Shawn
719-264-7777
To Test or Not To Test? Radon in Colorado Springs
Radon is a major issue in the sale of homes these days. Lots of buyers are now testing for and finding radon levels that are higher than the EPA standard. When a high radon reading is found, the buyer asks the seller to install a mitigating system. These systems can cost between $800 and $1000.
Recent Issue
I recently had a transaction where radon was found (suburban Aurora, CO–nowhere hear the foothills). They buyer naturally asked the seller to provide a system to mitigate the high radon level. The seller declined the request saying that she had already come down enough on the price and would not pay for that item. The bad news is that now the buyer has walked from the deal and the seller will have to disclose to all potential buyers that Radon has been found in the home. Most likely, they will have to install the system.
The key issue here is that the seller might have had a test done prior to listing the property for sale. This way, the high level could have been found and the system would have been installed. The seller would have then included this cost in the sales price to the buyer. They also might have had a low test reading which could have been provided to the buyer at the time of contract. This would have caused the buyer not to test and ask for a system, saving everyone a lot of headaches.
How to interpret the results
The readings can vary according to weather conditions (pressure changes, I think) and other factors. The only way to get a true reading is to do a long term test over a period of weeks or months. I feel that when the reading is high as it has been in several homes I have owned, the seller should just go ahead and install a system.
A reading of 128 (EPA recommends no higher than 4.0) is not going to vary low enough to not mitigate. A reading of 4.6 certainly could dip below 4.0 over a longer period of time. Home sellers need to understand that the days of skating by with a buyer who does not test are over.
Home inspectors now have high quality testing equipment in their possession and they pitch the radon inspection to buyers as a way to increase their profits on inspections.
The easy solution!
Sellers need to go ahead and test prior to marketing their homes for sale and avoid any problems at time of inspection.
Feel free to comment below or contact me for a list of radon testing or mitigation contractors.
719-264-7777