Radon in basement

[lovin'fl]

Looking at a house that disclosed 2 tests for Radon. Both were 0.8. And both were done after a radon mitigation system was installed in 2016, same time the basement was finished. Not sure what the levels were prior. Would this deter you from buying? We are not worried as we are empty nest so no kids hanging in basement. But thinking about resale down the line.

 

[Searc]

Looking at a house that disclosed 2 tests for Radon. Both were 0.8. And both were done after a radon mitigation system was installed in 2016, same time the basement was finished. Not sure what the levels were prior. Would this deter you from buying? We are not worried as we are empty nest so no kids hanging in basement. But thinking about resale down the line.

I would not be worried about a .8 level.

 

[_19disnA]

We had to do one of those radon tests as part of selling our home recently. NEVER had done anything about it previously. Apparently, this is a bigger deal in certain parts of the country from what we have learned. We hired someone to install what is basically a venting system in the basement. Part of their contract indicates THEY were responsible to get the radon level to an acceptable range or they would do additional remediation for no additional charge. I don't recall the actual number rating as this was a couple of years ago.

When we were selling it was our understanding the seller is responsible for radon remediation in order for the sale to go through. Perhaps that varies in other parts of the country.

 

[Moliphino]

We didn't even test for radon in the air when we bought our house a few months ago (MA). The basement is unfinished and we won't be down there much. We did test for radon in the water, which was high so we needed an aeration system installed. I don't think the sellers were responsible for any radon remediation here, but we did negotiate $5k off the price for the water system.

 

[Hikergirl]

I wouldn't worry about that low of a level, that is pretty low. I wouldn't have an issue purchasing a home with an abatement system either but there is one in my MIL's house so I'm not "scared" of them.
You'll never know how a buyer reacts to those kinds of things.

 

[gotomu212]

Looking at a house that disclosed 2 tests for Radon. Both were 0.8. And both were done after a radon mitigation system was installed in 2016, same time the basement was finished. Not sure what the levels were prior. Would this deter you from buying? We are not worried as we are empty nest so no kids hanging in basement. But thinking about resale down the line.

So much depends on what part of the country you live in. Here you must do a radon test for any sale. Here, .8 with a mitigation system would be considered fine, but a lot of houses here are around 4.0 before the systems so your scale may be different.

 

[Searc]

We didn't even test for radon in the air when we bought our house a few months ago (MA). The basement is unfinished and we won't be down there much. We did test for radon in the water, which was high so we needed an aeration system installed. I don't think the sellers were responsible for any radon remediation here, but we did negotiate $5k off the price for the water system.

It varies by where you live. Here, radon is everywhere and it is tested for as part of a home inspection.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I am not an expert, but I know how to Google and assimilate information I read.

4 pCi/L is considered hazardous. I don't think I'd be worried about 0.8

https://www.consumerreports.org/radon/is-it-safe-to-buy-a-home-with-an-elevated-radon-level/
https://health.mo.gov/living/environment/radon/riskcharts.php

 

[anniemae]

I thought anything higher than 4 was considered not safe. Not sure why you would be worried at this low level?

 

[lovin'fl]

Worried about reselling as I said in the post. Not worried about living in it cause I did google to see that level was not bad. But does having the remediation system in the basement (due to maybe past high levels) make reselling tough? Guessing it's fine. And this is in PA.

 

[hopemax]

We have Radon here. When we were buying our house, they didn't have a mitigation system installed. Test came back 17! Seller paid for the mitigation system to be installed.

Below 4 is the recommendation. No one, with any experience will blink with a .8. No one that lives in an area with radon and experience will blink at a system being installed. They will be happy there is one. As mentioned, radon mitigation is just a fact of life in certain areas.

But, with a mitigation system you have to get it checked periodically, as the fans do wear out and need to be replaced. The company we used for the mitigation system, had a 10 yr warranty if we checked every 2 years. It can start to creep up. Ours, about year 6, did start creeping, and this last time we had to replace the fan, because it went above 4.

 

[aejammers]

Worried about reselling as I said in the post. Not worried about living in it cause I did google to see that level was not bad. But does having the remediation system in the basement (due to maybe past high levels) make reselling tough? Guessing it's fine. And this is in PA.

I think it would be hard to find a house anywhere in the Northeast, including PA, WITHOUT a radon system. I live in southeast PA and wouldn't give it a second thought.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I agree, but in an established neighborhood where people have lived for a long time, it would not be unusual to see that most homes do not have such a system. People tend to find out about the new rules when putting their home up for sale. In certain parts of the country, the rock formations in the ground are the source of the radon. Over time, rules/standards change and usually they have to be followed when the home is sold. This is true for many things in homes. Another example is that bathrooms can no longer vent into the roof/attic since there is a concern about condensation, but years ago this was standard practice. Various electrical and plumbing codes have also changed overtime. While your neighbor may not have a radon system, it is most likely due to the fact they have lived there many years. No one buying a home should be surprised to find that local codes change over the years and get enforced when homes are sold. Your realtor should certainly be aware of that.