East China, Michigan
Looking for an East China home inspector? We do certified home, commercial, mold and radon inspections in East China, 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 East China 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 East China and across St Clair 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 an East China 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 reportEast China housing stock
East China has roughly 1,854 housing units and about 83% 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 1970s, which accounts for 367 homes, around 20% of the housing stock.
The median owner-occupied home here is valued at $247,400. 85% are owner-occupied, which is high even for this area.
Treat this as a starting list, not a diagnosis. An East China 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 East China was built
90% of homes here run on utility gas.
Local knowledge
East China Township sits on the St Clair River and is cut through with canals, and that produces one question buyers here reliably get wrong: who issues the permit for shoreline work.
The answer is not the township. Its building department states plainly that shoreline protection permits are issued by the State of Michigan’s environmental department. So a seawall, a revetment, a canal wall repair or any other shoreline structure is a state matter, not a local one.
That is worth knowing before you buy a canal or river-front property, because it changes who you ask, how long it takes, and what a previous owner would have needed in order to do the work legitimately. If a property has shoreline structures, ask what state authorisation exists for them.
The township is also part-way through a substantial water main replacement. Its joint water authority is installing some 17,600 feet of new 12-inch main by directional drilling along River Road and Orchard, Walnut and Pointe Drives, fitting new meters at two locations, and abandoning aging mains along Meisner Road.
If you are buying on any of those streets, that is live work worth asking about — both for the disruption and for what it means for the service to the property.
The housing is mostly late twentieth century: 994 of roughly 1,854 units were built between 1970 and 1999, with the 1970s the largest single decade.
Before you buy
The waterfront
The building department answers the shoreline question in a single line: those permits are issued by the State of Michigan’s environmental department, not by the township.
That is the most useful thing a canal-front buyer here can know, because it sets expectations correctly. State permitting for shoreline work runs on its own timescale and its own criteria, and it is not something the township can expedite or advise on.
It also gives you a specific question to ask a seller: what shoreline structures exist, when were they built or last repaired, and what state authorization was obtained. On a property with a canal wall or a seawall, that paperwork is worth having.
On our side, we report what is visible and accessible from safe ground. That means the apparent condition of any seawall, canal wall or revetment we can see, evidence of movement, undermining or loss of backfill behind it, erosion at the bank, and how the ground falls between the water and the building.
What we do not do is assess the structural adequacy of shoreline protection works, inspect anything below the water line, or evaluate whether a structure complies with its permit. Those are separate specialist disciplines, and on a property where the shoreline structure is doing significant work, a marine or structural specialist is the right call.
The township publishes a flooding resources page, though its substantive content is a link to a federal guide on sandbag technique. It publishes little else on flooding, so we are not going to characterize flood risk here — that is a question for the township and your insurer, and it is worth asking early on any low-lying or water-adjacent parcel.
Water supply
Water here is run by a joint authority serving East China Township together with the neighboring township, managing treatment and distribution across both.
Its current program is substantial: roughly 17,600 feet of new 12-inch high-density polyethylene main installed by directional drilling along River Road and Orchard, Walnut and Pointe Drives, new magnetic inductive meters at two locations, and the abandonment of aging water mains along Meisner Road with connections made to existing infrastructure. It is funded through a state drinking water revolving fund loan originally obtained by the township.
Directional drilling is worth understanding as a buyer, because it is the least disruptive way of doing this kind of work — the pipe is pulled through the ground rather than trenched in — but it still involves entry and exit pits and work in the right of way. If you are buying on one of those streets, ask the authority what stage the work has reached and whether anything is planned at the property itself.
New mains are good news for a property in the long run. What they do not tell you is the condition of the private service line between the main and the house, which is a separate question and one the township does not answer.
On an inspection we report the visible and accessible parts of the supply inside the building: the main shut-off and whether it is accessible and functional, visible supply piping and its condition, how fixtures perform for flow and pressure under load, and the water heater’s condition, age indicators and venting. Where a softener or treatment equipment is present we note its arrangement and how it discharges.
Permits
The township requires permits for new construction, alterations and structural repairs, accessory structures, decks, roofing, window and siding replacement, electrical, plumbing and heating work, signage, and fencing through zoning compliance.
That is a broad list, and it includes the three exterior replacements — roofing, windows and siding — that many municipalities exempt. For a buyer that is useful: on a house where those have visibly been done, there should be a record behind them.
Unusually, the township also publishes its own turnaround times: simple projects typically take a week or two, and commercial projects two to four weeks. Very few municipalities commit to that in writing, and it makes planning around a contingency period far easier.
The practical details matter too. Permits can be submitted in person, by post, by fax or by email, but payment is cash, check or card in person only — there is no online payment. Full size plans are required, and digital submissions have to be printable at ledger size. The building official keeps two short windows a week, on Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon, with a separate extension for booking inspections.
