We moved to Long Beach in March 2017. Our realtors recommended The Lighthouse Group to perform a home inspection. They gave us a very lengthy, computer generated inspection report. This showed many photographs, including the roof. Recently, we experienced a very heavy downpour of rain and had a major water leak into a downstairs bedroom. When the rain has subsided, I took my 6-foot step-ladder to inspect a lower tiled section of my garage roof, where I suspected a water leak. I was shocked. A section of clay tile against the house was in complete disrepair. Someone other than a professional roofer had attempted to"fix" a leak by cementing around the clay tile. I checked my report and there was no mention of this roof area. I called Joe and he arrived at my house later that day. When asked how he could have missed seeing this section of bad tile, he told me that he doesn't climb up on the roof as it could cause tiles to crack. I told Joe you didn't have to climb onto the roof to see this. Use my step-ladder and see for yourself. His response was that his step ladder was not as big as mine, so he couldn't take a look. Excuse me Joe, what about your photo showing you on a regular ladder climbing up to inspect the roof! Clearly, this company is a complete joke and I wonder why I ever paid them an inspection fee. Now I have to repair at my cost a section of roof for which the seller should have been responsible. read more

The Lighthouse Group - Home Inspectors Near Me - Westminster, California

My realtor referred me to The Lighthouse Group to inspect a condo I was purchasing in March 2021 and Joe did the inspection. No issues were indicated and I was satisfied with the report and purchased the condo. In January 2022, I put the condo on the market as I had an opportunity across town. The first thing the buyer's inspector asked me when he came for the inspection was where were the cleanout cover was for the bathroom. I showed him the cover for the master bathroom. After the inspection, I got a call from my realtor that the buyer's inspector had removed the cleanout cover and discovered mold in the wall behind the shower. They were going to have a mold certified inspector check it out. The mold inspector confirmed that mold was present and it must be remediated. I was concerned that the buyers would back out of the sale as they had a 2 year old child. But thankfully, they agreed to move forward with the sale if I had the mold remediated. I agreed to do so and using a remediation contractor lined up by the buyer, the mold was removed and certified. My realtor and I wondered why Joe did not find the mold during his inspection. We found the answer in his report. He didn't bother to look for or remove the cleanout cover. Had he do so, presumably he would have noticed the mold and brought it to my attention. My realtor and I spoke to Joe and the first question I asked him was why didn't he remove the cleanout cover? His response baffled me. He said it is not his practice to look for and remove cleanout covers for inspections of condos. When I asked why, he got very defensive and said he didn't remember inspecting my condo. I told him I had to incur $15,000 in repairs for mold remediation and asked him to put his Errors and Omissions (E & O) insurance policy on notice. He told me that because I didn't contact him before the remediation started, his insurance company wouldn't cover it. He said the agreement I signed when I retained him disclaims any responsibility if he wasn't told at the time the mold was found. While I understood that would have been the optimum situation, I was completely preoccupied with keeping the buyers satisfied and not back out of the sale. If they did, I would have had to remove the mold before I put the condo back on the market and disclose that mold had been discovered. I did not want that stigma on the unit. Joe reluctantly agreed to notify his insurance company and several weeks went by. I didn't hear anything and emailed Joe to find out what was going on. He said he would contact his rep for a status. Another week went by without hearing anything so I emailed Joe again. He then tells me that his agent notified him that he had a "gap" in coverage in his E & O policy and they would not provide any coverage. He said I would hear from his attorney, which I did. Naturally, the attorney stated Joe had absolutely no responsibility and he would not offer any reimbursement. I sent Joe an lengthy email after receiving the attorney letter but he completely ignored it. My agent called Joe a few days later and once again, Joe was defensive and took no responsibility. My agent told me he was very disappointed in Joe's lack of responsiveness and professionalism. If there is any consolation for me, my agent said he and the agents he employs will no longer use The Lighthouse Group in the future. So to recap, Joe performs incomplete inspections (I note other reviewers had the same comment), is unresponsive if an issue arises, doesn't take any responsibility and also allows his insurance to have coverage gaps in the event there is a claim made against him. Caveat emptor -- Let the Buyer Beware! read more

Joseph Jackson did a fantastic job inspecting our new home. He was so thorough, professional, and was extremely patient in explaining what the process looked like, how the report would be drawn up, and flagged all potential issues. He found a few underlying issues that without his inspection would've gone unnoticed and been a bigger problem down the line. I highly recommend Joseph for all your inspections! read more

