Preparing Your Chimney to Pass a Home Inspection

The cooler winter months seem to bring an influx of home buyers, especially in the California market, and homes with fireplaces are in high demand.
If you’re the one selling your home, you may wonder why your chimney needs to be inspected – can’t you leave that to the buyer? Like the question, the answer has two parts:

1. In many areas, a professional chimney inspection is actually required prior to listing a home with a fireplace or wood burning stove for sale. Even if your city or county doesn’t require one, having an inspection performed allows you to provide accurate, up-to-date information for your seller disclosure form and make repairs to increase the asking price.
2. If your area doesn’t require the seller to provide a chimney inspection, you can wait for a buyer to inspect it themselves, but this can be a bad idea for two reasons:
• The buyer isn’t required to provide you with a copy of the report that they receive. So if the chimney doesn’t pass the inspection, you may still end up having to complete one on your own to find out why the sale fell through.
• One of the quickest ways to lose a buyer is to fail a home inspection. If your home has a gas or wood burning fireplace, you put your listing in the best position for a quick sale by scheduling your annual chimney inspection before you sign the contract.

What does the inspector look for?

The type or level of chimney inspection that your home needs will vary depending on the situation. All inspections will involve a visual inspection of the firebox and chimney checking for obvious damage, debris, soot build-up, and obstructions. Additional inspection items depend on the condition and history of traumatic events the property has experienced (earthquake, for example). When you contact Fiddler on the Roof to schedule your inspection, we will be able to help you determine which type of chimney inspection is appropriate for your home.

Now is the perfect time to schedule your pre-sale chimney inspection before our schedule fills up. Contact us today and list your home tomorrow!