Clawson, Michigan
Looking for a Clawson home inspector? We do certified home, commercial, mold and radon inspections in Clawson, 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 Clawson 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 Clawson 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 Clawson 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 reportClawson housing stock
Clawson has roughly 6,037 housing units and about 74% of them are single-family detached. Age is the most useful single fact about a house before anyone has seen it. It narrows down what is worth checking first, and it is why two places of much the same size can need quite different inspections.
If the town has a defining decade it is the 1950s, which accounts for 2,459 homes, around 41% of the housing stock.
The median owner-occupied home here is valued at $237,000.
Treat this as a starting list, not a diagnosis. A Clawson home inspector checks these things early in a home of this age and then records what is genuinely there, which is often not what the era would suggest.
Housing figures: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 five-year estimates.
When Clawson was built
84% of homes here run on utility gas, and 9 still heat with oil. If yours is one of them, the tank is the thing to ask about — where it is, and whether it was ever buried. Another 100 use bottled or LP gas.
Local knowledge
Clawson publishes exactly what its Certificate of Occupancy covers, and the useful part is what is missing from the list.
A certificate is required before use for all commercial property, for new home construction, and for vacant and abandoned property identified under the City’s ordinances. An ordinary house changing hands is not on that list. Several cities within a few miles of here do run residential point-of-sale inspections, so it is worth knowing that Clawson, on its own published scope, does not.
What it does run is a rental license that turns on an exterior inspection — which is unusual, and which changes how much a rental certificate here actually tells a buyer.
The housing is concentrated: of about 6,037 units, roughly 2,459 — some 41% — were built in the 1950s, with 999 from the 1960s and 606 predating 1940. Around 74% is single-family detached.
Before you buy
The rental certificate
This is the detail on the page most likely to change a decision, and it is easy to read past.
Under the City’s rental requirements, any landlord in the business of leasing dwellings must apply for a bi-annual license — every two years — under Chapter 18 of the Clawson Code. On successful completion of an exterior inspection of the property, and proper registration, a Rental Certificate is issued for two years.
An exterior inspection. Every other rental program we have researched sends somebody inside to look at smoke alarms, egress, heating, electrical and the general condition of the living space. Clawson’s certificate is issued on what can be seen from outside the building.
That is not a criticism of the City — an exterior standard is a legitimate policy choice and it is applied consistently. But it matters enormously to a buyer, because a current rental certificate on a Clawson property is evidence about the outside of the building and nothing else. If you are buying income property here and you were treating that certificate as reassurance about the interior, it is not.
That gap is exactly what a buyer’s inspection fills: the roof, structure, foundation, drainage, electrical, heating and cooling, plumbing and the accessible interior, reported as found — what is failing, what is near the end of its service life and what to plan for.
Vacant property
If the property you are considering has been standing empty, this is worth understanding before you take it on.
The City’s ordinances treat vacant and abandoned structures as neighborhood blight, on the reasoning that they lower property values, undermine housing conditions and neighborhood life, affect public health and safety, can result in injury and criminal activity, and consume a disproportionate share of the City’s administrative and enforcement resources.
The obligations follow from that. Owners of abandoned residential structures must register them with the City and pay a monthly administration fee. The City states that the duty to register does not require prior notice from the city to the owner — so the clock does not start when somebody tells you. And registering does not protect the property: the City expressly reserves the right to secure it, to order repairs, to abate dangerous, hazardous or unlawful conditions, and to act on an imminent hazard.
A Certificate of Occupancy is also required for vacant and abandoned property before it can be used again, which puts an inspection on the path back to occupancy.
And a building that has stood empty inspects differently from one that has been lived in. Dry traps, idle heating, plumbing that has been through a winter without heat, a roof nobody has been under and water entry nobody has noticed all show up in ways that reward a careful look.
Timing
If your plan involves work after closing, Clawson’s schedule needs to be in the plan from the beginning.
The Municipal Building runs Monday to Thursday and is closed on Fridays; so is the Department of Public Works. Inspections must be scheduled by 3:00 pm to make the following day’s list. Within that, electrical inspections happen Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 and 11 in the morning; plumbing Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 8 and 11; mechanical Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The City is straightforward about why the sequence matters — the type of permit and the scope of work determine how many inspections are needed and when, and applicants are told the requirements when the application goes in.
