Home Inspections in Livonia, MI: Our Home Base

Livonia is where we live and work

Hoffman's Home Services is based in Livonia, so inspecting a house here usually means a short drive across town rather than a trip across the county. That matters when a purchase agreement gives you a tight inspection window. We can usually get eyes on a Livonia property quickly, and we already know what the typical house on a Five Mile or Seven Mile side street looks like before we open the front door.

A city built mostly in two decades

Most of Livonia's housing went up between roughly 1950 and 1970, when the former farm township filled in with planned subdivisions on wide lots with attached garages. Brick ranches dominate the older streets, with colonials and tri-level or quad-level homes becoming more common in later sections. Because so much of the city was built in that window, many houses are now 55 to 75 years old. They're often solid houses, but the original mechanical systems are well past their expected service life unless a previous owner replaced them.

What we look at closely in Livonia homes

Below grade is a priority. Most homes sit on full basements, but some earlier ranches use crawlspaces, and we go into those instead of shining a flashlight from the hatch. Much of the city is flat with heavy clay soil that drains slowly, so we check grading, downspout discharge, efflorescence on block walls, and the age and operation of the sump pump. Inside, we identify supply piping. Galvanized steel is still found in many pre-1970 homes. We also check the electrical panel, grounding, and GFCI protection. In homes built in the mid-to-late 1960s and early 1970s, we watch for aluminum branch-circuit wiring, which isn't automatically a deal-breaker but should be evaluated by a licensed electrician. Attic insulation and ventilation in these ranches is often thin by today's standards, and we note it so you can budget for it.

Inspection scope: For any homeowner, whether you're buying, selling, or simply maintaining your home. Our home inspection is a visual inspection of the home's readily accessible systems and components.

More than inspections

Livonia homeowners also call us for the follow-up work an inspection turns up: small handyman repairs, a mower or snowblower that won't start, or a deep clean before move-in through our partner Cozy & Clean. One local number covers all of it.

Services for Livonia homes

• ICA certified home inspections
  For any homeowner. A visual inspection of readily accessible systems and components.
• Light handyman
  Inspection-report fixes and punch lists.
• Small engine repair
  Mowers, snowblowers, generators, and more.
• Cleaning coordination
  Move-in and move-out cleans with Cozy & Clean.

Also serving: Westland · Canton · Plymouth · Farmington Hills · Novi · Redford · Dearborn