Should You Test for Radon Before Selling Your Home?

What is a seller’s obligation when it comes to radon testing?

First, let’s review what radon is. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that’s caused by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, and it seeps up through the cracks in a home’s foundation. 

If you’re a seller, you don’t have to conduct a radon test for your home prior to listing it or its purchase, but if you have had it tested in the past, you need to disclose that to the buyer and provide the results.

In a typical transaction, if a buyer conducts a radon test as part of their home inspection, they’ll do a 48-hour test—the cost of which they’ll pay for themselves. If the test results show a reading above 4 pCi/L, the EPA recommends a full radon mitigation for the home.

Depending on your home’s size, a mitigation can cost between $1,500 and $2,000. However, you don’t have to have this mitigation performed—that’s something that can be negotiated during the transaction. 

If you have any more questions about how radon testing affects the home inspection contingency or the seller’s disclosure, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you.