What if the air inside your home could tell stories? What if one of those stories was silently affecting your health and dangerous without you even knowing?
Hey y’all! I’m Anita L Williamson, Associate Broker with James River Realty Group. Did you know radon is an odorless and colorless gas that is known to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US?
What Is Radon?
First, you may be asking. What is Radon? It’s a naturally occurring, radioactive gas, released from the normal decay of uranium in rocks and soil. Invisible, odorless, and tasteless, it can enter homes through cracks and gaps in the foundation. Prolonged exposure to high levels of radon can pose serious health risks.
Testing is straightforward but crucial. Professionals place a testing device in your home for at least 48 hours. Some homes, depending on square footage will need more than one testing device to accurately measure radon levels. In Virginia, if a test comes back with levels above 4 picocuries per liter, buyers can request remediation.
Remediation for radon involves installing systems to reduce radon levels, which takes radon out of the home and releases it back in the air. The installation of the mitigation system can take a few days but is essential for health and safety
Health Risks
Recently, I had a buyer who encountered a high radon test in the home she was purchasing. The home she was about to purchase tested for very high levels of radon. As part of our repair request to the seller they promptly took action to remediate. However, radon being colorless and odorless meant we would have to retest to make sure the mitigation solution solved the high radon problem.
What’s important to know is the timeline from installing the mitigation system to beginning to retest to receive the results is LONG and you can’t speed it up! After the initial remediation, there is a 24 hours wait time required by the EPA to start a new 48-hour test. The reason for this is because you have to give the new system time to work and draw out the radon to reduce the levels.
In this case – The results? Still high. We had to contact the Mitigation Company to come back out to do more mitigation procedures. Which meant waiting a few days for an opening in their schedule. Then waiting the 24 hours before we could begin retesting and guess what – the result was STILL high radon!
Needless to say this cycle of mitigation and retesting delayed our closing but emphasized the importance of diligence in ensuring a safe home. In the end after several mitigation steps the radon levels were brought down to acceptable levels under the EPA guidelines.
Although delays can be frustrating, ensuring the safety of your home from radon is a priority that protects everyone involved. By understanding and addressing radon, we pave the way for not just a successful sale but a healthier future for the home’s new family.
Rate Extension
However, these delays have effects on both the buyer and seller. The Buyer can have interest rate lock issues with their lender because of the delay in closing. This means additional money out of the buyer’s pocket to pay for rate extension which aren’t cheap! Plus if they have already sold their home or given notice to their landlord they could be out of a place to live.
Also, the cost of installing the mitigation system can be pricey and the retesting after each mitigation can be costly for the seller as well. Additionally, it could hinder them from buying their next home and delay that closing as well.
If you are worried about radon in your home, don’t wait for a buyer to discover if high levels of radon are in your home. Take the first step towards a safer home today by scheduling a professional radon test. If you need recommendations for testing professionals in our area just reach out to me. I am happy to help!
I’m Anita L Williamson helping you establish roots in Central Virginia.
