scope at the same time?
Yes. Inspection, radon, and sewer scope happen in one visit and land in one report. The radon monitor runs for 48 hours, so those results follow a couple of days after the inspection report.
Service Area
Available across Southeast Michigan
Schedule your inspection.
Most requests answered same day.
Or send the details and I’ll quote it.