Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Looking for a Bloomfield Hills home inspector? We do certified home, commercial, mold and radon inspections in Bloomfield Hills, seven days a week. Home inspection reports come back in 24 hours.
Schedule your inspectionCall 734-331-3269
Services
For buyers, sellers, and homeowners keeping an eye on the place they already own. On new construction we also do pre-drywall inspections and 11-month builder’s warranty inspections. Our certified inspectors walk every major system in your Bloomfield Hills home and tell you plainly what they found — then put it in a photo-rich digital report within 24 hours.
Following the InterNACHI Standards of Practice:
Included free with every home buyer inspection— and none of them require us to sell your information.
SatisfactionIf you are unhappy with your inspector on the day of the inspection, before you have seen your report, tell us and we will make it right — or you owe us nothing.
30-Day WarrantyA free 30-day Guard home warranty trial, negotiated for you with no obligation. Activate it whenever you are ready.
$100 OffThe buyer’s protection guarantee: if the first home we inspect for you does not make it to the closing table, for any reason, we take $100 off any further home buyer inspection within 30 days of the original.
Optional services at an additional cost — not part of a standard inspection. Tap one to see what it covers.
A camera down the main sewer line, watching its condition from the inside — roots, breaks, bellies and blockages no visual inspection can find. More about sewer scope inspections
The wood-destroying organism report VA buyers are typically asked to provide, on the federal NPMA-33 form. Carried out during the same visit. More about Veterans WDO inspections
Up to five air samples sent to an accredited laboratory, added to the same appointment rather than booked as a second visit. More about mold inspection and testing
View a sample report
Offices, retail, multifamily and warehouses in Bloomfield Hills and across Oakland County. Know what condition a building is in before you sign — or stay ahead of problems in the one you already own. Reports in 24 to 72 hours depending on size.
Following the CCPIA commercial standards:
Commonly added to a commercial inspection at additional cost.
Commercial laterals are longer, older and carry more. A camera is the only way to see the condition of the one you are buying. More about sewer scope inspections
Air samples to an accredited laboratory, which matters most in buildings that have sat empty or had a roof or plumbing leak. More about mold inspection and testing
View a sample report
Add either to a Bloomfield Hills home or commercial inspection, or book it on its own. We test and we never remediate, so there is nothing to sell you on the back of a result — the number you get is just the number.
Radon measured in house on a professional continuous monitor; mold samples to an accredited laboratory:
The other things worth testing while somebody is already there.
Carried out after remediation on the treated area and the areas next to it, to confirm what was found. More about mold inspection and testing
A damp basement can have several causes, and the buried sewer line is the one a visual inspection cannot check. A scope rules it in or out. More about sewer scope inspections
View a sample reportBloomfield Hills housing stock
Bloomfield Hills has roughly 1,761 housing units and about 74% of them are single-family detached. Homes built in a single stretch tend to wear out in the same places at the same time. That is why when somewhere was built is the first thing worth knowing about it.
The busiest stretch of building here was the 1960s: 431 homes, about 24% of everything standing today.
The median owner-occupied home here is valued at $933,000. 90% are owner-occupied, which is high even for this area.
None of this says anything about the specific house you are buying. It is the shortlist a Bloomfield Hills home inspector works through in a home of this age, and every item on it gets photographed and written up whichever way it turns out.
Housing figures: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 five-year estimates.
When Bloomfield Hills was built
81% of homes here run on utility gas. Another 44 use bottled or LP gas.
Local knowledge
Two local rules shape a purchase here more than anything about the buildings themselves.
The first is about vacancy. If a property has been standing empty, the City requires an inspection by its own building inspector and the issue of a renewed certificate of occupancy before anyone moves in. The City is direct about what that means for a private inspection like ours: an independent inspector has no authority to require corrections, so it does not substitute for the City’s.
That is entirely correct, and it is worth saying plainly rather than around. The City’s inspection exists to compel compliance with a property maintenance code. Ours exists to tell you what condition a building is actually in before you commit your money to it. They answer different questions, and on a vacant property here you will want both.
The second rule is about trees. Under the City’s tree and woodland protection ordinance, every tree removal on a property requires a plan review by the building department before any work begins, and removing a regulated tree needs a permit. Violations are misdemeanors, and the City can require replacement trees, order restitution or impose liens.
That one matters more than it sounds. Limbs over a roof, roots lifting a drive, shade keeping a slope permanently damp — those are ordinary inspection findings, and in this city you cannot simply act on them.
The housing is largely mid-century: of roughly 1,761 units, 431 date from the 1960s, 333 from the 1980s and 233 from the 1970s, with 164 built in the 2010s and about 74% single-family detached.
Before you buy
Vacant properties
The City keeps a whole section of its frequently asked questions for vacated properties, and it answers the question buyers ask most directly.
Asked whether having a vacant property inspected by a certified home inspector counts, the City answers no — the independent inspector has no authority to require corrections, and the property must be inspected by the City building inspector, who is concerned with the health and safety issues described in the International Property Maintenance Code and is empowered to require compliance. It adds that while that code is broad in scope, it typically narrows its inspection to the more serious issues, and publishes the checklist it uses.