Two zoning details are worth knowing. Accessory structures generally sit three feet from side and rear lot lines in most districts, though utility easements can require more. And home occupations are tightly defined: entirely indoors, one non-illuminated wall sign of no more than two square feet, no more than 25% of the floor area up to a maximum of 500 square feet, family members only, and no retail sales, vehicle work or animal operations.
A buyer’s inspection is not a permit search and cannot tell you whether a permit was pulled. What it does is tell you what was actually done to a property and how well, so the records request you make is targeted. We deliver a full written report with photographs, generally the same day.
The housing
The largest group here is the 367 units from the 1970s, with 324 from the 1990s and 303 from the 1980s. There are 131 units predating 1940 and 304 built since 2000.
On the 1970s and 1980s stock, expect service panels at or past the point where an upgrade is worth considering, and electrical work added in stages over four or five decades. Plumbing has usually been renewed in part rather than in whole, leaving material transitions at the joins. Roofs are on a second or third covering, and heating equipment is two or three generations from the original — with a newer high-efficiency appliance fitted into older venting being a common and specific thing we check.
The 1990s houses are at the first full round of replacements: original roof coverings reaching the end, water heaters on their second, and furnaces and condensers at the age where the next failure means replacement rather than repair.
Proximity to water changes the exterior inspection. Wind exposure, moisture load and freeze-thaw all work harder on a building near open water, so cladding, trim, fasteners, decks and any dock-side structures weather faster. Crawl spaces need particular attention for ventilation and moisture.
Inside, on any property near a canal or the river, we look carefully for the evidence water leaves: staining and tide lines on foundation walls, efflorescence and mineral deposits, replaced lower wall finishes, and corrosion at the base of mechanical equipment. Equipment raised up on blocks is usually a story about something that happened once.
Radon testing and mold inspection and testing can be added to any visit, and commercial building inspections to the CCPIA standard are available for commercial property.
The buried line
The line running from the building out to the sewer main belongs to the owner, and no visual inspection reaches inside it.
On a 1970s house that pipe has been in the ground half a century, under a lot whose trees have had exactly that long to mature. On one of the 131 houses predating 1940, considerably longer. We will not name a material from a build year, because no authoritative source establishes what East China 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. Near canals and the river, a compromised joint is also a route for groundwater into the pipe, which turns a slow nuisance into a recurring one.
It is worth noting the contrast with the water side. The mains are being renewed on named streets and that work is documented and public. Nothing comparable exists for the private drain running out of the building — its condition is knowable only by looking.
A camera inspection is added to the same appointment rather than booked separately. You can read what our clients say, look through answers to common questions, or get in touch about a specific address in East China.
Local information from East China Township — building department: permit requirements, timelines and shoreline permitting · East China Township — St Clair River Sewer & Water Authority and the water main project · East China Township — flooding resources · East China Township — department of public works. Municipal requirements change — verify current details with the municipality.
Why choose us
Five reasons people here pick us as their East China 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, MIThis is one of the finest companies I have come across - that means serious customer service and professionalism. Justin was the inspector and he was very thorough yet very kind to answers all the questions that came in my mind during inspection. He took enough time, no rush, and a very detailed inspection was conducted. Extremely competitive pricing and timing from the company. 100% recommend to anyone looking for any kind of property inspection!!
Chirag R MiyaniMichiganWhat happens
Questions
The State of Michigan’s environmental department, not the township. The building department states plainly that shoreline protection permits are issued by the State, so it runs on its own timescale and criteria.
What exists, when it was built or last repaired, and what state authorization was obtained. On a property with a canal wall or seawall, that paperwork is worth having before you buy rather than after.
We report the visible condition of what can be seen from safe ground — apparent condition, evidence of movement, undermining or loss of backfill, erosion at the bank, and how the ground falls toward the building. We do not assess structural adequacy or inspect below the water line.
The joint water authority is installing about 17,600 feet of new 12-inch main by directional drilling along River Road and Orchard, Walnut and Pointe Drives, fitting new meters at two locations, and abandoning aging mains along Meisner Road. If you are buying on those streets, ask what stage it has reached.
New construction, alterations and structural repairs, accessory structures, decks, roofing, window and siding replacement, electrical, plumbing and heating work, signage, and fencing through zoning compliance. That includes the three exterior replacements many municipalities exempt.
The township publishes its own turnaround: simple projects typically a week or two, and commercial projects two to four weeks. Very few municipalities commit to that in writing, and it makes planning far easier.
Generally three feet from side and rear lot lines in most zoning districts, though utility easements can require greater distances. Worth checking against what is actually on the property.
Yes. Near canals and the river a cracked or displaced joint lets groundwater into the pipe as well as roots out of it. And unlike the water mains, which are being renewed on named streets with public documentation, the private drain is knowable only by looking. A camera inspection is added to the same visit.
More on cost, timing and what is included on the FAQ page.
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