Real Estate Chimney Inspections

Ready to put your home on the market?  Shopping for a new home?  Realtor representing a buyer?

With any transfer of property, a Level 2 chimney inspection, as outlined by the National Fire Protection Association’s 211 Standard, is recommended. This level of inspection is a very thorough examination of the fireplace or hearth system that will reveal the state of the appliance (fireplace, insert, or stove), the chimney exterior, and the chimney interior (flue) and indicate whether repairs, minor or major, are needed or impending.

SPECIAL NOTE:  Please don’t be under the misimpression that your Home Inspector will inspect your chimney.  They do not have the tools or the knowledge to do so and it typically states right in their pre-inspection agreement or contract that they will not inspect the chimney interior.

Home Safe President Bart Ogden says – “A fireplace is the heart of a home.  I don’t know how many HUNDREDS of times I’ve seen heartache for homebuyers who didn’t have a thorough Level 2 Chimney Inspection performed on their hearth system BEFORE they purchased the property.  Our CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps come in with our specialized chimney inspection equipment and we sometimes find multiple thousands of dollars of repair work due to hidden damage or defects inside the chimney system that nobody told them about.” 

Level 1, 2, and 3 Chimney Inspections Explained

LEVEL 1:  The most basic chimney inspection — during which a chimney sweep will examine all readily-accessible portions of your system — is recommended for an average year when a homeowner is continuing to use their chimney with the same appliances in the same manner.

LEVEL 2:  In the case of selling or buying a home, a Level 2 inspection should be performed, and this more thorough inspection will make use of a high-tech video scanner. This video scanner allows your sweep to get a closer look at your flue’s internal joints and surfaces to make sure there aren’t cracks, gaps, or other issues preventing it from doing its job. The CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps and NFI Certified Specialists at Home Safe Hearth & Chimney use state-of-the-art Video Inspection Equipment.

With a Chim-Scan or SmartScan Video Inspection, we’ll be able to thoroughly examine your flue and see if any issues have emerged, or are on the horizon.

If you’re selling a home, knowing about current or potential problems may help you make the small repairs to keep a potential buyer from walking away. If you’re buying a home, you already know how important it is to have a clear picture of all the costs that may pop up after you take ownership.

The chimney is an important concern when buying a home and not just because an ill-maintained chimney can lead to expensive repairs, restoration, or replacement. The chimney of any home is working to keep poisonous carbon monoxide from intruding into the living area, and it is containing and removing combustible byproducts and excess heat, too. You want it to be in the best condition possible to do that important work — and you want the peace of mind of knowing whether or not that’s the case. A video inspection with one of our licensed and experienced technicians can bring you that peace of mind.

LEVEL 3:  A Level 3 Inspection is warranted when we can’t determine the condition due to concealed construction.  NOTE: This is a destructive evaluation.

If Repairs Are Needed, Home Safe Hearth & Chimney Can Help

We offer Level 2 Real Estate Inspections, including the use of Chim-Scan or SmartScan Video Inspection Equipment, as a stand-alone service. But we’ll also be glad to prepare a proposal for any repairs or work that might pop up as a result of that inspection — just ask your Home Safe Hearth & Chimney Certified technician.  (Please note that we do reserve the right to NOT issue a proposal for any type of work.)

If our findings lead us to recommend repairs, our CSIA Certified Technicians can discuss the repair options with you. We’ve been inspecting, sweeping, maintaining, repairing, and replacing chimneys in the Wichita area since 1979, helping over 20,000 satisfied customers enjoy a safe and efficient chimney system.

Do you need to schedule a Real Estate chimney inspection?  Call Home Safe Hearth & Chimney at 316-265-9828 to schedule an appointment — we’re ready to help!

Our chimney video inspections take all the guesswork out of knowing what needs to be done to keep everything in a safe condition. Rely on the pros at Home Safe for this up-to-date chimney service.