Radon in new home (Reston, Fairfax: neighborhood, buying, gated)

[nacohen]

I am about to purchase a house in Fairfax Station (in $650K range), but the radon test came back 4.5.

This can be fixed with RADON mitigation system installation (about $1500).
Question is, will this be a resale killer on the house? I.e, should i wish to sell the house in a couple years, will the fact that there is RADON coming into the home that must be mitigated with a system send potential buyers running?

First large house i am buying and want to be sure i am not buying something that will have a stigma on it forever.

[ShannonMilligan]

LOTS of homes have radon systems in place. It shouldn't be a big deal to an educated buyer. You will always have some paniced buyers, but really it's not an issue. When you have a buyer one day, they will most likely do a radon test and it should come back low since you put in the system.

Good luck and congrats on the house!!

[oddball]

When I bought a house with a radon mitigation system in it it actually made me not worry about radon in the home. I considered the mitigation system a plus rather than a detraction.

[arielmina]

when I was looking at houses here in NOVA, almost every single one had a radon mitigation system in place...seemed that it's very very common here. Of course when our new build tested slightly high, we insisted that they put in mitigation and I am not worried about the resale at all.

[Margery]

Do not worry about it, it is very common here especially as you get toward the west and will not discourage any potential buyer or their agent.

[mdcrim]

Every house in my neighborhood has a radon remediation unit installed. No biggie. We didn't even consider it (and didn't get a radon test done because there was already a system in place). It is a very common occurrence in this area. Maybe negotiate with the seller to get them to cover the cost?

[South Jersey Styx]

If you look at a map of the VA-DC-MD area, you'll see areas of radon throughout the area with higher concentrations west towards the mountains (density of the land). I would think that a mitigation system would help re-sale since you've already installed one.

[ICS67]

Agree with South Jersey Styx on that one. If I were looking to buy a house in a high radon area, I think I'd prefer a house where the owner has been pro-active in addressing the situation and where a radon test would presumably show safe levels.

[michgc]

We bought a house 10 years ago in Vienna and had the house tested for radon. It came back at a 4. I will admit I was quite nervous about it, too. We got the system, though, and it brought the level down to a 1 or 2 depending on the season. (This is in the basement only.) I haven't given it much thought since buying the house, although we haven't tried to sell yet. I do agree that it is quite common. At the same time we bought our house, my friend bought one in Reston that had a level 8. They bought the house and put in a system as well, and they still live there.

[Jlyles]

As Margery says, it's quite common, mitigation is expected, and it hasn't been a huge issue for my clients.

Originally Posted by Margery

Do not worry about it, it is very common here especially as you get toward the west and will not discourage any potential buyer or their agent.