Clean Sweeps of Michigan's Blog

Don’t Forget Chimney Inspection When Buying A Home

Fireplaces are consistently the most requested features for new home buyers. Homeowners are willing to pay the price to have one inside their home. While most buyers want a fireplace in their home, they lack the proper skills to evaluate it. Many home inspectors also lack the knowledge to spot problems associated with fireplace when buying a house. It is extremely important to have a chimney inspection performed by a certified professional before buying the new home. If you are looking for or if you have found your dream home, make sure to include a chimney inspection in addition to the home inspection. This will give you a peace of mind that your home’s fireplace is clean, safe, and ready to use.

The importance of chimney inspections for home buyers

Buying a home is an enormous investment. That is why we think it’s really important to ensure your entire home is in good condition before closing. Most buyers trust their home inspector to spot any potential problems. Only a few inspector have training regarding fireplaces and chimneys. Even thorough home inspections can fail to uncover serious safety or structural problems of a chimney system. When buying your new home, it is your right to request an inspection by an independent chimney sweep after under contract. While it is your responsibility to pay for this expense, an additional chimney inspection can help uncover any hidden fireplace or chimney problems. It can also help to identify repairs that need to be addressed before closing.

What if they already have the chimney inspected?

Many sellers include documentation from a chimney sweep as part of their disclosures about the home. If this is the case, buyers can still request a second independent chimney inspection. While a second inspection seem like an overkill, it serves as a confirmation of your findings in the original report or uncover potential hidden problems. If you have recently purchased a home, but you did not receive a report from a chimney sweep as part of the disclosures. It is extremely important to have the chimney system inspected before using your fireplace. In addition, to ensure there are no safety or structural problems with your chimney system, a preliminary inspection will help to give you a baseline to compare your chimney’s condition from year to year.

Sellers need inspections, too!

When preparing to sell your home, a chimney sweeping and inspection need be included on your to-do list before it goes on the market. Having a professional inspection before listing your home gives you a chance to identify repairs. It also reduce the risk of unpleasant surprises during home inspection. It is recommended to include a report from a licensed chimney sweep. This not only gives potential buyers a peace of mind about the fireplace system and reassure them their new home is safe.

Let us help!

Don’t be surprised or discouraged by a damaged chimney after closing your dream home. Instead, request a independent chimney inspection to ensure your new fireplace is safe, sound, and ready to use. For more information about chimney inspections for real estate, contact Clean Sweeps of Michigan today at 517-529-4453!

Buying Or Selling A Home? Have The Chimney Inspected!

When buying or selling a home, many homeowners falsely believe that a home inspection will catch any chimney issues. However, while home inspectors may be able to spot problems in other parts of a home, most are not qualified to conduct a thorough chimney inspection. Because of this, it is important to have your chimney inspected before buying or selling a home.

By having the chimney inspected before a home is bought or sold, both buyers and sellers can have peace of mind that the fireplace and chimney are safe and ready for use.

Chimney inspections for home buyers

Homebuyers want to make sure their new investment is safe and sound for themselves and their family. If the new house has a fireplace, this includes making sure the chimney is in good condition. Once under contract on a home, buyers can request an independent chimney sweep conduct an inspection in addition to a home inspection.

Even if the sellers have an inspection report from a chimney sweep, you can still ask to have another sweep do an independent inspection. This second inspection can confirm the findings of the chimney report – or uncover issues that were not previously disclosed. Having the chimney independently inspected can ensure that any fireplace or chimney issues are fixed before the sale is finalized.

If you recently bought a new home but the sellers did not include findings from a chimney inspection in their disclosures, you may want to have the chimney inspected before lighting your first fire. This is especially true if you bought an older home, a home that was unoccupied for a long period of time before purchase, or a home where the fireplace was rarely or infrequently used.

Chimney inspections for home sellers

No matter your reasons for selling your current home, you should consider having the chimney swept and inspected before putting it on the market. Not only does have the chimney swept and inspected give you a cleaner and more efficient fireplace system, but it can also alert you of any chimney damage that has occurred or repairs that need to be made. Finding chimney damage before you put your home on the market gives you plenty of time to make repairs as well as reduces the risk of any unpleasant surprises being uncovered during the home inspection. In addition to allowing you to make repairs, having a report from a certified chimney sweep can also help put buyers at ease about the condition of the chimney.

If you have experienced any significant chimney damage, you may be required to have an inspection. In cases of chimney damage such as a chimney fire or other natural disaster, a Level 2 chimney inspection may be needed; in this type of inspection, closed-circuit cameras are used to evaluate the entire length of the chimney for signs of damage or deterioration.

Having a chimney inspection done before buying or selling a home can make sure there are no problems with the fireplace and chimney and give everyone involved peace of mind. If you’re getting ready to sell your home or are about to sign the paperwork on a new home purchase, contact Clean Sweeps of Michigan today to schedule your chimney inspection.