George Real Estate Group Radio Broadcast

How To Test For Radon And Protect Your Home

George Real Estate Group

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The market is still moving, even with higher interest rates, but one of the biggest surprises for buyers and sellers has nothing to do with pricing. It is an invisible gas that you cannot smell, see, or taste, and it can affect your health and your closing timeline: radon.

We start with a quick Henderson County real estate market update, including inventory, days on market, and why life changes keep driving home sales. Then we bring in our guest, Kimmy McBurney from Carolina Radon, for a practical, no-drama guide to radon testing and radon mitigation in Western North Carolina. Kimmy explains what radon is, why our region is considered EPA Level One, and why the only honest answer to “Do I have radon?” is “Test.” We also tackle common myths, like slab homes being immune, new construction being safe, or your neighbor’s results meaning anything for your house.

From there, we get specific about risk and action: radon as the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, why kids and pets can be more vulnerable, how short-term tests work, and why levels can change after renovations or major weather events like Helene. If you are buying, selling, or investing, we also explain how radon shows up during due diligence in North Carolina, why pre-listing testing can prevent delays, and what to ask contractors about certifications, warranties, and guarantees.

Subscribe for more local real estate and homeownership guidance, share this with a friend in Hendersonville or the surrounding mountains, and leave us a review with your biggest radon question.

Live Radio Reality Check

SPEAKER_02

Hello, friends. Thank you so much for being here. This is the George Real Estate Group Podcast, which is a production of our live weekly radio shows hosted on multiple radio stations here in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The George Real Estate Group serves Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina, and it is a privilege to share positive news about our local real estate market and community. Thanks so much for subscribing. And of course, if you have any real estate questions or if we can help you in any way, be sure to reach out. Visit us at George Real Estate Group Radio.com for more information. Good morning and welcome to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcasts here on WHKP every Monday morning. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Isn't it right this down? Do we need to wow? This is unbelievable. I gotta there we go. Oh my word. I'm I gotta now let's just talk about this. I do a number of different radio shows, and I it's surprising this is the first time this has happened. Can we talk about this? This is fascinating. That's what we're doing. My uh my I'm in a different time zone right now. Right. And you are I came back from a two-week trip. Yeah and uh that is so fascinating. So yes, I have a couple different radio shows. Yep, and here it is Monday. Uh Monday. Our Monday, WTZQ. I'm not even sure what day it is right now, but here I am, and Mark, you're so gracious. That is a riot. I've never done that before. That's all right. That is that is a riot. It is a good thank you. This is so here. This is real life right now, live radio.

SPEAKER_01

Warts and all is what we call it.

SPEAKER_02

It's real life, warts and all. Yes, it is, Mark. And by the way, just so thankful for WTZ Q. And again, my radio programs, uh, it's been a remarkable. By the way, radio is so powerful here in this community and and what uh the the Q does here. And and there's room for competition. I actually say this in real estate. There's so much, I mean, there's there's an abundance, and and this is where our community is so powerful and supportive of multiple businesses. And again, I think competition is the healthy thing. Actually, we have a uh conversation this morning uh with a wonderful local business, uh Carolina Radon. And again, there we go. That's just so fascinating, Mark. You're so gracious. I that's so funny. Uh good, my friend. Real real life here, Monday morning on WTZQ here. And uh, you know, we do podcast all of our radio shows on our podcast platform, and again, grateful to be here. I have been out of town, and I'm adjusting from time zones. Wow, that's real life here. Again, okay, live radio. But we're here, the George Real Estate Group. Uh, we'll be hearing more about this later, I'm sure. Anyways, we're here. The George Real Estate Group's located in Flat Rock. We serve all of West North Carolina and the upstate. If you're thinking about buying, selling, or investing in real estate, we'd love to have the conversation. We have an incredible team, incredible agents, and more importantly, incredible clients. And it's a privilege and honor to serve our community through real estate. And you're thinking about buying, selling, or investing in real estate, uh, we would love to have the conversation. There's no pressure, there's no cost, there's no obligation. We'd love to have that conversation. You can call us at 828-393-0134, find us online at realestatebygreg.com. Stop by our office in a dangerous location, I tell people, located next to the Flat Rock Bakery, uh Hubba Hubba Barbecue Campfire Grill, and our friends at the Wrinkled Egg. We'd love to have a conversation with you. Stop by and have the have stop by and say hello, and we can have that conversation.

