Radon and Home Sales
More and more, homebuyers and renters are asking about radon levels before they buy or rent a home. Because real estate sales happen quickly, there is often little time to deal with radon and other issues. The best thing to do is to test for radon now and save the results in case the buyer is interested in them. Fix a problem if it exists so it won't complicate your home sale. If you are planning to sell your home in the near future, a good pamphlet to read is the EPA's Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon, which addresses common questions. You can get a printed copy of it from your state radon office. In Iowa that is the Iowa Department of Public Health, radon division. Rick Welke is the Radon Program Project Director at 515 281-4928.
What buyers want to know and what you can do.
- Buyers often ask if the home has been tested for radon; and if elevated levels were found, were they reduced.
- Buyers want tests made by someone who is not involved in or influenced by the sale of the home.
- Buyers may want to know the radon level in an area of the home that may not have been previously tested. Like an unfinished basement that is not currently used but that they plan to finish and use.
Take a proactive stance concerning radon before you list your home.
- You can schedule the test at your convenience.
- If the test shows high radon levels, you have plenty of time to shop for a state certified contractor to fix the home. Then radon no longer becomes a point of contention at the negotiation table.
- If the test reveals a lower radon level, showing the report will put the buyer's mind at ease.
- A radon test is a gesture in forthrightness on your part.
- The deal is less likely to fall apart the way they often do in the last minute when a test reveals a problem.
The above list is a compilation of ideas from the "EPA's home buyers and sellers guide to radon" and articles published by the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors.