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It is always recommended to test a home for radon prior to purchase especially in Central New York. In our surrounding states of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey and others their state laws require radon testing be included in the sale of every home. In New York some homes have extremely high radon levels, in Tully, NY a home was tested with a radon level above 400 pCi/L, more than 100 times the safety limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Homes we have recently done testing in or done proposals for in the greater Syracuse area (year 07-08) have had radon levels of:
One house with a Radon Level above 250 pCi/L (over 62 times the safe limit)
Three houses with Radon Levels well above 100 pCi/L (over 25 times the safe limit)
Several houses with Radon Levels above 50 pCi/L (over 12 times the safe limit)
Would you want to move your family unknowingly into one of these homes?
Sometimes the radon level can be "difficult" (which translates to expensive) to reduce to a safe level. You don't want to find this out after you move into the home. Many times we have heard "I wish we would of done a radon test when we bought the house.
The EPA recommends that any home testing for Radon above 4.0 pCi/L should be mitigated to bring the level below 4.0 pCi/L (This is the level set for Real Estate sales). For home owners the EPA says that even if you have a level below 4.0 pCi/L you may want to get it below 2.0 pCi/L to be extra safe. The outside air has an average level of 1.6 pCi/L.
Another excellent reason to have a home tested prior to purchase is that most often the seller will pay for the radon mitigation system to be installed if the test results show high radon. This is a question that is very often asked.
Q: In a Real Estate sale with high radon who pays to fix the problem? The buyer or the seller?
An interesting question and one we get all the time. The simple, yet inconclusive answer is "It depends". If a seller is motivated or is simply happy with the price he or she is getting for the house, likes the buyer or many other psychological factors, then the seller typically pays. If the buyer is getting a "steal" in the eyes of the seller, the buyer has been difficult to work with or other factors, then the buyer typically pays. Sometimes both buyer and seller split the cost. However, more often than not, the seller pays for the system.
One of the reasons behind this is that if the seller refuses to pay for a mitigation system to bring the radon to a safe level and the buyer backs out of the deal, it is now legally required by law that the "Seller's Disclosure Statement" be changed to show that a high level of radon exists in their home (most often this section had previously read "unknown"). This new disclosure will become a strong deterrent to selling the home.
The national average cost for a radon mitigation system is $1200. Most often the seller is willing to pay this cost and allow the closing to proceed.
Radon Be Gone, Making Homes Safe in Central New York
Call for a FREE estimate to PERMANENTLY fix your home's radon problem:
1-800-931-9972
8455 E. Seneca Turnpike, Manlius, New York Phone: (315) 439-1103 or (607) 216-9025 Fax: (315) 682-7601
Email: tom@RadonBeGoneCny.com