In negotiations...borderline radon test (agent, price, inspection, offers)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi all. We are in the process of selling our first home and last week also got an accepted offer on a larger home we really love. We have just finished inspections on our 120 year old house and, of course, have a few things the buyer is asking us to fix.
We have agreed to fix the plumbing and electrical issues as we think that is only fair that we pass on the house with basic systems in good standing. However the buyer wants us to also pay for radon mitigation. The test was done in our unfinished basement (which is too low to be used as livable space) and the test came back at 4.1.
The house sold in 3 days for just a little over our list price and we have a very interested backup buyer who would pay the same purchase price. I would be inclined to be stubborn over not paying for radon except the house we are trying to buy also has a backup offer. I don't want to mess up the whole deal over a thousand dollars but I also feel like the livable areas of our home would not require mitigation. As a side note, I find it kind of weird that radon is a part of a real estate transaction at all.
About 50% of my buyer's opt to include an additional radon test.
Here's my advice: pay for the radon mitigation system. You'll have to disclose to presence of radon to any other buyer at this point, and odds are - they'll ask you to foot the bill for the system anyway.
I would offer to pay for an additional radon test on the lowest level that you are going to use as living space whether it is finished or unfinished. That is a direct quote from the epa.gov/radon site. Too many tests are done on the wrong floor.
Hi all. We are in the process of selling our first home and last week also got an accepted offer on a larger home we really love. We have just finished inspections on our 120 year old house and, of course, have a few things the buyer is asking us to fix.
We have agreed to fix the plumbing and electrical issues as we think that is only fair that we pass on the house with basic systems in good standing. However the buyer wants us to also pay for radon mitigation. The test was done in our unfinished basement (which is too low to be used as livable space) and the test came back at 4.1.
The house sold in 3 days for just a little over our list price and we have a very interested backup buyer who would pay the same purchase price. I would be inclined to be stubborn over not paying for radon except the house we are trying to buy also has a backup offer. I don't want to mess up the whole deal over a thousand dollars but I also feel like the livable areas of our home would not require mitigation. As a side note, I find it kind of weird that radon is a part of a real estate transaction at all.
Any advice?
I would have to agree with Chuckity, regardless of any personal opinions on Radon testing or principles. Read the bold red above!! You made more than expected so why not just sell it now while you can. There is no better time for this phrase "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" (or for this case "A buyer in hand is worth two back-up offers on the side"). Don't be blinded by principles, the extra profit you were not expecting, etc.
I appreciate the quick replies. We will hear back today from our agent about how negotiations are going. I am not trying to be particularly difficult, I just feel like it doesn't make a lot of sense that the seller is liable for the mitigation of a gas that exists everywhere and has nothing to do with care and maintenance of the house. We are having a radon test done on the next house, but unless the number is unusually high, we will not ask the seller to mitigate and would probably choose to mitigate if and when we finish the basement.
I don't think we're being stingy with the buyer. We are paying for a new panel, some re-wiring, and significant plumbing upgrades. This radon thing just kinds of irritates me although it appears to be the accepted manner of dealing now. Perhaps we will offer to split the cost if the buyer says no to our current offer.
Hi all. We are in the process of selling our first home and last week also got an accepted offer on a larger home we really love. We have just finished inspections on our 120 year old house and, of course, have a few things the buyer is asking us to fix.
We have agreed to fix the plumbing and electrical issues as we think that is only fair that we pass on the house with basic systems in good standing. However the buyer wants us to also pay for radon mitigation. The test was done in our unfinished basement (which is too low to be used as livable space) and the test came back at 4.1.
The house sold in 3 days for just a little over our list price and we have a very interested backup buyer who would pay the same purchase price. I would be inclined to be stubborn over not paying for radon except the house we are trying to buy also has a backup offer. I don't want to mess up the whole deal over a thousand dollars but I also feel like the livable areas of our home would not require mitigation. As a side note, I find it kind of weird that radon is a part of a real estate transaction at all.
Any advice?
My name is Mike and I am a New Jersey DEP licensed radon specialist with 20+ years experience. Your post or profile doesn't say which state you are from but heres what I can tell you with accuracy concerning a 4.1. Regarding mitigation at 4.1 the first thing either the Federal EPA or New Jersey DEP tells you at 4.1 is to do a second confirmation test and take the average of the two tests. Second.....in New Jersey you test the lowest "livable" area of the house while the Federal EPA protocol which many states use tells you to test the lowest "living" area of the house. If your basement ceiling is too low for living space.....a height which you can't stand up in....then its not a livable or living area and the test should have been done on the first floor. Finally....a radon test in typical in a real estate transaction and not only does the US have a radon program and protocol but most of the civilized nations also do basically because the EPA states that its the second leading cause of cancer behind smoking....its a serious health hazard just as asbestos and lead paint.
Welcome to the new age and era, and whether you like the radon findings, it is what it is, and you will have to disclose it in the future. Its not that hard to fix and around the range of 1,000, and will probably be hard to expect the buyer to help. In todays market and timing to sell, I would be very careful not to loose the sale. Good luck and get er done.
You could get another test and hope for a lower reading. You could also keep testing until you got that lower reading.
You could argue that the test was done in the wrong place, and have them do another test.
The re-test and averaging thing may not apply if the original test was done with a continuous monitor.
OR.....
You could just install the mitigation system, have happy buyers, and rejoice in the fact that you sold your house in three days.
There is a chance that the re-test may come back at 9.9 and then you will be putting in a system annyway.
If it was me (and no one is asking), I would put in the system and move on.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
