GUEST AUTHOR: Ryan Paris, Virginia Department of Health

*This is the final installment of a 4-part weekly series on radon in real estate

Here are some tips to avoid common issues with radon.

• Don’t wait until the last minute! Ideally, radon testing should be performed during the home inspection, several weeks before closing. Installing a mitigation system and retesting may take at least another week.
• Always use a currently NRSB or NRPP certified radon professional to perform any radon testing or mitigation work. Consult the lists found on nrsb.org or www.nrpp.info for the most accurate information, or ask to see a copy of his certificate, which should show an expiration date.
• If you search elsewhere, you are more likely to encounter workers who have never been certified or who let their certificate expire. Make sure that only certified individuals place/retrieve test devices or install mitigation systems. Sometimes a certified individual will try to use uncertified subordinates (or even REALTORS^®) to do work for him!
• Make sure your radon tester uses adequate tamper resistant techniques to prevent possible cheating. This is especially important if the home seller plans to be in the home during the test. Having the seller sign a non-interference statement is also a good idea. Take photos of the test device and where it was placed.
• To avoid potential conflict of interest, you should use one individual to do the testing (both pre and post mitigation, if necessary) and another separate individual from a different company to install the mitigation system. Do not let the mitigator perform the post-installation test on his own work.
• If you have any issues with a radon professional, send documentation and photos of the problem to: ryan.paris@vdh.virginia.gov.

This information and more is presented in greater detail in 1 or 2 hour CE courses that are designed for Virginia REALTORS^®. For more information, click here.