Home Buying 101: Radon Inspections
Figure out your needs
Monthly cost of owning a home
Ideal Neighborhood
Financing Your Purchase
The FHA Mortgage
The Conventional Mortgage
The Adjustable Rate Mortgage
Department Of Veterans Affairs Mortgage
Pre-Qualified vs Pre-ApprovalPhase 2: Looking
Looking at homes
Types of homes
Single Family Homes
Town Homes
Condominium
Twin Homes
Multi-Family Homes
Types of sellers
Traditional
Short Sale
Foreclosed
Researching A Home’s Public InformationPhase 3: Buying
Making an offer that counts
The Purchase Agreement
Buyer Letter to Seller
Inspections: Why get one?
Sewer Line Scope Inspection
Fireplace Chimney Inspection
Mechanicals
Phase 4: Closing
Closing Costs Explained
Title Work
Appraisals
Underwriting
Utility Bills
Preparing for the Closing
The Closing
Radon Testing
Radon is a radioactive gas that you can’t see or smell or taste. It is found all over the entire United States and can build up in homes. The radon gas enters a home through cracks in the foundation or slab and then gets trapped inside homes. This build-up of radioactive gas can be measured by short term tests or long term tests. A radon test that inspectors do is usually a 2-day test with a Continuous Radon Monitor, which can give a result at the end of the 2-day period. This immediate result is what is usually used in the inspection phase of the purchase agreement.
Radon has recently become a well-known issue in 2014, and there is quite a push to have radon tests done. You can have a radon test done in the home as part of your inspection time frame. The general home inspector can do a radon test with their inspection, but it takes a minimum of 48 hours for measurement. They usually go to the home 2 days in advance and leave a detector at the house, and come back to pick it up in a couple of days.
The EPA publishes a range of values to look for in radon test results. They mention in their publications that if a house has a reading greater than 4 pCi/L, the house should be mitigated. If the reading is between 2 pCi/L and 3.9 pCi/L, mitigation should be considered.
Radon mitigation costs can vary depending on the house. These costs usually vary between $500 to $2000. I’ve had a few come in at $1400 or so and would predict this to be the average cost. But since there is a big push for radon testing right now, there are lots of homes getting mitigated from radon, and this should push up the cost of radon mitigation in the short run.
Radon inspectors should be National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) certified, a National Radon Safety Board (NRSB) member, or Midwest Universities Radon Consortium (MURC) certified.
Some radon mitigators can be found here.
Additional Resources:
A Citizen’s Guide To Radon (EPA)
EPA Radon Page
Minnesota Department Of Health – Radon
University Of Minnesota – Extension Radon Page