Charter Home Inspection

Charter Home Inspection is a one-person practice run out of South Hamilton — every inspection is Eric Blatz himself, who spent more than a decade at a large Northeast inspection firm before starting his own company. He covers Essex and Middlesex Counties, the North Shore market where nearly all his reviews originate. The reviews describe a consistent routine rather than a lucky streak: Google puts him at a 5-star average across 46 ratings, and the same pattern holds across roughly four years, not just a recent run. In the last several months, buyers describe him as quick to respond and able to schedule within days of a call, then walking through the house explaining what he's finding rather than just handing over a report. One buyer working with a realtor said he pointed out issues they'd missed on their own walkthrough; another noted the report arrived the same day and that his price was competitive for the area. First-time buyers in particular mention he slows down to explain what a finding actually means. Beyond the standard inspection, he also offers radon testing, water quality and quantity testing, and wood-destroying-insect inspections — these read as add-ons rather than automatic parts of every report, so it's worth confirming up front which ones you want included and priced. He's also listed as a member of the South Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, consistent with a local, one-man operation rather than a franchise. The tradeoff of a solo inspector is scheduling: there's no backup inspector and no dispatch desk, so his own calendar sets the pace, and the reviews praising his speed are describing him personally being available, not a company with bench depth. If you're on a tight closing timeline, call early rather than the week you need him. For a straightforward pre-purchase inspection on the North Shore, four years of detailed, consistently positive reviews with no negatives on record make him a low-drama choice — just line up radon or water testing separately if your purchase needs it.