Local Market Snapshot And Buyer Trends

SPEAKER_02

The real estate market continues to move. There is absolutely still movement. I mean, there's a lot of noise that the the the housing market, I mean, it's not crashing. Uh, there's certainly it's changing, it's softening. Uh, the number of homes selling is still strong. We still have low inventory levels. We still have low inventory levels. Demand is still strong. In the last 12 months, there's been over 1,600 single-family homes sold. There's only 644 active homes on the market. Only 644 active homes on the market. We're averaging some 138 homes a month selling. The average price in Henderson County is still at 540. 540 is the average single-family home price. The average available home price in Henderson County, $799 of what's available. And that's a whole nother conversation. I have to say, just before we get into the conversation, you know, the the conversation about baby boomers. Um, oh, there is one important thing. If affordability um in 2026, existing home sales in two in uh May uh fell 2.4% from May, but NAR said affordability was modestly improving because income was out income growth was outpacing uh the growth, and the national median existing home price still reached a record 440,600. And so it's just interesting. But one of the things that people always talk about is downsizing or right sizing, and this is that uh uh this is a discovery according to the National Association of Realtors, 7% of home buyers aged 61 to 70 said the main reason they bought their new home was that they wanted more space. That's fascinating because the conversation usually is people want to downsize or right size, and there's and while while there are more downsizers and upsizers among this demographic, thinking bigger is still becoming more popular. And so uh this is interesting. Boomers and older Americans own 28% of U.S. homes with three or more bedrooms in 2024, according to Redfin, and they account for 42% of the current homeowners and hold about $110 trillion in wealth within the baby boomers. And the majority of that's held in real estate. So again, just we're having these conversations. You could be looking the downsize, right size, upsize. If you want to have the conversation, give us a call, 828-393-0134.

What Radon Is And How Testing Works

SPEAKER_02

Now, something that comes up every time we help clients buy and sell a home, and this isn't just about when you buy or sell a home, but this is a very uh important conversation. We have these conversations and we try to educate our clients. But you know, for someone, maybe, and we I want to introduce Kimmy McBurney here with us this morning with Carolina Radon. Good morning, Kimmy. Good morning, thank you for having me. Here on WTZQ. Good morning. We have uh we're having a conversation this morning about radon, which affects everybody, but most people never hear the word radon until they're about to buy or sell a house.

SPEAKER_00

Correct. Yeah, so I'm actually very thankful for the real estate industry for bringing attention to radon. But yeah, because I agree not a lot of people know about it.

SPEAKER_02

So let's talk we're gonna talk about it.

SPEAKER_00

Great.

SPEAKER_02

But so when when someone um what exactly is radon? And if you had to put it in layman's terms.

SPEAKER_00

I'll I'll put it as lay as I can. Radon is a radioactive gas naturally emitted by the Earth's surface. It's a byproduct of uranium breakdown. Um, but essentially it's uh odorless, colorless, tasteless, can't see it. So the only way to know if you have radon is to test for it.

SPEAKER_02

That is literally the only way to know.

SPEAKER_00

Correct.

SPEAKER_02

And how do you test how do you test for radon if you can't see it, smell it, or taste it?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so we have to use a couple different testing methods. Um testing professionals have electronic testing equipment, which again we'll keep it layman's terms, just know that it's an electronic monitor that can read radon. Or we have charcoal test kits that can that can test for it.

SPEAKER_02

And okay, this is great. Should everybody, whether you own a home or not, uh if you're renting, I mean this sounds like this is something everybody should test their home.

SPEAKER_00

100%. It affects every single person in Western North Carolina if you live under a roof. Um basically, especially here in Western North Carolina, we are EPA level one. What does that mean? On average, 50% of the more homes or more will test above the standard for radon, so high for radon for lack of a better term.

SPEAKER_02

We're one of the highest in the country.

