Home inspections have become very commonplace in my part of the country. Radon inspections are lagging behind and I am curious as to why.
As a buyer's agent do you consistently recommend radon test? Do you have factual knowledge if radon is prevelant or nonexistent in your market area?
Recently I was involved with the sale of a home built on a crawl space. As the buyer's agent I recommended a radon test along with the home inspection. Fortunately the buyers agreed to have this done. I have been recommending them for years and buyers always agree to the test.
When I presented the contract the listing agent was surprised that we had included the radon contingency. She did not believe that a home with a crawl space would have radon. They do and this one did.
It made me reflect that there may be a number of people that have worked with that agent and other agents that are not aware of the need for radon tests no matter whether a house has a basement, crawl space, or is built on a slab.
According to the EPA 1 out of 15 homes in the United States has an elevated level of radon. Many people do not realize how prevalent radon is and what the ramifications may be if the levels are too high.
This drawing shows the different ways radon can enter a home.
RADON GETS IN THROUGH:
- Cracks in solid floors
- Construction joints
- Cracks in walls
- Gaps in suspended floors
- Gaps around service pipes
- Cavities inside walls
- The water supply
The EPA provides a guide which is helpful for agents and clients, http://epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html.
The cost for a radon test is not significant especially compared to the cost of mitigation if discovered later on or to the potentially larger risk in terms of health.
There are some listing agents that suggest sellers have a home inspection done prior to putting a house on the market. Suggesting that a radon test be done at the same time would be a good thing also.
Protect your buyer or seller and yourself.
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If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling property at or near Lake Anna, Virginia please contact Kathleen "Kate" Elim. Kate lives at Lake Anna, knows Lake Anna, loves Lake Anna, and specializes in Lake Anna area real estate.
Call Kate at 540-226-1964 or by e-mail at lakeanna.kate@gmail.com. Be sure to check Kate's Web sites and blog at http://lakeannaandbeyond.com/ or http://lakeannacountry.com/
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Radon tests are the norm in our area and almost always listed as a contingency on the contracts. I always recommend a radon test and they are always done I would say in 100% of the sales in our local markets.