About your inspector

John Knight is the owner of Desert Lizard Home Inspections LLC. He has been involved in development, construction, and home building for over 40 years. He began his career in California in the mid 80s working as a Planner for the City of Antioch, a local government agency in the Bay Area. John has approximately 20 years of experience in the public sector and 20 years of experience in the private sector. In addition to government service, previous careers have included working as a land development consultant, land developer, and adjunct professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. After moving to Arizona in 2018, John switched back over to the public sector and worked as the Zoning Administrator in Jerome, the Assistant Community Development Director in Clarkdale and the Community Development Director in Camp Verde. His public sector work involved coordinating directly with Building Inspectors in Jerome and Clarkdale and overseeing the Building Division in Camp Verde.

In 2025, John decided to leave the public sector and pursue work as a Home Inspector. John obtained his Arizona Home Inspector’s certification in 2025. In Arizona, certification requires a 10 day class, passing a National Exam, participating in 30 parallel inspections and obtaining a license through the Arizona State Bureau of Technical Registration (BTR). As a result of John’s public sector experience, private experience and home inspector training; he is well versed in all aspects of home building and construction.

In 2016, John, and his wife Wendy, packed up their small trailer and made a trip through the southwest to explore places they might want to live. After visiting Sedona and the Verde Valley, they decided to pack up their home in coastal California and move to Arizona. They were fortunate to be able to buy a home in Sedona and have enjoyed living there since 2018.

John’s passions include rock climbing, hiking, gardening, and construction. If he’s not out on the rocks somewhere, he is on a hike, in the garden or watching YouTube videos about woodworking, construction techniques or home improvement.