Now that we have lived in our house for two months, I'm coming to realize how inadequate the report I requested from lighthouse was. I also see why my realtor (Anderson Realty) wanted us to use them as it seems that they don't investigate as thoroughly as other inspection companies which means Anderson can close their deal quickly. When purchasing my first home in 2016, I used an independent inspection service not referred by my Anderson. I received a 93 page report that was extremely thorough and even had an index. Every window was tested, the crawlspace was thoroughly investigated, and the entire home was top to bottom inspected. The Lighthouse report for this home was only 36 pages, no index and average at best. For instance, they noted that the ceiling was in "good condition" and include one photo. Our new home has massive settling cracks throughout the ceiling. it's concerning me to the extent that I'm going to have an earthquake inspector come look at our home because I feel like there may be some issues. I am surprised that's considered good condition. They are getting worse day by day. I'm a native of Southern California and used to settling cracks (and I study seismology for fun believe it or not) and I do not believe that what we are seeing this home is good condition. It's particularly concerning to me is this is occurring in the added on portion of the home. It appears the crawlspace was simply looked at but not actually entered. There was some comment about a floor covering being there. We didn't even live in the home so he must be talking about a rug from the stager? I'm not sure but I'm surprised that the crawlspace was not entered and that I did not get a thorough foundation inspection. Then I noticed that all of our windows were not tested and a comment being that it's acceptable to only review a few per safety standards. There's a photo of only one window. In our previous inspection from our other house, the inspector manually tested every single window in the home. The real kicker for me is that I paid the same amount for both of these inspections. For one, I got a thorough job and for this one, it seems I got a basic job that I now get to subsidize by hiring other inspectors after I've already purchased the home. I emailed lighthouse on November 18, asking some questions about our report and to this date, I have not received any replies. If you're a realtor looking to push through a sale or purchase, definitely call this company. If you're the home buyer, I would use yelp and choose an inspector independent of whoever your realtor suggests as they are likely getting kickbacks. read more

I love these guys! I'd give 10 stars if that was available! I'm a Realtor and use the Lighthouse Group all the time for inspections as they do an amazing job. Joe is very thorough in his explanation and answers all client questions. He is also available later if the client has questions. I've used many home inspectors in my over 20 year real estate career and have been using Lighthouse for at least the past 5 as of this writing and will continue to recommend their services. read more

Not recommended. We had Joe inspect our house last year prior to purchase. Joe was recommended to us by our agent and as a first time home buyer, I really depended on his expertise. I couldn't have been more disappointed. There were so many problems that came up since we moved in, costing us thousands of dollars in repairs. We are are still uncovering problems and having to perform repairs. In hindsight, I feel like some, if not all, of these problems should have been brought up in the home inspection. - Root in pipes: There were tremendous amounts of roots that grew into our pipes leading out into the main line. We found out about this soon after we moved into the house. Our tubs, bathrooms, sinks were overflowed with water and the floors were flooded. The repair costs thousands of dollars and we had to endure the inconvenience of minimizing water down drains and the fear of overflow. - Fire hazards: We purchased a new drying machine but the delivery guys refused to hook it up. Plastic piping was in the duct, which posed a fire hazard. We had to hire a handyman to get this replaced. The clothes required multiple cycles to dry. This turned out to be a completely clogged dryer duct with lint, which is a fire hazard. We spent another $300 to get these repaired. - Circuit breaker tripping: The circuit breaker for two rooms keeps tripping despite minimal electronics connected. The breaker reports an "arc fault", which could be due to the wiring in the house. We are still troubleshooting this problem to this day. - Rusted valves: We ordered a new refrigerator only to have the delivery guy refuse to hook it up. We were told the valve behind the refrigerator was completely rusted and there was a potential of water damage if it wasn't replaced. We had to hire a plumber to replace it which was another couple hundreds of dollars. - Doorbell stopped working: We noticed that we didn't know when we had visitors. It turned out the doorbell system was failing. Had to replace the doorbell transformer and chime. - Water heater: The water heater repeatedly went out right after we moved in. This required repair. Additionally, mice feces were found in the water heater enclosure. - Slow draining toilet: One of the toilets is extremely slow draining. This still needs to be repaired. read more

I cannot say enough great things about Joe and The Lighthouse Group. I am a Realtor, and while it is ultimately my client's decision who they choose for an inspection, I make sure to tell them how much I trust Joe to do a wonderful, and mostly importantly thorough, job. I even hired him for the inspection on my own home. He is knowledgable and communicative I love when my clients choose to work with him. Thank you Joe for all you do! read more

