Ada combines an old village core with substantial newer development, and the Thornapple River runs through the middle of it. Both of those facts shape what we pay attention to.
River proximity brings water table considerations that homes a mile away do not share. In lower-lying Ada properties we look carefully at basement and crawl space evidence: efflorescence and staining at the base of foundation walls, the condition and age of the sump pump, whether there is a backup arrangement of any kind, and where the discharge terminates. A sump pump is a mechanical device with a finite life, and it tends to be tested for the first time on the night it is genuinely needed.
The older village housing brings the usual questions of a home that has been through several owners and several eras of updating, while the newer estate housing brings the complexity that comes with scale: multiple mechanical systems, larger and more intricate roofs, and finished lower levels that hide the structure behind them.
Ada is in Kent County, which the EPA places in Radon Zone 2 with a predicted average indoor level between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Given how many Ada homes have finished, occupied lower levels, testing is a sensible default rather than an upsell.
We have conducted over 35 home inspections in Ada, Michigan, and here are some of the things we have commonly found.
Roofs: On average, less than 10% of the homes we inspected in Ada had gutters or chimney caps.
Plumbing: In Ada, less than 10% of the homes we’ve inspected had galvanized plumbing. This is great!
Electrical: Less than 10% of the homes we inspected in Ada had updated electrical boxes. Less than 10% of homes in Ada had knob and tube wiring.
Foundation: Only 1 in 10 homes we’ve inspected in Ada had structural concerns, or asbestos concerns.
