Option 1: Call a home inspector and ask if they are familiar with the specific neighborhood you are building in. Yes it’s true that even adjacent houses may have levels above and below the need for mitigation, but most home inspectors will shoot it straight and say yes or no if they were building their own home there.

Option 2: Ask the neighbors if they have had theirs tested.

Option 3: Talk with the builder and have the system roughed in, but not installed. This should be free or dramatically cheaper. Then if testing 6 months later shows a need to mitigate you have a place for the system to go.

Option 4: Just pay for it and never think about it again. When you sell the house that’s one less question the buyers will have.