I recently had Joe out to a property that I was going to purchase, and I couldn't have been happier with the knowledge and level of professionalism displayed. From the very start, I was greeted with a smile and was offered water and snacks. I really appreciated that, and it truly shows that he goes above and beyond a normal home inspection. I was with him just about every step of the way, and he did not hesitate to answer any questions I had along the way. In the end, we were given a very thorough assessment of the home. read more

I'm a Realtor and my clients recently used their service. I loved Joe's friendliness and openness. He was approachable and willing to share his vast knowledge of being a fireman for 20+ years for the city of Long Beach. He's also had experience flipping houses so he understands the purchase/selling process as well. As if this wasn't enough he even brought a cooler of drinks and a box of light snacks to share with me and my clients. I highly recommend his services! read more

I was referred to Joe Jackson at the Lighthouse Group to do a home inspection in Manhattan Beach for a client of mine. We also needed a camera to go down the sewer line, and a mold inspection done. Joe is incredible; not only is he knowledgeable and a great communicator, but an incredible, lovely human being. I would use him again without hesitation and encourage anyone else to do the same. read more

We bought a house a year ago and Joe came and did the inspection. He was on time (actually early) and was meticulous in his inspection. He spent time with us explaining each element of the report and felt very comfortable with his assessment. I would recommend him to others. read more

I have had my share of property inspections and Lighthouse has provided me with the best service I have had do far. Their service and attention to details is top notch. I would recommend them 100%. read more

Joe is awesome! He brought snacks and a cooler full of cold water for us to cool down. He took his time to explained the process and details of this thorough inspections. He addressed all questions and concerns with detail explanations. He's been a paramedic for 10 years and was able to applied his knowledge of fire safety to our new home and gave us great advice! I'll be recommending him to all my friends and families for their inspections! Thanks again for taking such great detail notes of our new home to make ensure the condition of our house. read more

I will not use or recommend this company again. They sold my personal information and I know it was them because the telemarketers are citing the name of this company. We are talking almost 20 different calls in the last 2 months. Buyer beware. Doug read more

I Recently purchased my first home and my realtor recommend these guys. I'm not sure why the other reviews aren't 5 stars because these guys were great. Eric was Very professional, allowed me to shadow him as he inspected the entire house. They take photos from an iPad and show you at the end whatever needs attention. He pointed out the good/not so good things. Within 24 hours you receive a very detailed report (mine was close to 40 pages). I highly recommend this company! read more

Wouldn't use them again. Inspector missed multiple things, which ended up costing me a lot of money out of my pocket and they said they wouldn't cover it. Bad recommendation from a realtor. Go with someone else. read more

Joseph Jackson did a fantastic job on the inspection he conducted on a home I recently purchased. He was very thorough and did a great job explaining all of the details to me; even went a step further by discussing ideas that I had for the property in the near future. Knowledgeable, prompt, pleasant to work and talk with....I could not have asked for more! read more

I wouldn't recommend these guys- at all. My real estate agent recommended these guys, insisted upon it actually and I swear things were not told to us on purpose. She "knew" the guy and that is why he was chosen. The report was back to us quickly but things were missing out of the report. For example, the sprinkler heads were checked but not the electrical from the inside of the garage to them. We ended up having to replace the electrical in the backyard. The fence posts were rotting and falling down- not on the report. The sink has a terrible odor and then the dishwasher and refrigerator didn't work when we moved in. If one thing was on the report, another wasn't. If I had to do it over again I would of went with a company I chose, not my real estate agent. What I learned through this entire home buying process is yelp reviews go along way, no matter what your real estate agent tells you. Also, real estate agents will tell you what you want to hear to make the sell. So make sure if there was stuff on the report that should be fixed - you check each line item on the repairs list clause before signing at closing! Trust your gut. Always. I hope you find this review helpful. As a side note - we love our home! Just wish we knew more up front :) read more

Joe was extremely professional and knowledgeable and beyond all expectations. The only reason I have five stars was because I can't give six. I accompanied him crawling through the dirty stuff so I can tell you with 100% confidence he is thorough and accurate and his detailed reports with photos prove it. He took the time to explain everything he found or didn't find and addressed all questions. I found Joe to be very personable and it was very pleasant experience working with him from the very first handshake. I've scheduled him to come perform another quick inspection and he was reasonable about the price. Joe is very responsive as you can see he does what he can to address any issues. Seriously, I don't see how you could have a bad experience with this guy. From West Point and Army Special Forces to fire fighter to home inspector I don't think you can find a more experienced, hard working inspector. Highly Recommended. read more

The Lighthouse Group - Joe is on the right. Before we crawled under my new home for a very thorough check of the piping, foundation, and structure. - Home Inspectors Near Me - Westminster, California