The Story of Our House (Part 2)

So, after the offers had been signed and accepted, it was time to move on to the inspection process.  Inspections are EXPENSIVE (especially when you are already putting every last cent into savings for the down payment).  They aren't necessary, but really, do you want to find yourself purchasing and moving into a place with huge issues?  I know that I certainly didn't.  There's also a ton of different inspections that you can add on to your average "home inspection".

A coworker of mine bought a house a year or so ago in the same part of town where our house is located.  She urged me to have a radon test done, as her house had tested high and she'd had to negotiate with the sellers to put in a mitigation system.  I asked our agent about it, and she was able to get me a couple of quotes from different companies on the cost, but said that she'd never had a client request one before and that, as far as she knew, problems only really came up in homes with basements.  (My coworkers house does not have a basement... neither does ours)  After looking at some info on radon and looking at maps for our area (we're in one of the "moderate risk" areas), I decided to go ahead and get the test done.  The very last thing I wanted was to move into a house that was going to make me sick.

And boy am I glad that I did! 

The test results came back, um, not good.  In fact, really kinda scary.  The "action level" (when you should do something to mitigate the chemical) for radon in a home is a test score of 4, however "good" scores are around 2.5 or lower.  Our AVERAGE score (levels are pulled intermittently for at least 48 hours) was 16!!!  We were able to look at a graph that showed us the different levels each time info was pulled in those 48 hours and the LOWEST was an 8.

I told Jacob, and our agent, that this was unacceptable and that I would not be purchasing a home with levels this high if the seller was not willing to have a mitigation system installed.  Quotes that we received for installation of these systems were as high as $3,500--though, there was a big range.  Our agent found a reputable company who was offering the system and installation at only $1,500.  With this information in hand, she was able to negotiate with the sellers and the system was installed.

I am so glad that I had this test done.  I have a LOT of cancer in my family medical history, and the last thing I want to do is add one more coal to that fire.

So, with the inspections done (only a couple other little things were found in the general inspection that we chose to take care of ourselves) it was time to wait for the money... another story for another day. =)