The Home Inspector is Not a Chimney Expert

by | Chimney Inspection

Whether you’re a homebuyer, looking for a home to purchase, or a seller looking to sell a house, your chimney needs some attention. Before a sell, you might find yourself scheduling a home inspection. Depending on the realtor associated with your sale, the seller may pay for and schedule the inspection, or the buyer may. Regardless, you will want a chimney expert to check out the chimney system—because the home inspector won’t!

Disclosure Statement

When you’re buying or selling a home, there is a disclosure statement that includes known issues with the property. Oftentimes, instead of scheduling an inspection with a chimney expert, a seller will include the chimney in the disclosure statement. This frees them of costs and damages that may be associated with the chimney system. This may seem A-okay, but it can cost you more than you bargained for in the long-run. If you think the only thing you’ll be paying for when you take ownership of your house is a chimney inspection (required by most homeowners insurance), think again. If the previous owners don’t have an up-to-date chimney inspection, there is probably neglect and damage behind the scenes. These costs will add up quickly, and will likely mean you can’t use your fireplace until it is repaired.

The CSIA Signature

To ensure you have a safe chimney—or at least an accurate report of condition—you need to look for the CSIA signature on the report. This means the inspector is a classroom trained, tested, and field trained certified chimney sweep, with current membership in the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the nation’s standard for chimney professionals.

The CSIA Inspection

A home inspector will focus on the structure of the chimney and note visible issues.  A CSIA certified chimney expert, however,  will assess it from the inside out. Hudson Chimney, Jacksonville’s choice for chimney care for over 30 years, inspects chimneys year-round. Not only do we offer level 1, 2, and 3 inspections, but we proudly use a Chim-Scan camera to view the inside of the system, hidden to the untrained eye. Our technicians do not miss a chimney issue, large or small. If you are selling, we are happy to complete a level 2 inspection (required for land transfers and sales) and provide you with a thorough report for your potential buyers.

The best way to make your house more desirable is to leave no questions for the potential buyers. If your realtor has a current chimney inspection in-hand when speaking with potential buyers, they’re more apt to view it as what it is—a benefit. An inspection report is necessary for insurance policies, code enforcement, and more. Leaving it up to the home inspector is like hiring a veterinarian to remove your appendix. Professional training doesn’t always transfer to other uses.

Save time and money by hiring a chimney expert to assess your chimney. Call Hudson Chimney at 904-282-4159 and schedule your chimney inspection today.