Realtor's Frequently Asked Questions

My client’s home has come back at 11.6 pCi/L. However, I know the house has been vacant or sitting closed up for several months. Surely, this affected the reading being "high!"

It "sounds” like it would make sense, however this simply isn’t the case. There are two factors at work:

First off, radon is radioactive, which means that it is breaking down continuously. Radon gas is made up of "living radioactive particles that have a life”, once they are emitted into the air of (3.8 days). That’s called their half-life. At the end of 82 hours of time they "die” As soon as the particles die, they are continuously replaced by other ones. Example: If you had a bottle containing 1 pound of radon; In 82 hours (3.8 days) half of its gone, transformed into other elements-bismuth, polonium and lead. Another 82 hours and we’re down to only ¼ of a pound of radon, and so on.
Secondly, a house is breathing (in at the bottom, out at the top) even when its closed up. A typical home will have at least 15 air changes a day in normal operation, and perhaps 8-12 when completely closed up. Bottom line: The vast majority of the radon that’s measured during a short-term test has entered the house, during the test, or in the 12 hours preceding. It does not sit and accumulate.

Yes, all structures: old, new basements, slab-on-grade, bi-levels, tri-levels, quad levels, and crawlspaces can potentially have elevated radon levels. All houses need to be tested period! But, especially every time there is an exchange of ownership.

You should never rely on neighbor’s radon results as a comparison to yours. Even identical homes in the same development, next door to each other, built at the same time, by the same builder can be 100 times higher or lower than your house. There can even be a huge difference from one side of a duplex or attached townhome to the other.
"That is why every residence in America needs to be tested!”
We have heard comments like, "there’s no radon in that area of town” Yes, some areas are more prolific than others, but every area have homes with elevated radon levels. Don’t be the one responsible for your client not having their home evaluated. The only way to know is to test!

Testing a home for radon may be done either prior to or after the time of purchase. Generally, most sellers should have no reservations about a test being performed if the buyer is willing to pay for it, however, the sellers reservations about having a radon test performed in their house "could” cloud the sale!

No. As long as the company is licensed and certified as both tester and a mitigator, the company can legally provide both. At Home Radon is licensed by the State of Ohio and Indiana and is certified by NEHA(National Environmental Health Association) as a radon tester and mitigator. All testing and radon mitigation services, provided by AHR meet all standards and applicable codes.
We are professionals with integrity for our craft, just as the real estate professional who represents buyers and sellers in the same transaction. "If you want a mechanic to diagnose your car, you wouldn’t then leave and go have another mechanic fix it, would you?” or doctor, plumber, etc.
At Home Radon recommends on all our mitigation proposals, if we did the initial test, that we recommend third party testing to confirm our results. This is an EPA mandate, according to section 17.5 of the EPA’s mitigation standards.

Contractors trained in EPA mitigation standards can install successful radon mitigation systems. While soliciting radon contractors, request a written proposal that includes guarantees of resulting concentrations that are less than 4.0 pCi/L.

Be specific on what is an acceptable reading. 3.9 pCi/L or lower.
Consider who will be doing the pre-sale radon testing (Are they certified to do so?) and at whose expense it will be conducted.
If the radon levels are elevated, will mitigation be acceptable? Who will pay for the work?
If radon mitigation is decided upon, who will perform the work? Are they state licensed and certified by NEHA or NRSP?

Will the person in the company, that is licensed/certified to handle the mitigation, be "on-site” during the job, as mandated by EPA protocols? At Home Radon is the company that all their installers are licensed/certified radon mitigation specialists. Ask the other companies, ”Will your licensed specialist be at the property during the installation?” They may say, "No.”
Do they carry general liability insurance and can produce an insurance certificate to verify this.
Is a post mitigation test provided with the cost to ensure system success?
Does the proposal/contract provide detailed information on the work to be performed, warranties provided, are they transferable?
Contractor method of payment. How and when does the contractor require payment. At Home Radon prefers a check to be ready the day of installation, but we are flexible to meet the needs of our out of town buyers, with credit card opportunities, and even payment at closing, if that’s what it takes to get the home mitigated.