Dexter, Michigan
Looking for a Dexter home inspector? We do certified home, commercial, mold and radon inspections in Dexter, 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 Dexter 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 Dexter and across Washtenaw 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 Dexter 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 reportDexter housing stock
Dexter has roughly 1,781 housing units and about 58% of them are single-family detached. The year a house went up decides more about what an inspection turns up than almost anything else about it, which is why it is where we start rather than where we finish.
More of it dates from the 2000s than from any other decade — 659 homes, roughly 37% of the town. It is also less detached-house territory than most of the area at 58%, so condominiums, duplexes and small multi-family buildings are a bigger share of what we inspect here — and those bring their own questions about what is yours to maintain and what belongs to the association.
The median owner-occupied home here is valued at $390,200.
This is not a forecast for any one address. It is where a Dexter home inspector starts in a home of this age — and whatever we actually find, it goes in the report with photographs.
Housing figures: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 five-year estimates.
When Dexter 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 23 use bottled or LP gas.
Local knowledge
Dexter runs the clearest permit sequence we have come across, and it ends with something most municipalities never do: a check that the finished building actually matches the permission it was given.
The City issues a preliminary zoning compliance permit, which has to be in hand before Washtenaw County will issue a building or trades permit. Then, once the work is done, the City issues a final zoning compliance permit — and it states the purpose plainly: to certify that a structure was built as it was originally permitted.
That as-built verification applies to new construction, decks, signs and fences among other things, and the preliminary permit itself tells the applicant whether a final one is required.
For a buyer, that means two different offices hold two different halves of a property’s history. The City holds the zoning side, including whether a structure was signed off as built. The County holds the building and trades permits, and the certificate of occupancy. Searching only one gives you half the picture.
The housing here comes in two waves with a deep trough between them. Of roughly 1,781 units, 1,139 — 64% — were built since 1990, with 659 in the 2000s alone. Behind that sits an older core of 250 units predating 1940. Between the two, the whole of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s accounts for only 169 units.
Before you buy
Permits
The City’s zoning compliance and permits guide explains the division of labor more clearly than most municipalities manage. The City certifies compliance with its own zoning ordinance — how land is used, and the type, location and dimensions of structures. The County certifies compliance with the state building code — whether the structure is safely built.
So the sequence runs: preliminary zoning compliance from the City, with plans, surveys or certificates of insurance as the application requires and sometimes a soil erosion permit alongside it. Then the building or trades permit from the County, which will not issue without the preliminary zoning compliance in place. Then the final zoning compliance permit from the City on completion.
That final step is the one worth asking about when you buy. A deck, a fence, a sign or a new structure that went through the process properly should have a final zoning compliance permit behind it, confirming it was built as permitted. A structure with a preliminary permit and no final one is a loose end that comes with the property.
Certificates of occupancy sit with the County and are required before new construction can be used or occupied, and when a new non-residential tenant moves into an existing space. Those applications need the City’s final zoning compliance permit or a change of tenant permit attached — and something else besides.
A buyer’s inspection is not a permit search and does not verify zoning compliance. It reports the condition and apparent function of the roof, structure, foundation, drainage, electrical, heating and cooling, plumbing and the accessible interior. What it gives you is the list of things worth asking about: an addition, a finished basement, a deck, a converted space.
The fire department
One requirement in Dexter’s process is unusual enough to single out. A certificate of occupancy needs a letter of support from the Dexter Area Fire Department, which inspects new construction and non-residential buildings and units for fire code compliance.
In other words, occupancy is not a purely administrative sign-off here. Somebody from the fire service has looked at the building and put their support in writing.
That matters most on commercial and multi-unit property, where fire separation, alarms, suppression and egress are a substantial part of the picture in a way they are not in a detached house. If you are buying a building with tenants, or taking a space as a non-residential tenant yourself, the fire department’s position is part of the transaction rather than an afterthought.
For a small multi-unit or commercial building bought as an investment, our commercial building inspections follow the CCPIA standard and cover multifamily, office, retail and warehouse property. That is a different scope and a different report from a residential inspection, and it is the right choice where a building has to satisfy a fire authority as well as a lender.
We are not a fire inspection and we do not issue code findings. On a residential inspection we report the presence, placement and apparent condition of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, the condition of heating equipment and its venting, and anything about egress from sleeping rooms that is visibly deficient.
Newer houses
The 659 units built here in the 2000s are the single largest group in the city, and they are the houses buyers most often assume are fine.
The roof comes first. An asphalt covering from that era is at or past the age where the manufacturer’s expectation runs out, and on a house that has never been re-roofed that is a number worth having before you agree a price rather than after.
Mechanical equipment follows. Furnaces, water heaters and air conditioning from the original build are being replaced now, and the quality of that work varies enormously — venting that has not kept pace with a newer appliance is among the most common findings on housing of exactly this age.
Then the envelope: window seals, caulking, flashing details, and exterior finishes at the stage where deferred maintenance starts to show. Decks deserve a proper look rather than a glance — the ledger connection to the house, the flashing behind it, and the condition of hangers and fasteners, which on modern treated lumber can corrode faster than the boards they hold. On a city that requires final zoning compliance for decks specifically, that is a component worth two kinds of attention.
And grading, which on a house built on filled and graded ground has had twenty years to settle, usually toward the building rather than away from it.
On one of the 250 prewar houses the questions change completely: electrical extended in stages by different hands, plumbing renewed in part leaving material transitions worth examining, insulation and ventilation retrofitted into a building designed without either, and a foundation that has had eighty-five years or more to meet water.
Water
Dexter runs its own water and sewer systems, supplying an average of about 533,000 gallons a day and treating an average of about 365,000 gallons of wastewater a day at its own plant.
The utility division is based at the wastewater plant, samples the water through the year for bacteria and E. coli, and tests wastewater daily against the permit limits governing discharge of treated effluent to the Huron River. The City publishes its annual water quality reports going back to 2010 — sixteen consecutive years, which is a more complete archive than most communities keep online.
Discharging to the Huron is the context for a great deal of the local attention to water. What leaves a property matters, and on a household level that comes down to where a sump discharge, a downspout or a floor drain actually goes.
On an inspection we trace sump and downspout discharges as far as they can be followed and report where they appear to go. Where a discharge disappears into a buried pipe we say so rather than guessing at its destination, because a confident guess in a report is worse than an honest uncertainty.
We do not test water. Water testing goes through a certified laboratory, and questions about the supply go to the City, whose reports are published on the same page.
The buried line
The drain line from the building to the main belongs to the owner, and in Dexter its age follows the same split as the housing.
On a 2000s house it is twenty-odd years old, which sounds safe until you remember that settlement after backfill, damage during construction or landscaping and poorly bedded pipe are early-life problems rather than late-life ones. They tend to surface a decade or two later as a drain that runs slow for no obvious reason — which, on housing of this age, is roughly now.
On one of the prewar houses the familiar issues apply instead: roots, cracks and displaced joints under a lot that has had ninety years to mature. We will not name a material from a build year, because no authoritative source establishes what Dexter laterals are generally made of.
A sewer camera inspection records what is actually inside the line either way, and is added to the same appointment rather than booked separately.
Alongside it we offer radon testing and mold inspection and testing, both of which can be added to a residential or commercial visit. You can read what our clients say, look through answers to common questions, see the City’s permits and forms page, or get in touch about a specific address in Dexter.
Local information from City of Dexter — zoning compliance and permits guide, and certificates of occupancy · City of Dexter — water and sewer systems and annual water quality reports · City of Dexter — permits and forms. Municipal requirements change — verify current details with the municipality.
Radon in Washtenaw County
Zone 1 is the highest of the three EPA categories — the predicted average indoor level across the county is above the 4 pCi/L action level. What a zone cannot tell you is anything about one house: 38% of tests actually run in Washtenaw County still came back at or above the EPA’s 4 pCi/L action level. The zone describes a county. The only result that describes your basement is the one measured in it.
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 · Washtenaw 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 Dexter 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
Mr. Cahoon was very thorough inspecting the home I am interested in purchasing. He explained everything clearly as he went along. Went above and beyond crawling into the very small crawl space! Thank you!
Amy CaragayYpsilanti, MII 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, MIWhat happens
Questions
Both the City and the County. The City issues zoning compliance permits certifying compliance with its zoning ordinance; Washtenaw County issues the building and trades permits certifying compliance with the state building code, and the certificate of occupancy. A preliminary zoning compliance permit from the City is required before the County will issue a building permit.
The City’s check that the finished structure matches what was permitted. It states the purpose directly — to certify that a structure was built as it was originally permitted — and it applies to projects including new construction, decks, signs and fences. Your preliminary permit specifies whether a final one is required.
Both files. The City for zoning compliance permits, including whether a final permit was issued on anything built; the County for building and trades permits and any certificate of occupancy. A structure with a preliminary permit and no final one is a loose end that comes with the property.
Because a certificate of occupancy here requires one. The Dexter Area Fire Department inspects new construction and non-residential buildings and units for fire code compliance, and a letter of support from it is required before a certificate of occupancy is issued. That matters most on commercial and multi-unit property.
Mostly recent, with an old core. About 1,139 of roughly 1,781 units — 64% — were built since 1990, including 659 in the 2000s alone, while 250 predate 1940. Between those, the whole of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s accounts for only about 169 units.
Yes, and this is exactly the age where one pays for itself. The original roof is at or past its expected life, the first furnace and water heater are being replaced, window seals and exterior finishes are showing wear, grading has settled, and deck ledger connections and fasteners are at the age where they need examining rather than glancing at.
No. Water testing goes through a certified laboratory, and questions about the supply go to the City, which publishes annual water quality reports going back to 2010. We report the visible supply piping inside the building where accessible and the materials we can actually see.
Often yes. On a lateral laid in the 2000s the risks are early-life ones — settlement after backfill, construction or landscaping damage, poorly bedded pipe that has developed a belly — and they typically surface fifteen or twenty years later as a drain running slow for no obvious reason. A camera inspection documents the actual condition and is added to the same visit.
More on cost, timing and what is included on the FAQ page.
Police, fire, rescue, military and educators — our way of saying thank you for your service. Enter code HERO at checkout.
Claim the Hero DiscountNeed a Dexter home inspector and not sure we reach you? Call 734-331-3269 and we will tell you.
Permits, assessing and property records for Dexter are handled by Dexter, Michigan, not by us.
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Your local Dexter home inspector, seven days a week. Home inspection reports in 24 hours.