On commercial work there is an additional layer: a Certificate of Occupancy for commercial property also requires the Fire Marshal to inspect for compliance on exit lights, fire suppression, emergency lighting, fire extinguishers, exits and storage areas. And a Clawson initial business license has to be applied for and received before a commercial certificate will issue.
On the property itself, what we record is unaffected by any of that: accessible grading and how the ground falls at the foundation, gutters and downspouts and where they discharge, foundation conditions, the basement or crawlspace, floor drains and any sump equipment, with staining, efflorescence and evidence of past water entry noted as found.
Code enforcement, and the buried line
Clawson’s code enforcement division publishes what it acts on, and the list is broader than most: blight on private and public property, building code violations including construction or change of occupancy without permits, conditions constituting a clear and present danger, graffiti, illegal dumping, inoperable and abandoned vehicles, lawn parking, property maintenance code violations, rat complaints, signs, snow removal from public sidewalks, swimming pool fences, weeds and zoning requirements. All calls are anonymous and all complaints are investigated.
Two of those are worth a buyer’s attention. Construction or change of occupancy without permits is enforceable against the current owner, which is a reason to know what was done to a house before you own it. And swimming pool fencing is a safety item that gets missed regularly on resale.
The other thing that outlasts the sale is the buried lateral running from the house to the sewer main, which nothing visual reaches. On a house from the 1950s — four in ten of them here — that pipe has been in the ground about seventy years with mature street trees around it. We will not name a material from a build year, because no authoritative source establishes what Clawson laterals are generally made of.
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 — and it is added to the same visit rather than booked separately. Alongside it, commercial building inspections follow the CCPIA standard, and radon testing or mold inspection and testing can be added to a residential or commercial visit.
Local information from City of Clawson — inspections and Certificate of Occupancy · City of Clawson — rental and vacant or abandoned property · City of Clawson — ordinance code enforcement. 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. Zones are drawn around counties, not around addresses, which is why the only number that settles the question is the one from the house itself.
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 Clawson 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
Not on the City’s published scope. A Certificate of Occupancy is required before use for all commercial property, for new home construction, and for vacant and abandoned property identified under the City’s ordinances. An ordinary residential resale is not on that list. Several cities nearby do run point-of-sale programs, so it is worth knowing that this one does not — and worth confirming with the Community and Economic Development Department rather than relying on any web page, this one included.
Less than you might assume. The City issues a rental certificate for two years on successful completion of an exterior inspection of the property and proper registration. It is an exterior standard — nobody municipal has necessarily been inside. If you are buying income property and treating that certificate as reassurance about the interior, it is not that, and an independent inspection is the thing that covers it.
Every two years. The City requires any landlord in the business of leasing dwellings to apply for a bi-annual license under Chapter 18 of the Clawson Code, with the certificate issued for a two-year period following a successful exterior inspection and proper registration.
It may carry obligations already. Owners of abandoned residential structures must register them with the City and pay a monthly administration fee, and the City states that the duty to register does not require prior notice from the city. Registration does not prevent the City securing the property, ordering repairs or abating hazards. A Certificate of Occupancy is also required before vacant or abandoned property can be used again.
By 3:00 pm to make the following day’s list, and within a narrow week. Electrical inspections are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 11 in the morning; plumbing is Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 11; mechanical is Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Municipal Building and the Department of Public Works both run Monday to Thursday and are closed Fridays.
Concentrated in the 1950s. Of about 6,037 housing units, roughly 2,459 — some 41% — were built in that decade, with 999 from the 1960s, 749 from the 1970s and 606 predating 1940. Around 74% is single-family detached. On a house that age every original mechanical component has been replaced at least once, and the question is when and how well.
Its published list of what code enforcement acts on includes building code violations including construction or change of occupancy without permits. That is a reason to establish what has been done to a house before you own it rather than after — a finished basement, a converted garage or an addition with no record behind it is worth asking about, and worth looking at hard.
It is worth considering. The buried lateral running from the house to the sewer main is the one component no visual inspection reaches, and on a 1950s house — four in ten here — it has been in the ground about seventy years with mature street trees around it. We will not guess a material from a build year, because no authoritative source establishes what Clawson laterals are generally made of. Putting a camera down the line documents roots, cracks, displaced joints, bellies or blockages where they exist, and is added to the same appointment.
More on cost, timing and what is included on the FAQ page.
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Permits, assessing and property records for Clawson are handled by the City of Clawson, not by us.
From the blog
October 22, 2017
May 18, 2024
Your local Clawson home inspector, seven days a week. Home inspection reports in 24 hours.
