Another house-buying question: radon & other unpleasant surprises
Mar 22nd 2012, 4:07 pm
#31
Boomshacalaca!!
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: South of the North Pole.......Colorado
Posts: 5,066
Re: Another house-buying question: radon & other unpleasant surprises
Every state has their own disclosure laws regarding the transfer/sale of property. Talk to your agent about what is/isn't discloseable. You should ask before anything to see the seller's property disclosure; its not 'rude' to ask to see one before an submitting offer, especially if you're curious to know what has been mentioned on it.
Rule of thumb is that they are based on 'current actual knowledge'; also any after the fact changes and/or adverse material facts to the condition needs to be disclosed too.
I always encourage my clients to do is to talk to the neighbors (which hardly anyone bothers to do) because among other things, they may know something about the house and why someone is moving - but remember its hearsay but discussions could provide something to follow up on and double check.
Radon is naturally occurring throughout the US... to what degree is the question. http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html should help answer questions. As part of your inspection, it is advisable to have a radon test done. Most of the time, inspectors will have a machine which they will leave for about 2-3 days to take readings (usually every 20 mins for the duration) and should be able to provide the results when they pick it up. Its a snapshot, and yes, atmospheric conditions can change the outcome.
If the radon readings come back above 4 pCi/L then mitigation is highly recommended (and if such level subsequently becomes known to the seller then it becomes an adverse material fact). If there is mitigation system already there, still get a radon test... you want to ensure its working to what its designed for! A mitigation system is designed to vent radon away and around the property and these days, they normally will mitigate to levels quite close to 0.00 pCi/L. So, if the test shows, for eg 3.5 pCi/L you may get 'resistance' from a seller to do anything but the rebuttal is still its not optimum and satisfactory and want a company to repair, replace and certify that the system is working properly. Always check on local codes about radon systems and installations because there may be minimum distances from windows where the piping is allowed to be... also there should be a cap or a u-bend on the top to prevent rain to do down the tubing.
Pooling water around a foundation is never good and can lead to problems. Obviously its an indication of drainage issues. Have a structural engineer to inspect the basement and house for structural integrity. Tie it in with your deadlines and outages... because if there are problems you want the ability to walk from the deal if needed without loosing your deposit/earnest money. PM me more about that if you'd like.
If there is a crawl space, esp if there is a structural basement floor, then double check there is sufficient ventilation underneath.
Rule of thumb is that they are based on 'current actual knowledge'; also any after the fact changes and/or adverse material facts to the condition needs to be disclosed too.
I always encourage my clients to do is to talk to the neighbors (which hardly anyone bothers to do) because among other things, they may know something about the house and why someone is moving - but remember its hearsay but discussions could provide something to follow up on and double check.
Radon is naturally occurring throughout the US... to what degree is the question. http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html should help answer questions. As part of your inspection, it is advisable to have a radon test done. Most of the time, inspectors will have a machine which they will leave for about 2-3 days to take readings (usually every 20 mins for the duration) and should be able to provide the results when they pick it up. Its a snapshot, and yes, atmospheric conditions can change the outcome.
If the radon readings come back above 4 pCi/L then mitigation is highly recommended (and if such level subsequently becomes known to the seller then it becomes an adverse material fact). If there is mitigation system already there, still get a radon test... you want to ensure its working to what its designed for! A mitigation system is designed to vent radon away and around the property and these days, they normally will mitigate to levels quite close to 0.00 pCi/L. So, if the test shows, for eg 3.5 pCi/L you may get 'resistance' from a seller to do anything but the rebuttal is still its not optimum and satisfactory and want a company to repair, replace and certify that the system is working properly. Always check on local codes about radon systems and installations because there may be minimum distances from windows where the piping is allowed to be... also there should be a cap or a u-bend on the top to prevent rain to do down the tubing.
Pooling water around a foundation is never good and can lead to problems. Obviously its an indication of drainage issues. Have a structural engineer to inspect the basement and house for structural integrity. Tie it in with your deadlines and outages... because if there are problems you want the ability to walk from the deal if needed without loosing your deposit/earnest money. PM me more about that if you'd like.
If there is a crawl space, esp if there is a structural basement floor, then double check there is sufficient ventilation underneath.
Mar 23rd 2012, 6:12 am
#32
Under blue skies
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2011
Location: East Anglia->New England
Posts: 3,624
Re: Another house-buying question: radon & other unpleasant surprises
Thank you to everyone who's posted for all the advice & information! It's very helpful to have input from people who've bought & hear the subsequent issues & concerns that arise after the purchase & the lessons learned. Thanks very much too to Nutmegger & Tarkak--I may take you up on your offers of more specific info by PM.
We found out from our agent that the waterproof covering of the crawl space is due to mould found 3 years ago & professionally 'fixed'. Then the agent emailed us a copy of the disclosure form the seller had filled out recently & reading that through was useful. No idea what kind of mold there was (black is worse hmmm), but the disclosure said that "Paperwork is on file", so perhaps we can find out. And of course, knowing that it had been found once, & knowing that there are big shady trees & a run-off drain nearby, we would *definitely* have the inspector look for mold.
No radon testing (LOL!) has been done, but as several of you have emphasized, that's not a huge problem--we just test for it, then negotiate/fix/whatever. The OH says I can calm down about the radon, but I said, "Yeah b/c the mould could be a bigger problem."
TBH, he's kind of sick of this house. We went today twice to sit in the car, then walked all over the nearby blocks, talked to some neighbourhood people out doing things. He's getting disillusioned with the area, didn't like the look of a few people we spoke to & saw walk by. We heard stories of noise, & we heard some ourselves. So . . . we'll see what transpires.
We found out from our agent that the waterproof covering of the crawl space is due to mould found 3 years ago & professionally 'fixed'. Then the agent emailed us a copy of the disclosure form the seller had filled out recently & reading that through was useful. No idea what kind of mold there was (black is worse hmmm), but the disclosure said that "Paperwork is on file", so perhaps we can find out. And of course, knowing that it had been found once, & knowing that there are big shady trees & a run-off drain nearby, we would *definitely* have the inspector look for mold.
No radon testing (LOL!) has been done, but as several of you have emphasized, that's not a huge problem--we just test for it, then negotiate/fix/whatever. The OH says I can calm down about the radon, but I said, "Yeah b/c the mould could be a bigger problem."
TBH, he's kind of sick of this house. We went today twice to sit in the car, then walked all over the nearby blocks, talked to some neighbourhood people out doing things. He's getting disillusioned with the area, didn't like the look of a few people we spoke to & saw walk by. We heard stories of noise, & we heard some ourselves. So . . . we'll see what transpires.
