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Real Estate Chimney Inspection Seattle, WA
Buying or selling a home with a fireplace? We scope the flue, document the chimney top to bottom, and hand you a report that holds up at the negotiating table.
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
- Same-day service often available
Request a Free Chimney Real Estate Inspection Quote
Tell us what's going on — we'll confirm a time by phone or text.
A real estate chimney inspection is a Level 2 inspection timed to a home sale. The general home inspector looks at the firebox, glances at the stack and writes "recommend evaluation by a chimney professional." A home inspection does not include a camera scan of the flue, and the flue is where the expensive problems hide: cracked clay tiles, open mortar joints, a liner never sized for the insert, or water damage from a crown that failed years ago.
We fill that gap for buyers, sellers and agents across Seattle, Tacoma and Everett. The visit follows the Level 2 scope NFPA 211 recommends whenever a property changes hands: a full interior check, a recorded camera run up every flue, and the exterior from roofline to cap. You get a written report with photos, a plain-language list of what is urgent and what can wait, and a free quote on any repair, which is the number you actually need inside a contingency period.
For the broader picture of inspection levels, see chimney inspection; for the Level 2 scope itself, see Level 2 chimney inspection.
Symptoms
Signs you need chimney real estate inspection
- The home inspection report says "recommend further evaluation by a chimney specialist"
- The listing says "fireplace, condition unknown" or the seller never used it
- You are under contract and the inspection contingency clock is running
- You are listing a home and want to head off a buyer's repair demand
- An older Seattle or Tacoma house with an original brick chimney and no service history
- Stains on the ceiling beside the chimney that the seller calls "old"
Common causes
- General home inspections stop at what is visible; the flue interior is outside their scope
- Decades of deferred maintenance on a chimney the previous owner rarely used
- Water entering through a crown, cap, chase cover or flashing and damaging the flue from inside
- Past chimney fires that cracked tiles and were never inspected
How It Works
Our chimney real estate inspection process
We treat a sale inspection as evidence gathering. Inside: firebox, damper, smoke chamber, hearth clearances and throat. Then a recorded camera run up each flue so tile joints, cracks, offsets, gaps and creosote stage are on video, not in someone's memory. Outside: crown, cap or chase cover, flashing, brick and mortar, plus accessible attic and crawlspace pass-throughs. The report is written so an agent, an escrow officer or a first-time buyer can follow it.
Book inside the contingency window
Tell us your deadline. Same-day or next-day visits are often available, and we work around showings and tenants.
Interior and flue scan
Firebox, damper and smoke chamber first, then the camera run on every flue, recorded end to end.
Exterior and roofline
Crown, cap, chase cover, flashing, masonry and attic pass-through. Our crew handles all roof access.
Written report with photos
Findings sorted into safety items, water-entry items and cosmetic items, each with a photo or video still.
Free repair quote
An itemized quote you can attach to a repair request or credit negotiation. Free second opinion on any quote the other side produced.
Options
Repair and service options
Who is ordering changes what the report needs to do:
- Buyer's inspection: the full Level 2 scope with a quote attached, delivered in time to use before the contingency expires. Must-fix safety items are separated from negotiable upkeep.
- Seller's pre-listing inspection: the same scope before the house goes on the market, so you know what a buyer's inspector will find and can fix it or price it in. A clean report in the disclosure packet removes a common last-minute credit demand.
- Sweep on the same visit: if creosote hides the tile from the camera, we sweep first and then scan; see chimney sweep.
Every repair we quote comes with our price match plus 10–25% off, and our guarantee: if you're not happy, we're not done.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Number of flues (each gets its own camera run)
- Whether a sweep is needed before the camera can see the flue walls
- Masonry chimney versus factory-built system
- Roof pitch and access to the chimney top
- Turnaround time requested on the written report
Every chimney is different, so you get a written quote after we look at the system. Ask about our price match and free second-opinion quote.
Safety & Seattle Conditions
Safety considerations
The items that matter most in a sale are the ones you cannot see from the hearth: cracked or displaced flue tiles that let heat and gases reach framing, an unlined or undersized flue behind an insert, and water damage that has softened the smoke chamber or stack. A camera scan is the only way to rule those in or out before you own them.
If the home has a gas fireplace and you ever smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911. We inspect gas venting and chimney structure; our qualified technicians handle any appliance work.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
Local housing stock makes this inspection worth ordering. The median home in Seattle was built in 1976, Tacoma's in 1967 and Shoreline's in 1969, so many chimneys changing hands are original brick systems that may never have been scoped. Sea-Tac's 40.34 inches of annual precipitation, about 73% of it falling October through March, makes water damage the most common finding, and winter lows averaging just above freezing (37.1°F in December) put wet masonry through the repeated freeze-thaw crossings the Brick Industry Association links to cracking and spalling.
Newer subdivisions in Renton, Redmond and Bothell more often have factory-built chimneys, where the usual finding is a rusted chase cover.
Our Work
Chimney Real Estate Inspection in action
Order a real estate chimney inspection in Seattle
Level 2 camera scan, written report with photos, free repair quote. Same-day often available. Call 206-453-2045.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Real Estate Inspection FAQ
Is a chimney inspection required to sell a house in Washington?
No law requires it. NFPA 211 recommends a Level 2 inspection whenever a property is transferred, and many buyers' agents ask for one after the home inspection flags the fireplace. Sellers often order it before listing so the flue condition is documented on their terms rather than discovered during the buyer's contingency.
Why didn't my home inspector scope the chimney?
General home inspections cover what is visible and readily accessible. The inside of a flue is neither, and scoping it takes a chimney camera and someone who can read what it shows. Our Level 2 inspection is the evaluation those reports recommend, with video of the flue attached.
How fast can you get a report to me during the inspection period?
Same-day and next-day visits are often available from our Renton office across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, and the written report follows quickly after the visit. Tell us your contingency deadline when you call 206-453-2045 and we will schedule around it.
Can I use your report to negotiate a repair credit?
Yes. The report separates safety items from maintenance items and comes with an itemized free quote, so a buyer can request specific repairs or a credit in a specific amount. If the seller's side produced its own quote, we will review it and give a free second opinion.
What are the most common findings in a Seattle real estate chimney inspection?
Water damage leads: a cracked crown, a missing or rusted cap, failed flashing, or spalled brick. Inside older masonry flues, cracked or shifted clay tiles and gaps at tile joints are the usual camera findings. On factory-built systems, a rusted-through chase cover is the most common problem.
Should a seller fix what the report finds or just disclose it?
Either works, and we will tell you honestly which items a buyer's inspector is likely to flag. Small items such as a cap or a crown seal are usually cheaper to fix before listing than to credit at closing. Larger items can be disclosed with our quote attached so buyers have a real number instead of a guess.
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