The older I get in this life, the more I am convinced that things never happen the way we draw it up in our mind. Particularly when You are chasing daylight and seeking the call of God in your life. By now most everyone is probably familiar with our 7 month journey that (thankfully) ended last Friday. The “cliff notes” version goes like this:
1. Sensed a call to Charlotte
2. Put house on the market
3. Took house off the market due to unclear discernment
4. 6 weeks later put house back on market with certainty of call
5. 2 weeks ago, sold house with a 2 week closing period
6. Last weekend went to Charlotte to buy a house but had a check in our spirit
7. Tried to cancel, but could not get out of contract to sell our home in Ohio
8. Secured financing and a new home in Columbus due to sale of our home.
9. Had inspections done on existing home for Radon as part of closing
10. Radon inspection failed, Warranty issue with siding. Contract canceled.
11. Staying in existing home, getting radon fixed. Thrilled to not have to move.
So there you have it. You are not officially up to speed on a journey that taught us much about ourselves, our friends and most importantly, our God. As a throw in bonus, we found out that we have a radon problem in our home which needs fixed. I take you on this journey because I want to encourage you all to spend the $150 and get the test done too. I spoke with a Housing Inspector last week that said that “85% of the homes he inspects have a high radon test result“.
For more information about the harmful effects of Radon, you can visit this site. The bottom line is that it could lead to lung cancer. The sites can be a bit alarming, but a reminder that the $150 test is well worth it. Even the steps necessary to correct Radon are worth the price ($800-$1000) when considering the alternative. I count it a blessing that we took this journey and found out about this situation in our home. Had we never taken the steps, we never would have known. It’s never how we draw it up.
Wow ~ what a way to end up in your original house! But, at least you found it and it is fixable. And you don’t have to move!! His ways are not our ways, but He has His reasons…
Aaron –
When we sold our house in ’03, the radon thing came up in our inspection.
Yes, radon is a naturally occurring gas given the geology of the area where we live.
Yes, radon exposure could potentially cause health problems.
However…
The studies done on radon exposure were done on uranium miners that were exposed over decades.
So I’m essentially saying that it’s a near scam. They are relying on scaring people to get the systems.
You’d need to live and sleep on your basement floor in order to get a large enough dose of the stuff to have any impact on your health. Driving to work has higher risks of death or injury than radon exposure.
I had to fork over $400 to the buyer of my house to split the cost of radon mitigation. It made me mad.
It all started in my neighborhood when my next door neighbor had a relocation service sell his house due to a work related move. So, they came in and made the business decision to put in a radon mitigation system in the house to remove any impediment – reasonable or unreasonable – to sell the house.
So, once the nice white PVC beacon was up in the neighborhood it was open season for the radon mitigators to sweep through the neighborhood.
And, as of the last time I drove by the old house the buyer of my house still hadn’t installed the mitigation system. Hope he got some nice curtains or what not for the house.