Home Radon Test “True or False”

Outsource vs. Do-It-Yourself;
Racing the Inspection Clock (or Not)

True or false:  the $10 home radon tests sold at home improvement stores (Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.) are less reliable than the $200+ tests performed by professional home inspectors (note:  the do-it-yourself kits also charge a $35 lab fee for normal processing turnaround, for a total of $45).

Answer:  false.

If that’s so, then why spend as much as 5x more on the inspector than for a home kit?

Paying the Pro’s; Lab Processing

Two reasons (three, if you include the hassle factor**):

One.  Faster turnaround.

An inspector’s radon test takes 72 hours (3 days) or less, and is immediately available.

By contrast, the home radon kits must be in place for 96 hours (4 days), then — with express processing — take another 3 business days to turn around (1 day to send, 2 more to get results back).

Total time:  a minimum of 7 business days, assuming no glitches.

That’s problematic when the Inspection Contingency in many Purchase Agreements requires that the Buyer’s inspection be wrapped up within 5 days (and that includes checking out the roof, foundation, mechanical’s, etc.).

[Realtor’s note:  Buyers who don’t complete their home inspection within the prescribed time are deemed to waive it.  Given that radon remediation, if necessary, can cost $1,500 or more, saving $150 on a tardy radon test is  . . . kinda dumb (as the locals would say).]

Intended Use

The second reason to outsource has to do with negotiating seller concessions.

If the test results show elevated radon levels (in Minnesota, over 4.0 Picoliters per million parts, or pCi/l), as a practical matter, home sellers are obliged to either remediate, or reduce the sales price so Buyers can, post-closing (so far at least, lenders don’t seem to be requiring radon remediation as a condition for closing).

However, at least in my experience, test kit results aren’t considered authoritative, while inspector-performed tests are.

Which still leaves homeowners who aren’t contemplating a sale, but still want to know if their basement has unsafe levels of radon.

For them, the home kits work just fine.*

See also, “Minnesota Ratchets Up Radon Requirements“; “Testing for Radon”; “Testing for Radon:  Cost-Benefit Analysis;” “Recommending a Radon Test (or Not)“; and “Testing For Radon 2013.”

**Reason #3:  “The Hassle Factor.”

I suppose there are also klutzes — or super busy people — who simply want to pay someone to take care of the test details, vs. schlep to Home Depot; read the instructions (surprisingly short and straightforward, mostly about where to place the detector); then mail the kit back and wait two weeks for the results.