SPEAKER_00

It's up there. So like I said, you can't get higher than EPA level one. So the the threshold being is called four pico curies per liter. So on average, we're gonna be above that, which means on average the EPA is gonna recommend we mitigate our radon.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. And that's a whole nother conversation. We're gonna talk about mitigation. Before we go any further, tell us about uh Carolina Radon and and then how long have you been in business?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so Carolina Radon um was formed in 2023, but I come from the home inspection industry. Actually, I started construction, but then the home inspection industry, like you said, kind of radon is a big part of our testing in real estate, and I just didn't find anyone out there that was doing mitigation well, in my opinion. Um we are an unlicensed state. Aaron Ross Powell Well, I knew that about radon.

SPEAKER_02

There's no certifications, there's no licensing, there's no overseeing board for radon in North Carolina. Is that specific is that just North Carolina? Is there other states that have overseeing bodies? But North Carolina does not.

SPEAKER_00

Aaron Powell So there are, yeah. So there are licensed states. We are an unlicensed state. I call it the Wild, Wild West. A plumber could go install radon mitigation system. Don't recommend. I'd say 30 to 40 percent of our work is fixing other people's work that is ineffective or no longer working. Wow. So really dangerous, to be honest.

SPEAKER_02

And that actually brings up a point. Even if you're living in a home or renting a home that has a radon system, just to your point there, you should get it retested and have it evaluated.

SPEAKER_00

100%. So if you don't have a mitigation system every five years, you should retest. If you have a mitigation system every two years, because we see that in real estate where they're like, oh, there's a mitigation system, I'm fine. Actually, that tells me you're not fine because it wasn't fine. At some point it wasn't fine. And surprisingly, they have a shelf life. Most fans carry a 10-year warranty, but right, I've seen fans fail in one year. I've seen fans last 20 years. So the important thing is just get a test. They're cheap. I mean, you can get them off the shelves of Amazon or Home Depot, five, six, ten, fifteen bucks.

SPEAKER_02

Well, and I I there was some government agencies even offering free testing kits at one point, maybe not anymore, but I mean Yeah, I think the state does them in January.

SPEAKER_00

January's Radon Action Month. So usually the state will give out some free tests. But fun fact, over here at Carolina Radon, we do free testing. There you go. So we'll hook you up here. So Carolina Radon right now is doing free testing. So we do free professional grade testing. You can visit our website and sign up for a free test anytime.

SPEAKER_02

And your website?

SPEAKER_00

Carolina Radon.com.

SPEAKER_02

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

Easy peasy.

SPEAKER_02

So but let's talk about why radon is why long-term radon exposures considered dangerous. I mean, like the these there's real implications to radon exposures.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, 100%. So radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. So if you smoke, that's probably gonna get you first. But if you don't, like if you've ever known someone who had lung cancer but never smoked a day in their life, high probability, right? I want to test their childhood home, I want to test their current home, even workplaces, because where do you spend most of your day? At work. So yeah, unfortunately that's that's the byproduct, right? That's why we care, is because it could cause lung cancer.

SPEAKER_02

And is there is there different I mean it it's regardless of whether you've been a smoker or not, like if you're having exposure to radon.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, any yeah, correct. It would affect any person. Also, it affects pets. Pets spend most of their life on the ground, kids are closer to the ground, so it can affect kids more than it does adults.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I was about to say children are more vulnerable to radon exposure than adults.

SPEAKER_00

Correct. One, because they're literally closer to the ground, but their breathing rate is accelerated, so that you know that'll increase the chances of inhaling that radon gas.

SPEAKER_02

I you can correct me if I'm wrong, but the little bit of research I did, the EPA estimates that radon contributes to approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths annually in the United States.

SPEAKER_00

Correct. It outpaces drunk driving. It's pretty common, and I just don't think people realize or even are educated about it 100%.

SPEAKER_02

It's significant. Significant. Okay.

Radon Myths Health Risks And Fixes

SPEAKER_02

Um now this is a common thing I hear all the time. Oh, I have a slab, it doesn't matter. Or or, you know, I you know, I'm not new construction.

SPEAKER_00

My home's older, my neighbor's fine.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, my neighbor's house was fine. I mean, like, that's an interesting, right? There's so many myth myths. So many. Let's talk about some of the myths.

SPEAKER_00

So, what I like to say, radon does not discriminate, doesn't care if your house is new or old, or a sex stone foundation, or a slab or whatnot, or if your neighbor doesn't have it. The only way to know if your specific structure is affected is to test. We tested two homes. It was actually they were identical floor plans. It was an Airbnb, literally identical. They were a stone's throw away from each other. One house was 37, the other was seven. So both still above the EPA level, but significant difference. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So what okay, so what's the high, I gotta ask while we're what's the highest number you guys have seen?

