For All Your Property Inspection Needs.....

Established 1992

Unparalleled Combination of Experience and Credentials in Southern California

Nick Lorber founded his business, Lorber Engineers, more than 27 years ago. Nick is a professional engineer (P.E.) registered in California. He performs pre-purchase inspections with a specialty in foundation and structural evaluation/opinion/forensics.

Welcome to Lorber Engineers!

14 Reasons to choose Lorber Engineers over any other -

  • MISSION. “Our mission is to aspire to provide you with the unvarnished truth as we can know it. We don’t “pull any punches”, based on familiarity with any of the parties who might be involved in the inspection – we are working only for you. We are looking for important conditions, that less experienced inspectors aren’t even thinking about.
  • PERSONALIZED SERVICE. “You get the owner/ principle at Lorber Engineers for EVERY inspection. No subordinate with typically far less experience and credentials.” “If you are considering a multiple inspector company, do you know who specifically will be conducting your inspection? Are you getting their best inspector? Overall company experience and credentials can seem impressive but you may not a clue have what a particular inspector brings to the table. It makes all the difference who shows up at the inspection.
  • CUSTOM REPORT. “You get an authoritative, full narrative report – full sentences – with heavy photo documentation. No confusing, practically useless checklists or even partial check lists which make it quick and easy for the inspector but means MUCH LESS value for you. Our report contains an explanation of significance for any condition called out when not obvious and comments as to what to do next. Better inspections and reports put you in the best position to negotiate repairs and home price concessions. Sample Inspection Report.
  • ROI. The quality of our detailed, authoritative, full narrative report will dramatically exceed the value in real terms, with credits and/or work done, of other services and more than compensate for any inspection fee differentials
  • WE DON’T SKIMP ON TIME necessary to do your inspection properly and write up an exceptional, high quality, authoritative, full narrative, plain English report. We don’t have 1 eye on our inspection and the other busy writing a “canned” report because we need to rush off across town for another quickie inspection.
  • OFFSITE PHOTO REVIEW. We will take at least several hundred photos on every inspection. We will look at each photo off site after the inspection for conditions that were not visible with the naked eye (it’s amazing how much better stains show up in photos) or generally to pick up on conditions not readily apparent during the inspection before we write the report. A representative number of marked up photos will be included in your report. You can’t take this exceedingly important step when you issue an onsite report.
  • OFFSITE RESEARCH. It’s not infrequent that we must conduct offset research in order for us to fully understand and properly write-up a particular situation. You don’t have time to look up, study, ponder unusual situations and write up thoughtful comments when you issue an onsite report.

"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur"

- Red Adair

"Training is useful, but there is no substitute for experience"

- Lotte Lenya

"It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it."

- W. Somerset Maugham

"Don't think of cost. Think of value."

- Hyacil Han

"Knowledge is power"

- Sir Francis Bacon

"Penny wise, pound foolish"

- Robert Burton

  • WE CAN HANDLE MANY “DISTRESS” CONDITIONS within the scope of the inspection and report whereas another, non-licensed engineer inspector will have to refer out to an engineer or you will have to forego critical information. An engineer referral, which may be necessary with a non-engineer inspector, jacks up your costs and causes you to schedule a 2nd inspection with fees at a premium and typical delays of at least several days if not weeks in order for you to have all the information you need to make your buying decision.
  • WE GO PLACES WHERE MANY INSPECTORS DON’T at all or they only provide a cursory look – for example, in the attic, foundation sub-area, on the roof (when safe and approved to do so), open inner covers of electrical panels etc.
  • WE INSPECT FEATURES THAT MOST INSPECTORS DON’T. We can look at decks/trellis structures/patio covers, retaining walls, and masonry fences which, for the most part, are totally excluded by other inspectors. Some extra fees may be involved. Condition of these structures can often be the single most important consideration for buying a particular home and some inspectors don’t even look at them. If a deck or retaining wall shows signs of failure, you should know about it.
  • AS AN ENGINEER, WE BRING THAT CRITICAL EYE, TENACITY, THOROUGHNESS AND INTEGRITY that you would expect from an engineer, but our 27 years of home inspection experience tempers our findings. We know what you are trying to accomplish with a home inspection, not unnecessarily “blow the deal out of the water”. We have no ego one way or the other.
  • NO “BATE & SWITCH”. Inspectors/inspection companies who lead their inspection sales pitch with high tech gadgets and systematic inspections with this equipment for free as part of the general inspection are usually wildly overpromising. You are usually not getting what you think. Buyer Beware! Experience, then qualifications and training should be sought first.
  • COMBO HOME/STRUCTURAL INSPECTION. We can combine a home inspection with a limited structural inspection at a fee less than if you scheduled both inspections separately.
  • WE OFFER A FEE MATCH POSSIBILITY for a bona fide quote from another well qualified inspector with similar style report and inspection practices.