The inspection report lands on a Tuesday, you are four days into your option period, and there is a line near the back that says the radon level is above the action level. Most buyers in Hamilton County have never heard the word until this moment, and the next call is usually to us. Here is how we walk people through it.
An elevated result is one of the most common findings on a Chattanooga house. The ground under this area produces radon naturally, so a high number says very little about how well the house was built or cared for. It is a fixable condition, and the fix is routine. What matters now is the clock in your contract, not the number on the page.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter. The EPA recommends fixing a home that tests at 4.0 pCi/L or higher. A short term test, which is what most inspectors run over two to several days, gives you a snapshot. It can swing with weather, closed house conditions and where the device was placed. A reading just over 4.0 may come back lower on a second test, and a reading well above it will almost always stay high.
Often yes, and usually fast. A second short term test run by a different party, or a continuous radon monitor that logs the level hour by hour, confirms whether the first result was real. A continuous monitor is useful in a deal because it shows the average and flags anything that looks like tampering or an open window. Our radon testing page explains what we run and how long it takes.
The exception is a very high first reading. If it is well over the action level, retesting only burns days, and you are better off asking for mitigation right away.
You generally have three practical options, and your agent can help you frame the request:
The seller installs a system before closing. This is the cleanest outcome. The system is in place, the post-install test is done, and you take the house with a result under the action level. Ask for the written guarantee and the post-mitigation test.
A credit or price reduction. You take the house and install the system yourself after closing. Get a written quote first so the credit covers the real cost.
A combination. The seller starts the work and the final test comes after closing, with an agreement about who pays if the number is still high.
Our home sale radon guide covers how this plays out during a transaction.
A standard sub-slab system for a house on a slab or basement is typically a single-day job. A pipe is run from a small hole in the slab through the house and out above the roofline, with a fan that keeps a gentle vacuum under the floor. Crawl space homes use a sealed vapor barrier and a similar fan. After installation, the house needs a follow-up test, which is how you prove the fix worked. Details and pricing are on our radon mitigation and cost pages.
Bring us in early. If we can look at the house within a couple of days, we can quote a system, tell you whether the layout is simple or tricky, and hand your agent a written number to negotiate with. Buyers who wait until the last day of the option period lose leverage and sometimes lose the chance to ask for repairs at all.
If you just got a high result and want a straight answer, call (423) 529-4385. Tell us the address and the number, and we will explain your options the same day.
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