We agree with every word of that. An inspection report from us is not an enforcement instrument and never has been. It carries no authority to compel anybody to do anything.
What it does instead is answer a different question. The City is asking whether a building meets a minimum standard for occupancy. You are asking what condition the roof, structure, foundation, drainage, electrical, heating and cooling and plumbing are actually in, what is likely to need attention and when, and whether any of it should change what you offer. A municipal inspection narrowed to the more serious issues is not designed to tell you that, and does not claim to.
Two further details from the same section are worth knowing. A renewed certificate of occupancy does not lapse if nobody moves in promptly — the City says it would only be invalidated if the property were occupied and then abandoned. And the building inspector may call in trade inspectors where something looks out of the ordinary, and may require a furnace inspection by a certified contractor where the equipment appears poorly maintained or its last certification is outdated.
On a vacant house, that last point is worth pre-empting. Heating equipment that has sat unused through a winter is exactly what we look at closely too, and finding out early is better for everyone.
Trees
The City’s tree and woodland protection ordinance exists to preserve the woodland character of the city, and it is stricter than most people expect. Every tree removal on a property requires a plan review by the building department before any work commences, and a permit is required to remove a regulated tree.
The ordinance distinguishes between a regulated tree, a removable tree that may come out under defined conditions, and a landmark tree — one of exceptional size, age or significance with stronger protection. Diseased or infested trees must be treated or removed on notice from the City, trees must be protected during construction with fencing or barriers, and replacement plantings may be required.
Enforcement has teeth: violations are misdemeanors, the City may require replacement trees, order restitution payments or impose liens, and stop work orders are issued for non-compliance.
This lands squarely on ordinary inspection findings. A limb overhanging a roof, a tree shading a slope so it never dries, roots lifting a driveway or crowding a foundation, a mature tree standing over the line between the house and the street — all of those get reported, and in this city the response is a conversation with the building department rather than a call to a tree service.
That is not a reason to dread it. It is a reason to raise it early: if an inspection turns up something that will eventually mean removal, the process has a lead time and it is better started before closing than after.
We report what trees and vegetation are doing to a building — contact with the roof or siding, debris in gutters, shading, and visible root disturbance to walks and drives. We do not assess tree health, identify species for ordinance purposes or advise on removal.
Permits
The building department answers several questions in ways worth knowing before you plan work.
A building permit does not include the electrical, plumbing or heating permits — each trade permit must be pulled separately. So a single project can generate four records, and a buyer searching permit history should expect to find them under different headings.
A building bond may be required depending on the project, and the City explains its purpose candidly: it is an incentive for the permit holder to finish. It is returned once a final inspection is approved. As in any community that holds a bond, an unfinished permit means money still sitting with the City, which gives whoever pulled it a reason to close it out — and makes an open permit worth asking about.
Homeowners can pull their own permits by filing an affidavit accepting full responsibility and personal liability for the work, though the City states plainly that the practice is not encouraged and recommends the permit go to a licensed builder where one has been hired to supervise.
And the City will not recommend a contractor to you, though it will let you look at its records of licensed contractors. That is a reasonable position, and the same one we take — we report what we find and leave you free to choose who addresses it.
Permits must be posted on site with plans available to inspectors at every inspection, and the department publishes separate guidance on air conditioners, generators and heat pumps, which is worth reading before siting any of them.
The housing
With 431 units from the 1960s, 333 from the 1980s and 233 from the 1970s, most inspections here are of houses between forty and sixty-five years old.
On that stock the electrical service was sized for a very different household. Most have been upgraded, but upgrades range from a genuine rewire to a new panel with original distribution behind it, and circuits added in stages by different hands are common. Given that trade permits are pulled separately here, the electrical record is a distinct file worth requesting on its own.
Plumbing has usually been renewed in part rather than in whole, leaving material transitions worth examining. Roofs are on their third or fourth covering. Windows have generally been replaced once, sometimes with more attention to the unit than to what happens at the opening. Heating and cooling equipment has turned over two or three times, and venting arrangements do not always keep pace with a newer appliance.
Insulation and ventilation reflect the standards of the day, which on a 1960s or 1970s house usually means there is a worthwhile improvement available in the attic.
The 164 units built in the 2010s are a different proposition again — recent enough that the questions are about build quality and the first signs of settlement rather than about replacement cycles.
A buyer’s inspection covers the same ground across all of them, and radon testing and mold inspection and testing can be added to any visit. For commercial or multi-unit property, our commercial inspections follow the CCPIA standard.
The buried line
The drain line from the building to the main belongs to the owner. On a house from the 1960s it has been in the ground sixty years, on a wooded lot, under trees that have had exactly that long to find it.
The tree ordinance makes this a slightly different conversation from elsewhere. When roots do reach a lateral, the remedy is usually work on the pipe rather than removal of the tree, and knowing the condition of the line before you own it is correspondingly more useful.
We will not name a material from a build year, because no authoritative source establishes what Bloomfield Hills laterals are generally made of, and a guess in a report is worse than no statement at all.
