While not a requirement, it is highly recommended that you verify that a home's radon levels are safe for occupancy before purchasing or selling. What does a safe level of radon mean? The EPA recommends that you mitigate, or take action to lower the radon, if your radon test returns a result of 4 pCi/L or higher. Though Florida has a relatively low level of ground source radon as compared to the rest of the country, high levels of radon have been found across the state of Florida due to building materials emanation.
As a seller, if you know of a radon problem or an active radon mitigation system within your home, you do have an obligation to disclose this to potential buyers.
If a seller has to disclose a known radon problem within their home why would they want to test ahead of time?
As a seller, radon testing before putting your home on the market will ensure you have the information needed to reassure a potential buyer at your fingertips.
Radon is a relatively inexpensive problem to correct. More importantly, by fixing the problem you are making your property more attractive to potential buyers. A mitigated house is much more marketable compared to an unknown, untested house. Additionally, you don’t want a radon problem to be the reason for holding up a closing or the cause of any price concessions.
Most importantly, radon mitigation systems often have the added benefit of improved indoor air quality overall which further enhances the value of the property. In the South Florida real estate market, we have historically witnessed property value appreciation for mitigated units when compared side by side with unmitigated units.
As a potential buyer, you'll want to know if the house you are purchasing may require a radon mitigation.
Questions to ask the seller:
Has the house been tested for radon?
How long ago were the tests performed?
Did a radon certified business perform the tests?
Where in the house were tests performed?
What were the results of the radon testing?
Keep in mind, it is very important the test be no older than two years and you may want to mitigate the radon even if the levels are at 4.0 pCi/L or below if you have underlying health issues, are a current smoker, or if you have been a smoker in the past. Since radon is a compounding health issue, existing conditions could be further exacerbated by living in unsafe levels.
If the radon tests provided by your seller are older than two years, it is recommended that new tests are performed to ensure the house is at a safe level for occupancy. Testing can be performed very quickly in your due diligence or inspection period. Most testing during real estate transactions can be completed in 48 hours not including the lab inspection and reporting time.
Additionally, it is important to remember that not all home inspectors are certified to perform radon tests. Make sure a certified business like EnviroHome, is hired to perform your radon tests and that the tests are deployed by certified Radon Measurement Technicians.
Questions about radon disclosures or radon testing?
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