diff --git a/cmds/filesystem.c b/cmds/filesystem.c
index 05e46030..0d23daf4 100644
--- a/cmds/filesystem.c
+++ b/cmds/filesystem.c
@@ -1082,7 +1082,6 @@ static int cmd_filesystem_resize(const struct cmd_struct *cmd,
 	char	*amount, *path;
 	DIR	*dirstream = NULL;
 	int ret;
-	struct stat st;
 	bool enqueue = false;
 
 	/*
@@ -1115,21 +1114,17 @@ static int cmd_filesystem_resize(const struct cmd_struct *cmd,
 		return 1;
 	}
 
-	res = stat(path, &st);
-	if (res < 0) {
-		error("resize: cannot stat %s: %m", path);
-		return 1;
-	}
-	if (!S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
-		error("resize works on mounted filesystems and accepts only\n"
-			"directories as argument. Passing file containing a btrfs image\n"
-			"would resize the underlying filesystem instead of the image.\n");
-		return 1;
-	}
-
 	fd = btrfs_open_dir(path, &dirstream, 1);
-	if (fd < 0)
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		/* The path is a directory */
+		if (fd == -3) {
+			error(
+		"resize works on mounted filesystems and accepts only\n"
+		"directories as argument. Passing file containing a btrfs image\n"
+		"would resize the underlying filesystem instead of the image.\n");
+		}
 		return 1;
+	}
 
 	ret = check_running_fs_exclop(fd, BTRFS_EXCLOP_RESIZE, enqueue);
 	if (ret != 0) {
diff --git a/common/utils.c b/common/utils.c
index a29fecdf..852fdd44 100644
--- a/common/utils.c
+++ b/common/utils.c
@@ -184,16 +184,6 @@ int btrfs_open(const char *path, DIR **dirstream, int verbose, int dir_only)
 	struct stat st;
 	int ret;
 
-	if (statfs(path, &stfs) != 0) {
-		error_on(verbose, "cannot access '%s': %m", path);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	if (stfs.f_type != BTRFS_SUPER_MAGIC) {
-		error_on(verbose, "not a btrfs filesystem: %s", path);
-		return -2;
-	}
-
 	if (stat(path, &st) != 0) {
 		error_on(verbose, "cannot access '%s': %m", path);
 		return -1;
@@ -204,6 +194,16 @@ int btrfs_open(const char *path, DIR **dirstream, int verbose, int dir_only)
 		return -3;
 	}
 
+	if (statfs(path, &stfs) != 0) {
+		error_on(verbose, "cannot access '%s': %m", path);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	if (stfs.f_type != BTRFS_SUPER_MAGIC) {
+		error_on(verbose, "not a btrfs filesystem: %s", path);
+		return -2;
+	}
+
 	ret = open_file_or_dir(path, dirstream);
 	if (ret < 0) {
 		error_on(verbose, "cannot access '%s': %m", path);