SPEAKER_00

We the personally we've seen, I think it was a 200. Bunkham County, the record high was 169. The highest in Henderson County was 440.

unknown

Wow.

SPEAKER_00

You guys, the average is four.

SPEAKER_02

Well, no, what's considered safe is four.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's correct. The action level is four, is what we're gonna call it. But fun fact, there's no safe level of radon.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, anyways.

SPEAKER_00

Right. So it's like we even recommend a system between two and four because that's telling us at some point it's spiking over that.

SPEAKER_02

Well, that's an interesting comment because when you're doing these tests, it's from a sp it's just over a my understanding, again, you're the expert. I I know enough to be dangerous because we deal with radon conversations every single day with our clients. You know, it's it's usually over a 72-hour period that they're testing on the hour, these electronic systems, the ones I'm aware of. Right. Uh, and it's a 72-hour system, a 72-hour snapshot, and it's really just the average. And and 72 hours is in one sense is really not a long time to test.

SPEAKER_00

True. So sometimes we also recommend testing in different seasons because the hor the home will perform differently. But agreed, uh the EPA standard is that all we have to go off is a short-term average. But it is, it's gonna give you a pretty clear picture of what it's gonna do over time. But it is nice to use a professional electronic test so you can kind of see the ebb and flow. Because sometimes a two can be a two average and it was just stayed at two, but often it's a one and a ten and a four and a one and two.

SPEAKER_02

So if you're getting those spikes of ten, you're like, okay.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, right. It's it's a lot of things.

SPEAKER_02

And that's where maybe that's where you just said if your guys are even recommending if it is between two and four, even though it's not required, it's probably a smart idea.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because there is no safe level of radon. It's like drinking and driving, right? No s no safe amount. So no safe level of radon. So definitely get it taken care of.

SPEAKER_01

Go ahead. This is a thing for the same.

SPEAKER_00

You know, we're all kind of doom and gloom. But what I love most about radon is it's 100% treatable. The mitigation systems are incredibly effective. Um radon came about when there was a guy in Pennsylvania, worked at a power plant, set off the the rate the radioactive detection machines because he was carrying such high level of radon decay product, tested his house. His house was like over 2,000. Uh but with a mitigation system, it was brought down to below a two. They are very effective. So it's like no need, no cause for concern.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I mean it's address you can address it. Yeah. And and uh you know, in the scheme of things, it's fairly economical. I mean, like when you think about other ex other home systems like an HVAC or a septic or um, you know, again, you think about these other systems of your house. This is pretty inexpensive when you put things and and obviously can't put a price on your health. Right.

SPEAKER_00

Like a lot cheaper than cancer, I'm sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, just so again, these these are there are solutions. And I know you guys I'm I I'm do you guys uh do free estimates on these. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, free estimates. So yeah, I can give some prices. Basically, if you're like a slab or a c or a basement, excuse me, you're looking at starting around 1700 bucks, and then if it's a crawl space, they'll start around 2300 bucks, just depending on the complexity of your foundation system.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you like less than one percent. I mean, probably half a percent of the value of your home to do this. Not even especially now that homes are average price is five hundred thousand dollars. Yeah. So it's very attainable. It's again, can't put a price on your on your health. Uh we got Kimmy McBurnie here with Carolina Radon, and we have more to talk about because we have a short break coming up, and you've been fantastic to be here. Uh, and just grateful to have you here on WTZQ this morning. Uh, and we are you're listening to the George Real Estate Group. This is a live radio broadcast here every Monday morning, sharing with you positive news about our local real estate marketing community and special guests like Kim, Kimmy McBurney with Carolina Radon, having a conversation that affects everybody. And we'll talk more about that. But stay tuned in, we'll be right back.

