John Dirks Jr Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 I want to get geared up to offer radon testing as one of my services. I searched the web and can't find information regarding licensing requirements in Maryland or other training information. Are there licensing requirements in Maryland for placing, retrieving and submitting radon canisters for testing? Where should I go to get the knowledge and supplies to equip myself to add this service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark P Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Contact Radalink at 1-800-295-4655 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erby Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 Ditto Radalink. After a few years you may want to get your own, but Radalink's backup and support are invaluable when starting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 and - they are good to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dirks Jr Posted April 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 On another angle, what percentage of inspection jobs do you think would be lost by not offering radon testing? In eight jobs I only had one caller that asked about radon. So far, that's the only job I didn't land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted April 21, 2008 Report Share Posted April 21, 2008 As far as I know, I have never lost one because of it. It has become more of a hot topic lately though. I have a Realtor that I have worked with for years trying to convince me to start doing radon testing. She just said she preferred that I get the $175.00 for the test, instead of bringing in another inspector for that part of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dirks Jr Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 $175? I didn't think they were that much. For those of you that do radon, how much do you charge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 I used to do them when inspecting for my previous employer. They were around $100.00. The $175 was the fee she was quoted, and I confirmed it from the guy's website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qhinspect Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Originally posted by AHI $175? I didn't think they were that much. For those of you that do radon, how much do you charge? I've tried different things but for the last three months I found that if I charge $150 for the test and if it comes back below 4.0 pCi/l, they get half the cost back. I keep the $150 about 30% of the time. Now in my area, most of by jobs are 15 minutes away. Before the last three months, I was happy to get 5 radon jobs in a month. The last three months I've been been averaging 12 radon test per month. I have a problem around here since most people don't know about radon and I have to educate and entice them. Do I get jobs from them, a few. Instead of getting $300 just for a home inspection job, I get $375 to $450. I look at as great extra income with low to no liability. Some might not like how I price the radon tests but I am making money from it. More important, I am making people aware of radon and what levels are in the house before thee purchase. Highest radon level tested was 62 pCi/l. I also agree with everyone about Radalink. Free classes, good looking reports, great help when needed, the best for somebody starting out. I cannot say anything bad about them when it comes to the service they provide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Originally posted by Brandon Whitmore I used to do them when inspecting for my previous employer. They were around $100.00. The $175 was the fee she was quoted, and I confirmed it from the guy's website. Brandon, One of our local real estate agents has begun doing the tests herself for her clients at no charge. I really like that idea. - Jim Katen, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 One of our local real estate agents has begun doing the tests herself for her clients at no charge. I really like that idea. Is there any liability Realtor's should be concerned with in doing this? I think that is a great idea. I have considered selling the Realtor or purchaser the test kit with instructions and calling it good (no mark- up, just an added service). The problem is, they won't read the instructions, won't understand them, or will have questions that will slow me up, etc. Might as well charge for it and just do the dang things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dirks Jr Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Let's take a tally. Who uses canisters and who uses other measurement devices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Originally posted by Brandon Whitmore One of our local real estate agents has begun doing the tests herself for her clients at no charge. I really like that idea. Is there any liability Realtor's should be concerned with in doing this? Probably. But she's not concerned with that. She figures that she's providing a value-added service that not costing her much of anything. The clients seem pleased with the idea. So far, I haven't heard anyone question her motivations. - Jim Katen, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Probably. But she's not concerned with that. Here is the reply I got from the Realtor trying to get me to do radon testing when I e- mailed letting her know that at least one Realtor was just doing the test herself.... "The real estate agent that does her own radon testing can get her butt absolutely sued to the end of tomorrow! She is practicing outside of her field of expertise, & will probably lose her license if she continues. There are no ands, ifs or maybes about what we can say or do as pertains to inspection & legal issues in regards to our license laws from the State. " I am not sure that what she says is correct, since she is not charging (practicing), but then again I am not a lawyer and she may be right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Originally posted by Brandon Whitmore Probably. But she's not concerned with that. Here is the reply I got from the Realtor trying to get me to do radon testing when I e- mailed letting her know that at least one Realtor was just doing the test herself.... "The real estate agent that does her own radon testing can get her butt absolutely sued to the end of tomorrow! She is practicing outside of her field of expertise, & will probably lose her license if she continues. There are no ands, ifs or maybes about what we can say or do as pertains to inspection & legal issues in regards to our license laws from the State. " I am not sure that what she says is correct, since she is not charging (practicing), but then again I am not a lawyer and she may be right. Sounds like the same mentality that says home inspectors will be sued into oblivion if they mention code in a report. In Oregon, there's no law regarding who can and can't test for radon. What legal theory do you suppose she's citing when she says that the agent can lose her license? - Jim Katen, Oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozofprev Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 The realtor makes money at closing. That gives her motivation to "maneuver around" a radon test result. Seems unwise even if the realtor is honest. Radon tests are outside the scope of most home inspections. But a home inspector has no ties to a home's closing. So if an inspector receives proper training (and NEHA cert.), then it seems a good match. The personal justification I had for doing the tests is this. 1. If mitigation is required, I save the buyer money by having the seller pay. 2. My price for a radon test was cheaper when combined with an inspection. Given that the client is determined to have a Rn test anyway, combining the test with the inspection saves the client money. 3. There are people offering Rn testing who are not qualified. I provided my client with an expertise they may not have found elsewhere. Testing was always a personal choice for the buyer. I never pushed. Heck, my money came from the inspection. The Rn test was an aside. In NY, anybody can find out who is qualified in their county because the NY Dept. of Health provides a link. I'm found HERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 The realtor makes money at closing. That gives her motivation to "maneuver around" a radon test result. Seems unwise even if the realtor is honest. I have to agree, just wish I didn't. She probably has the best of intentions, but there is always that one bad apple..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lamb Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 I use a local company. They charge me $130. All they do is monitor. No mitigation. I charge my client $180. I provide some phone numbers and they make all arrangements to get in and out. I make sure they come in after my inspection so I don't get accused of opening windows or leaving the thermostat at the wrong temp, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottpat Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Originally posted by AHI Let's take a tally. Who uses canisters and who uses other measurement devices? I use Sun Nuclear 1027's for day to day real estate transactions. Also I use Alpha Track canisters from RSSI for long term. Fee for the CRM if I place it before or during the inspection is $110. For a just a CRM test I charge $175 FYI, my 1027's are paid for after 5-6 test. After that it's about one test per year to pay for calibration of the device. Very low cost to profit ratio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottpat Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Originally posted by AHI On another angle, what percentage of inspection jobs do you think would be lost by not offering radon testing? In eight jobs I only had one caller that asked about radon. So far, that's the only job I didn't land. I have found that most buyers do not know about radon. If you are in a an area that is listed on the EPA maps as being a high risk or moderate risk then it is simple to say the the EPA recommends that you should test for radon. It sells itself. I would say that about 65% of my clients have radon test done. But then, I'm also in a high risk area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emalernee Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 In my area the buyer has more then likely signed off on having the house tested. The RE people have it, inspections, and WDO in the contracts. As the RE gets to them before us Inspectors, we loose out on lots of jobs. Ezra Malernee Canton, Ohio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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