I am becoming suspect of radon tests lately. I have been selling Real Estate in North Ga, TN & NC for 5 years. Until recently radon never came up as an issue. I had a buyer who put a contract on a new house, after binding date we learned the house had had a contract recently fall through over a radon test coming in high for radon. Neither my buyer not I knew a whole lot about it so we started researching. We learned enough that my buyer backed out even though the seller was installing a mitigation system. The curious thing was the same company that manufactured the testing equipment is the same company doing the mitigation. Well, we found another mountain home in a completely different area 20 miles away. Now the buyer is sensitive to the issue, having read so much about it. We wrote the contract contingent on a radon test. My buyer hired the same inspector who tested with the same equipment. Got the report today and again the radon levels are above EPA minimums. In their report to the buyer, the test equipement company recommends 3 vendors for mitigation and of course they are one of the companies.
The EPA minimum is 4.0 pCi/l, our average is 5.2 pCi/l. I know radon is a serious matter but it is starting to feel like a racket with now 2 deals falling through in row for the same buyer. The only winner here seems to be company making the equipment that tests and mitigates. And of course the seller now must disclose going forward the house has has tested high for radon.
Other than multiple costly tests I am not sure how to be sure this isn't an over sensitive hype
Now my buyer and I start again, though with most homes here not tested I fear we will keep going down this road. And how dangerous is it for a vacation home used maybe 4 weeks out of the year?
Any wisdom out there about this?
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