Market Cycles Pricing And Inventory Today

SPEAKER_02

Good morning and welcome back. This is the George Real Estate Group Radio broadcast here every Monday morning, sharing with you positive news about the local real estate market community. Just having a great conversation with Kimmy McBurney with Carolina Radon. Grateful to be here with you. Before we do that, just a quick snapshot. Again, the real estate market continues to move in Henderson County. 1,600, 1,600 homes have sold in the last 12 months in Henderson County. That's a hundred more homes that have sold in the last 12 months than the previous 12 months. If you can believe it, we're averaging 138 single family homes a month selling. Now, the biggest thing that to point out is days on markets longer. We're seeing closer to 100 days on market on average. It's taking a little bit longer, but the sky is not falling. Prices are not crashing. Prices still have to be appropriate as a seller. You still have to price it to the market. And there's still competition. I mean, 644 active homes on the market. The prices have to be appropriate. During the the COVID years when you're seeing 10 offers on a property in the first 24 hours. And by the way, I have to also say the amount of homes selling is in this environment where these interest rates are in the six to seven percent range, which is remarkable. The point that I've I've always m held and maintained is life happens, therefore real estate happens. It doesn't matter what the economy's doing. It doesn't matter what the interest rates are. It doesn't matter, you know, I mean the economy is the economy, the political environment's a political environment, but life happens, therefore real estate happens. And so, you know, there's going to be an ebb and flow, and sometimes the prices are going up, sometimes the prices are going down. In fact, there's really just four cycles of the market. You have the top, and you don't know when you're at the top until things start going down, just like you don't know when you're at the bottom until things start going up. And so there's this ebb and flow, and it's the upswing. You got the top, and you got a downturn, and then you got a recovery, and it repeats. Now it's interesting. Literally, since 2010, 2011, we've been on this upswing of home prices and it's supply and demand. People are saying, well, when are home prices going to come down? Well, until the inventory outpaces the demand, you're not going to see the prices come down. And currently, I mean, we only have a four-month supply, four to five month supply. Technically, we're in a seller's market. The economists say a six-month supply is considered a balanced market. Less than six months is a seller's market. More than six months is a buyer's market. Now, I will say different price segments. You know, uh, in fact, over a over a million, uh, a million plus, we are looking at a buyer's market because there's more than a six-month supply. Uh, some price segments are an extreme seller's market, you know, some of those homes under $400,000, but it's all you know, price point. Even regardless of price point, some neighborhoods have different dynamics, right? Some neighborhoods that are uh more uh could be more expensive, could be in a seller's market because in that specific neighborhood you could have supply and demand. There's no inventory, but the demand is high. Again, you can look at supply and demand. That's why having a real estate professional uh, you know, look at your home, your unique home, your unique situation, where we provide no pressure, no cost, no obligation uh consultations. If you're curious what your home is worth, if you're curious, do you sell before you buy? Do you buy before you sell? I mean, there's different, so many different um ways to approach this. And if we can help you in any way, give us a call, 828-393-0134, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realastatebygreg.com. Check out our Facebook page and our Instagram. And again, grateful to have the conversation. Uh, check out our new listings. We have some incredible new listings. You can find that on our Facebook as well, or also realestatebygreg.com. We have Kimmy McBurney here with uh Carolina Radon. We were talking in the break about something that we all experienced

Retesting After Storms Renovations And Time

SPEAKER_02

here. You know, just it's hard to believe uh coming up this fall. Two years ago, we all experienced Helene. Uh and and it's and there's still recovery going on, and it's still remarkable. It's amazing how our and we've talked about this numerous times on the radio, just how our community came together uh to recover. cover and to support one another and neighbors helping neighbors. But one of the things that we were talking about off air is how with you know obviously people are thinking about buying and when they're buying and selling, that's when radon, most people hear about the conversation about radon. But you shared off air that after a natural event, maybe a earthquake or a hurricane, a natural disaster of some type, major weather event, you should actually test your home for radon. And why is that?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I kind of want to take a step back. So people always like when should I test for radon? So again, if you don't have a mitigation system every five years, if you have a mitigation system every two, or after a renovation, so after you've changed your home, but this was the zinger that I like sharing recently, or after a natural disaster. Like you said, anyone in anyone listening experienced natural disaster in the last two years? We all did. We did. Right? Because radon is a product byproduct of the breakdown of uranium, which here we have a lot of rocky outcroppings, a very diverse geological underlayment, but right in a hurricane that shifts. We have erosion, we have displacement. So absolutely that's going to change how the radon performs in your home. So yes every single person in western North Carolina if you have not tested centraline should absolutely get a test.