A sewer camera inspection records what is actually inside: roots, cracks, displaced joints, bellies or blockages where they exist, and a clear run where they do not. It is added to the same appointment rather than booked separately, and on a mature wooded lot it is one of the more useful things you can buy before closing.
You can read what our clients say, look through answers to common questions, or get in touch about a specific address in Bloomfield Hills.
Local information from City of Bloomfield Hills — frequently asked questions on vacated properties and building permits · City of Bloomfield Hills — tree and woodland protection ordinance summary · City of Bloomfield Hills — Building Department, permits and inspections. Municipal requirements change — verify current details with the municipality.
Radon in Oakland County
Zone 2 is the middle EPA category — the predicted average indoor level across the county sits between 2 and 4 pCi/L. What a zone cannot tell you is anything about one house: 29% of tests actually run in Oakland County still came back at or above the EPA’s 4 pCi/L action level. A zone is an average taken across a whole county, and no house is an average.
We place a continuous monitor for 48 hours and read the result on site — no mail-in kit, no lab wait. How radon testing works · Oakland County radon and inspection coverage
Zone from the EPA Map of Radon Zones. Elevated-result share from the Michigan Indoor Radon Program.
Why choose us
Five reasons people here pick us as their Bloomfield Hills home inspector.
Family owned since 2009, more than 16,000 inspections completed and over 2,000 five-star reviews across Michigan. We also handle home buyer inspections, commercial building inspections, mold testing and radon testing.
We do not sell mold remediation or radon mitigation, so there is nothing to gain from a result that comes back bad. The number you get is just the number.
Radon, mold, sewer scope and wood-destroying organism inspections go on the same appointment as the home inspection rather than costing you a second morning.
Most people do, and it is the most useful hour of the whole purchase. Ask anything while we are standing in front of it.
InterNACHI and CCPIA certified, with four Certified Master Inspectors and National Home Inspector Examination passes on the team — none of which Michigan requires. The standards we inspect to are published and you can hold the work against them.
Including weekends, because inspection windows sit on closing dates and closing dates do not care what day it is.
Reviews
I recently hired Trademark for a full home inspection on a new purchase, including sewer scope and radon testing. It was a phenomenal experience from beginning to end. Our inspector, Mitch, did a fantastic job explaining all the findings, and the digital report with photos and videos was superb. Would definitely recommend without hesitation.
Salina HamiltonOak Park, MIWe had Mitch inspect our prospective house and he was amazing. He was thorough, patient to answer my questions and provide feedback on what areas he would recommend having a follow up expert and why. The office was responsive and I was able to book multiple services to be done in the same visit (inspection, radon test, sewer scope).
Chris PlaweckiOak Park, MIExcellent sums up the entire experience, from the initial call to set up the appointment with staff that was informative and helpful, up until the actual inspection that was very professional and thorough with any and all questions I had answered. I would highly recommend Trademark to anyone who needs inspection services. Thanks again Curt, my inspector, for an excellent job.
Johnny Thomas JrSouthfield, MIWhat happens
Questions
No, and the City says so directly: an independent inspector has no authority to require corrections, so the property must be inspected by the City building inspector, who works to the International Property Maintenance Code and is empowered to require compliance. Our report answers a different question — what condition the building is actually in — and on a vacant property here you will want both.
The certificate issued after the City inspects a vacated property. The City notes that it does not lapse if nobody moves in promptly — it would only be invalidated if the property were occupied and then abandoned. The inspector may also call in trade inspectors, or require a furnace inspection by a certified contractor where equipment looks poorly maintained or its certification is outdated.
Not without going through the City first. Every tree removal requires a plan review by the building department before any work commences, and removing a regulated tree requires a permit. The ordinance also protects landmark trees more strongly, may require replacement plantings, and treats violations as misdemeanors with possible restitution or liens.
Start with the building department rather than a tree service. The ordinance requires diseased or infested trees to be treated or removed on notice from the City, and every removal needs a plan review first. If an inspection turns up a tree affecting a roof, a drive or a foundation, raising it before closing gives the process time to run.
No. The City states that each trade permit must be pulled separately, so one project can produce four separate records. When researching a property, ask for all of them rather than assuming a building permit covers everything that was done.
The City describes it as an incentive for the permit holder to complete the project, returned once a final inspection is approved. That makes an open permit worth asking about when you buy: it means money still sitting with the City, and work that was never signed off.
Yes, by filing a homeowner’s affidavit accepting full responsibility and personal liability for the work — though the City states plainly that the practice is not encouraged, and recommends the permit be issued to a licensed builder where one has been hired to supervise.
On a mature wooded lot, yes. The lateral belongs to the owner, on a 1960s house it has been in the ground sixty years, and the trees the city protects have had the same time to find it. A camera inspection documents roots, cracks, displaced joints, bellies or blockages where they exist, and is added to the same visit.
More on cost, timing and what is included on the FAQ page.
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Permits, assessing and property records for Bloomfield Hills are handled by Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, not by us.
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