Three deals dead in three months due to radon.

This odorless, invisible gas that as far as I can tell can't be unequivocally linked to health issues has done another deal in.

I live and sell properties in the Granite State (New Hampshire)...Radon is everywhere.

If the Radon count has above 4.0 PCI based on an independent test...inside the home, its high on the front steps, sidewalk...road leading to your new home. What are you going to do about that?

Is this a Government plan to put radon mitigation specialist back to work?

Or a test to raise the home inspectors fee?

All three of these sales were done in by counts between 8 and 12 PCI...how bad is living with this?

In each case I asked the buyer what the count was at their current home...where they have lived 24/7 for years, none of them had any idea.

I know you are all itching to comment have a system put in...drill a hole in the basement slab...attach a PVC pipe and hook up a fan...no big deal...Right?

1) this questionable test has just scared the buyer...and you can't put Pandora back in the box. One canceled as not being convinced a zero could ever be achieved and children's room will be on the lower level.

2) The cost of this out of the blue concern is prohibitive. Deal  two has half a finished basement and half is a dirt floor...the only way to fix this house pour a new slab, but the seller is upside down on the mortgage and can't do anything about the required repair.

3) deal three, a five story condo with the high count on the ground floor. There are windows on all five stories and no way to get a vent system above the roof line without a major engineering under-taking...if at all possible.

I have had properties come in with radon counts over 30PCI and there - systems have made the difference. But the counts that are in the single digits, the change of barometric pressure, weather patterns, an open window or a re-test can change the results.

 

Once the cat is out of the bag…good luck coaxing him back in.

The damage is done, the buyer is scared and many times nothing can put this deal back together again. Any great advice on this subject?

 

If the seller pre-tested, would buyers accept there results...this tests are done through independent labs and the numbers are accepted to be "real"...but is there a real health concern?

What is the radon level at your house...at your office...at your children's school, or is the stress caused by this concern worse for you than the radon itself.

In new construction we are putting a vent in the floor and a pipe to the attic space before finishing the inside of the home...if a test rate the living space in a high range, a $200 fan will fix the PCI levels.

 

 

 

 

Steve Loynd profile photo           

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154 Comments on The radon gas - deal killer

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DEC
06
2009
 Rick correction, that would be" miners" instead of "minors."
11:27am • #136
366,118 Points 17 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Called Shot Master

I have never heard of anyone here asking for a radon test, I don't even know where to get one.  But if we were in a radon area, I would recommend it for sure.  My family is from a little farm in South Dakota, a high risk area - dirt basement, storage for vegetables, etc.  My parents died of cancer, and out of 10 kids, so far 2 have had mouth cancer, it is not just the breathing of the gas, it gets in the food stored in basements.

We rarely have termites here, but I order those inspections, too.  CYA and protect your clients.
4:19pm • #137
800,721 Points 43 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Virginia ...you can find any number of places that sell a test kits on-line, all have a mail away lab envelope with the kit. All you need to do is put an email address on the enclosed flier (time of test-requires 48 hours exposure in a closed room), and the results will come inside of a few days. Might be worth a try at your own house, then you can judge if talking about the issue should be incorporated in your real estate work in the future.
4:50pm • #138
366,118 Points 17 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Called Shot Master

Steve, excellent idea.  Thanks.

I moved here from California, termite inspections were standard there.  I ordered one on the first house I sold here, even the inspector laughed at me.  After 4 years, I still recommend them, if the buyer does not want to pay for it, I will.  One finally did come back positive recently and the fix was pricey - glad it was not on me - I want my clients to have full confidence in me and in the home they purchase.
4:59pm • #139
800,721 Points 43 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Virginia, you'll been seen as taking an extraordinary step to ensure your area doesn't have a radon issue. Just think...you can Say I tested my own house and I am now confident of my results. There are a lot of labs that sell the test kits and the results are pretty darn reliable.
6:44pm • #140

I have lost many family members to cancer. If radon mitigation saves lifes I am for it no matter how many transactions ( not deals...used car salesman lingo) I loose.

The two areas of the country that have the highest is RHODE iSLAND (WHERE i AM A bROKER-Associate) and PA.

