I was wondering if the Radon inspection was worth trying to sell as a service we offer. With so many at home tests that you can buy on Amazon or a home improvement store that cost a frection of the cost, do many people pay the $100-$200 asked by professional inspectors? Any feedback would be extremely appreciated. Also, if someone could give me some guidance on which add on services are most frequently purchased alongside a standard home inspection, that would help a lot too.
David,
First - tell us where you are so we can better answer your questions.
Absolutely radon testing is worth it.
Get training and price properly as it takes two trips. One to set the monitor and another to pick it up.
Ancillary services are good for revenue but get training and proper insurance coverage.
Sound advice.
Depending… NO! There is no significant profit with Radon testing. It is solely an added benefit to your Client that an inspector offers the service. Most inspectors do not look at the actual time involved versus their actual expenses. My time is charged at $100 to $150 p/hr, (Residential), which is impossible to acheive (in most cases) with Radon testing. I offer them and I perform them, but in no way is it worth my time inve$ted.
Why do homebuyers have a radon test done by a professional instead of a buying a kit at Home Depot?
Credibility for one.
If the radon test is being done for a real estate transaction, the homebuyer wouldn’t be allowed to perform the test themselves in most cases.
The homebuyer has an interest in the outcome of the test and may be biased.
Not to mention lack of training, etc.
Secondly, a kit from Home Depot often takes four days of placement time for the canisters and then shipping and lab turnaround time.
Too long for most RE transactions.
If it’s just for personal knowledge unrelated to a RE transaction then one of those kits may suffice.
Is it “worth it?”.
That depends.
In my area the return trip for retrieval of the monitor isn’t usually a big burden time wise.
If you’re in a sparsely populated area and the return trip is a significant amount of time then do the math.
Radon is a profitable Ancillary Service (dependent upon State / Province) that your business is located within…
Call me at the Inter-NACHI Office on my listed Cell.
I will answer your questions, to the best of my ability, with additional information as to the physical location of your business.
**Value vs Cost… **
Very insightful post Jeffrey.
I offer radon testing but am very careful especially when a client calls for an inspection w/radon 50 miles away. You almost can’t charge enough.
Sorry, I can’t believe I forgot to put that in my post. I’m from Indiana.
Yes, for me hands down. Became a Radon Specialist and FL Radon Business.
InterNachi’s service is ‘THE BEST’
In many cases, if you do not offer radon testing, your competition will. It pays off in inspections booked. Definitely worth the investment in training, certification and equipment.
Kind of ironic, as most FL inspectors claim there are no Radon concerns in Florida. :-k
Absolutely worth it !!
Some of you know me and know 3 years ago I had an accident and lost my left foot. I have been inspecting homes in one fission or another since 1985. Anyway since my accident I have hired 2 inspectors to do our inspections and I myself started to concentrate on Radon, mold and a few other Environmental testing things.
I currently am performing 20+ radon tests per week for residential homes and am also hooked up with a huge environmental testing company that specializes in commercial buildings and some are giant 100,000 sq ft warehouses. When I do those some are 60-100 tests per building every few months.
So YES Radon can be a very good business, (Mold ad allergen testing is equally as good)
Jim
Damn I wish I had a “LIKE” button. Great post Jim. I’ve been certified for over a year but have not yet had a chance to work on it. I’m now retaking the course and ordering one unit from Radalink.
Once your licensed, it can only make you extra money, so yup it’s a good idea. In my case I kind of had to really push, market the heck out of it due to my foot accident and knowing that home inspections would be slower and much harder for me. So I did, and man it is going very well.
Jim
I hire it out to a radon company. I charge $120 to the client but only get charged $75 from the radon company. There is absolutely no need for me to get licensed to do it myself as I am already making $45 per test just to forward a couple emails. So yes, it’s worth it to offer the service.
Why not a cheap diy test? That doesn’t do any good in a real estate transaction. In a real estate transaction here in Indiana, if a radon test is performed during the inspection phase (by a licensed radon contractor) and the test comes back high, the seller has to pay to have the house mitigated before closing. That’s why many buyers (around here anyway) get radon testing. Nearly 50% of houses with a basement test high for radon in central Indiana. Average mitigation installation runs about $850.
Good stuff, at least you found a way to make radon testing a viable little extra money for you. Much better than leaving the money on the table for someone else to get.
We charge $185.00 (discounts for volume clients only). The cost of the test kits we use is a total of #16.00, + $6.50 shipping leaves us a profit of $162.50
not bad and with our volume it is a very profitable business by itself, not just an ancillary add on any more.
Jim
$90-$130 is the going rate around here and most people requesting radon testing are also requesting continuous radon monitors (not a $16 kit). That’s the case in Indiana anyway
About your $162 profit per test. Leaving a few expenses out aren’t you? But even after being realistic about expenses and actual profits it sounds like you’re doing good with it and more power to you.
I’m not saying there’s not potentially and eventually more money involved in getting licensed and doing it yourself. I’m just saying that for me, I’ll take $45 for forwarding a couple emails instead as I don’t have the time or desire to get licensed and purchase a few CRM’s then place and pick up tests. I’m too busy with inspections.