SPEAKER_02

Should get tested.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Great point.

SPEAKER_02

Because again the the the things shifted things changed the underneath the homes I mean like it was it was a dramatic experience. And radon's probably the last thing people were thinking about with after Helene. I mean 100%.

SPEAKER_00

But I liked your point. I mean people are still recovering. It's incredible that what we're still seeing but agreed like maybe the dust has settled and you've had improvement. Maybe you've had to rebuild or renovate. Right. This is the time that if you're in a good place it's like hey let's let's check off some of those boxes and make sure it's safe.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah and it so here let's go back to this is where I'm gonna have to uh some context when people buy and sell real estate North Carolina is an as this state and so you know this is where buyers during their due diligence period they're doing their investigations they're doing their home inspection pest inspection radon inspection septic inspection water tests uh they're doing their appraisal all these investigations and it's interesting North Carolina sellers are not obligated to do anything sellers have now there's a compelling sellers have to share what's called material facts and then real estate agents are compelled to share material facts too but no matter what they discover this the buyers uh the seller can the buyer and seller can negotiate and choose to address things and this is where you know even if there's an existing radon system buyers should test uh the but then the buyer has to decide if the seller's willing to address it or not but the buyer still can choose to do the the radon system but this is one of those things where as a seller you can get ahead of the process by doing a pre-inspection and you can get your home pre-tested for radon because one of those things that you don't want to cast any doubt on that buyer's uh perception as they're considering buying your home but radon can be one of those sticky points in the transaction I wish you guys I'm nodding my head emphatically over here and just like preach.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah I mean like you said radon comes up mostly in real estate transactions because we're buying and selling you want to be informed about what you're purchasing andor inheriting right and that includes radon. So I always tell people you know if it doesn't matter to you or if

Radon During Due Diligence And Selling

SPEAKER_00

you don't care or you know that that hypothetical if you don't believe in it that's fine but somebody else does it's inherent to your property value. So get a test when you are buying or selling um yes why wouldn't you want to see the answers to the test before you take it newsflash sellers you can do your own radon test get ahead of the problem because it's not as timely to deal with right so say it's discovered in due diligence. If we act quickly there's a mad scramble we book one or two weeks out say we act quickly the system needs 48 hours to acclimatize then you mentioned a 72 hour test we cannot remediate faster than a couple weeks so you don't want a deal to fall through and we were talking on the or delayed or delay right um so yeah unfortunately I've seen deals fall through because of radon.

SPEAKER_02

I have to ask this question is there ever been how often does it happen when a radon system is installed and and I know there's active systems and there's passive systems but it's some sometimes there's sometimes that some houses require you do a radon mitigation system and and the levels are still high.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah so first and foremost I always say to people if you get a mitigation system installed always test right after any reputable company should leave you with a free test. So test right after to make sure it's working because that's the only way it's working but yeah we've installed systems admittedly it always comes with a with a disclaimer that hey per performance of your home we may have to add a secondary system a dual system you know you honestly don't know until you test again don't I mean like I'm sure there's a high uh there's a you guys have a high success rate on that one system. Usually one system's enough usually yeah well I think what's important is you have a professional radon professional design the system so we are an unlicensed state but here at Carolina radon we carry the national certification for both testing and mitigation not everybody does so ask about the certifications. That is that's a great question if you're if you're interviewing somebody for radon ask the questions is there special insurance for for radon we do we do carry special insurance so and not everyone is required right like any most businesses we have to carry a general liability but in addition to that we carry errors and emissions based on the sensitive nature. So making sure the company is certified educated make sure they carry a warranty make sure they give you some sort of guarantee so what is your guarantee? So we guarantee it's a five year so it's the same as the fan so but we guarantee that we bring levels below 2.0.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah make sure that's important because if not we could come back and say oh one system didn't work now I got to sell you a second system. Right. We see it all the time but making sure that company's gonna stick with you until you get below that acceptable level right committed to to getting it to the accept acceptable level.

SPEAKER_02

Right. And what I heard you say which is great to hear in the first half of the show was even if levels are in that two to four range it's something to consider uh installing a mitigation system in your house.

SPEAKER_00

Right. A successful system should get you below a two zero is not not realistic. Right.

