Some of the chimney can only be seen by camera

A walk-through takes in the room. Someone peers into the firebox, perhaps tugs the damper. The flue itself, the long passage up to the sky, is out of sight. That is where the camera earns its keep.

Wherever we can get to them, the attic, the crawlspace and the roofline get a look too, because the chimney passes through each.

Covers go down before anything else, over the floor, the hearth and the surround. Original tile and plaster stay exactly as we found them. Hillside and stairway access is something we plan before we arrive.

Every visit ends with a care note that says, in ordinary language, whether the fireplace is safe to light. Sellers can show it to a buyer. Buyers can hold it up against whatever a home inspector wrote.

A Level 2 is one rung above a Level 1, which is a look at the parts within easy reach. The camera is what the extra rung buys.

The NFPA 211 standard names four occasions for a Level 2. A change of ownership is one. The rest are a blaze in the flue, a quake and a new fuel type. A sale is also when a buyer's contingency is open, so the questions are fresh.