It really does not cost that much for mitigation 800-1500 to protect family members from potential canccer issues.
T.Todd Brown
8:20pm • #141
DEC
11
2009

In my opinion, any inspector who is testing for radon should be certified by NEHA (National Environmental Health Association).  This is by far the most thorough certification available.  http://www.neha-nrpp.org/.  Under no circumstances should anyone rely on a charcoal canister type radon test as they only measure the picocuries at the exact instant the test was administered and radon levels fluctuate throughout the day.
1:31pm • #142
800,721 Points 43 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Christie, I would agree and many times I would ask for a re-test with better equipment when you get odd readings...I'm afraid most people want to leave a kit and send it off to the lab...then take that as the final answer.
4:19pm • #143
DEC
16
2009
1 Featured Post Hit Router

Hi, I'm in your neck of the woods - Littleton.  We've all seen some deals go down because of Radon.  I think it really has to do with the buyer's comfort zone here, you're right.  I've had buyers at all different levels of concern.
3:35pm • #144
800,721 Points 43 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Hi Lori, We've shown property together in Franconia, That was the theme of the post...we do have all kinds of radon level in the White Mountains...and they can kill a deal.
3:53pm • #145
DEC
23
2009
1 Featured Post Hit Router

Sorry Steve, I guess you have a better memory than I do!
12:04pm • #146
JAN
03
2010
236,941 Points 5 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

That's tough Steve. We do not have much radon anround here. Only in a few pockets around the city.

Note; The comment above me is all spam.
8:13pm • #147
JAN
19
2010
Outside Blog

We've had Radon as more of an annoyance than a hindrance for sales in St. Louis.  Its a rare situation that its a serious enough problem to kill a deal. 
6:37pm • #148
800,721 Points 43 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Radon can be found in Pockets all over the country, It would be a good idea to test for it in a neighborhood once in a while just to rule it out...if for no other reason.
7:08pm • #149
DEC
05
2010
Radon is an odorless gas which is produced by the normal decay of uranium in rocks and soil. And it is estimated that 1 in 15 American homes contains dangerous levels of radon. Radon can enter homes through cracks in floors, walls, or foundations, and collect indoors. It can also be released from building materials, or from water obtained from wells that contain radon.
måle radon
8:23am • #150
MAR
15
2011

The radon test didn't kill the deal.  The high radon did.  Don't shoot the messenger.
3:08am • #151
APR
23
2011
800,721 Points 43 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Thanks For sharing that Mark.
10:35am • #152
JAN
06
2012

Man, I never realized the dangers of radon.  Last year I found out that radon kills nearly 100,000 people a year by causing lung cancer. I had to get my house tested for radon as soon as I found out about that.  My levels were way high, but with my new <a href="http://www.annarborradonmitigation.com">Radon Mitigation Michigan</a> system, I was breathing easy again! :)
Radon Mitigation Michigan
2:37pm • #153
AUG
15

Okay, I understand everything about radon more today than yesterday.  It's a common problem here in the Denver area.  I'm an Exclusive Buyers Agent, so don't deal much with the mitigation side (unless I get to provide it because I forgot to wait for the results before turning in our inspection objections! Lesson learned...).

My client had the radon checked and it was 5.5.  The seller had had it checked when she bought it 5 years ago and it was 5.2.  We asked for buyer and seller to split the cost of mitigation, around $850.  Then my buyer did his own independent research and because of the charm and aesthetic of the house, decided it would make a 1923 bungalow look ugly with the pipe running up the wall, so he canceled the mitigation.  Before I canceled it I did my own research and recommended he do what the seller did, leave it for the next buyer, or take the time to do his own due diligence to get it mitigated to his taste.  I thought I'd heard everything, but guess I still have much left to learn.
Judith Clausen
8:42am • #154
AUG
16
800,721 Points 43 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Judith...It a funny subject, studies are all over the place with what is bad for your health. The outside air can be very close to those numbers...but you can't live in a vacuum so what do you do. BTW there are way to hide the pipe and bring it through the roof so it looks like a chimney.
6:36am • #155

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