Well our in our situation that was not the case. Same with an other friend who had the same situation in our area.
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Must vary by state and state laws surrounding real estate purchases. In NJ a lawyer is required, so that might make some difference.
Just checked and the standard NJ real estate contract has a radon clause in it by default (as well as lead paint, etc.)
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Do you recommend the meter (around $100) over buying a kit and mailing it in for the results?
If you have different areas you want to test and watch how levels could be changing, a meter might make more sense unless a kit has several sample collectors. We went with a meter because we had several rooms to test. We would have hired a pro to do repeat test if the levels were higher than the threshold.
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In terms of whether the buyer or the seller puts in the mitigation system, I have seen this go both ways. In general the seller should fix this. However, if you are buying a $200,000 or $400,000 home that you love, I would not want to see a deal fall through over a $1,000 fix. If you got a great deal on a home that you love in a tight market, you might just want to get it done yourself. This also would give you some control over how it gets done.
Depending upon how many things need to be fixed, and how soon the closing is scheduled for, another issue is that waiting to get stuff fixed can delay the closing. This can also impact a mortgage commitment, since banks typically agree to a mortgage with some specified âclose byâ date.
There is an intermediate option that I have seen. This was a case where the seller and the buyer both wanted to close quickly. The seller had already moved 1,000 miles away and started a job. The buyer had nowhere else to live. It was a beautiful home in a sparse market (very few buyers, very few sellers). The various inspections found a list of changes that might come to somewhere between $5,000 and $7,000 in total. The main problem however was how long it would take to find people to fix everything. The buyer suggested that the seller give then $5,000 back at closing, and the buyer would get everything fixed after closing. The seller agreed. Both wanted the deal to go through. To me this seemed like a reasonable compromise.
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My buyers would not close until they had gotten a clean radon test after the mitigation was in place. It did delay the closing. The second round of mitigation had to happen, it had to be in place I think 2 days to have it do its work, a new test had to be done, and those test results had to come back clean. Luckily the mitigation company acted quickly, overall we were probably delayed about a week.
Doesnât it help to open the windows??
Maybe open windows would help. But in our area almost always closed, even when not heating or cooling/ac season.
I got curious and checked with Dr Googe 
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While radon testing isnât a standard requirement for all mortgage lender inspections, it is frequently recommended and sometimes required, especially for FHA loans or in areas with known radon concerns. Lenders often request it due to potential health risks and the possibility of needing mitigation, which can affect property value and financing.
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I would do a state regulation radon test kit to see if there is an issue. They have more exact results. I also have a meter that runs continuously that can alert me if something changes. The best time to do a test kit is in the winter. Levels tend to be the highest then. If you have a clear test but your home is in a higher risk area, Iâd do a kit yearly.
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Radon is common in my area but when I bought my old house no one was paying attention to it. While living there I did a test and put in a system. The good news: the fan is actually outside and very quiet. Iâd have to stand next to it to hear it. The bad news: my fix was far more than $1000. I installed it as part of putting in piping and a sump pump. I recommend the seller put in the system, or you get a quote from a credentialed radon mitigation specialist.
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well Amazon prime day is almost upon us so I have put a radon detector in my basket. My DH spends a lot of time in his man cave and I want to be sure its safe.
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No.
Hmmm⊠I get that its not a long term solution, but thought that improved ventilation did help, at least temporarily
Oh, yes - you do have to have a sump pump. I didnât think about that, since everyone around me has one already. It would be an extra expense.
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Guess what? In our DC Metro area the fix did NOT fall on this seller.
Years before we sold our house we had the radon levels checked at the same time as everyone else, when the problem of radon first became known. The report came back that we did not have a radon problem.
As a result, radon was the very last thing I worried about in 2021 when we put that house on the market. Believe me, we did EVERYTHING to make that house as problem free as possible, painting, landscaping, replacing and refinishing some damage to the wood floors; that house was as close to perfect as we could make it. After it was under contract we had the (required by the county/state) radon test, I was shocked to hear that we failed the test. I was worried about losing the sale and phoned our agent asking her to get someone out to fix it (at our expense - $1,200). She told me to sit tight; we were required to disclose the test results to the buyer but we were not legally required to correct it. She promptly sent the results to the buyers agent. We never heard another word from them about it.
They closed the sale on schedule, at 30 days after contract. They paid us $100k over our asking price.
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This proves to me again how different things are in different markets and states. Glad it worked out for you. Since moving to MA after living for alkmost 40 years in NJ, I am constantly surprised by the differences in laws in these two states.
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I think the sellers market is turning into a buyers market in many areas.
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@kelsmom are you saying everyone who does radon mitigation must have a sump pump?
Our basement has never needed thisâŠ
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