SPEAKER_02

But if we can get you below a two that's the safest place you can be and for listeners again there's there's it doesn't matter if you're in a crawl space

Certifications Guarantees And Free Testing

SPEAKER_02

it doesn't matter if you live on a second floor it doesn't matter you know if it's I mean crawl space or or slab I mean like or basement it there's no as you said earlier no discrimination on on radon.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_02

And your neighbor it doesn't matter what your tests your neighbors test it at no you can have one neighbor could have a high and another one couldn't um and get even if you're a tenant you can test it you could ask your landlord to test it uh and by the way I know it's also important you could ask these questions at work is your workplace been tested yeah because like I mentioned you're there for eight maybe longer you know more hours in a day so yeah you could almost hypothetically have more exposure than you do in your own home. At the office or where you work.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah and so you mentioned like licensing some states require license or testing in commercial um facilities. I actually think another fun fact about the storm so the state and I'm sure I'm gonna we're we're uh summarizing but the state issued recovery contracts to rebuild homes this is the first time we've ever seen this state has mandated that in the contractors who receive government funds to rehab homes post Hallene are required to test for radon. This is the first time we've actually ever seen a state requirement to test for radon. What is that telling us the state cares so much about these people that they're helping that they're like we're not going to put them in a home that's at risk. So I think our state is is moving towards licensing.

SPEAKER_02

And awareness and and again regulation. Yeah again ultimately for it's public safety actually.

SPEAKER_00

It really is yeah I mean radon is it's a class A carcinogen it's up there with asbestos and um pesticides so it's like we care about all those other things. Right. I think the differentiation becomes those are all man-made things whereas radon's been a little bit of an anomaly because it is is natural and naturally occurring. Naturally occurring correct so yeah but I I think we're moving towards that way for good reason because like you said it's public health.

SPEAKER_02

And second leading cause of lung cancer.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah first I like to say first leading cause among nonsmokers right so if you took smoking out of the equation it is the leading cause of lung cancer 21000 people annually.

SPEAKER_02

Annually yeah again something to take serious and uh Carolina radon is here to help and and free testing free testing and free estimates if you need them. And what's the best phone number and the the website and best way to get in touch with your team.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah easy peasy carolinaradon.com doesn't get easier than that um or you can call us 828-2145101.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome help Kimmy is there and we're wrapping up but is there anything else we the last words or something I want to make sure we covered everything and uh but you you've been fantastic and so grateful you to for you to join us this morning. Yeah thanks for having me and you're a consummate professional as well I think you got all the high notes so thank you for having me it's been a lot of fun and it's always great to educate our listeners and to share again important what this has nothing to do with whether you own or rent it doesn't matter if you're buying or selling this affects everybody and and especially what you said if if there's been a natural if there's been a you know a uh weather event like we ex we all experienced with Helene right you should everybody should should retest their home so that's all of you everybody listen to you everybody's talking to you.

Final Takeaways And How To Reach Us

SPEAKER_02

Awesome Kimmy thank you so much for for being here this morning thanks so much for having me and to our listeners we're so grateful to be here every Monday morning share with you about our community about our real estate market we'll be here next Monday on the queue so grateful to be here be sure to check out our podcast we podcast all of our radio shows and have a great day have a great Monday we'll see you next week the George Real Estate Group has the experience of selling over twelve hundred properties and serving over twelve hundred families with their real estate needs in Henderson County and throughout Western North Carolina.

SPEAKER_01

The George Real Estate Group is located in Flat Rock, North Carolina and near Hendersonville in Henderson County you can find them online at realestatebygreg.com. The George Real Estate Group can be reached at 828-3930134 or stop by their office at 2720 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock, North Carolina. Tune in live each week on Monday mornings at 905 on WTZQ FM 95.3 and 1600 AM or stream online at WTCQ.com maybe the house feels a little too big these days the stairs a little steeper the pace of life a little too fast but what if your next move wasn't about letting go it was about making space for peace for freedom for what matters most at the George Real Estate Group we understand that real estate isn't just about the house it's about transitions timing and trust we've helped thousands of families in Western North Carolina make smart thoughtful moves closer to nature closer to family closer to home so when you're ready to rise size simplify or start fresh we'll be here the George Real Estate Group local trusted proven call us today 828 3930134 find us online at realestatebygreg.com because your next chapter deserves to feel just right