Yesterday, I showed one of my client a grow house listing, as he was tempted with a lower price of a detached house. The house was used for grow-up operation and bank did certain repairs, however still lot to be done.
So What is a grow-house ? How do you identify it ?
A marijuana grow house is a home that has been physically altered to facilitate the production of marijuana. The alterations include cutting into hydro power sources in order to steal the extra electricity needed to power the high-wattage lights that help the plants grow. The ventilation in the house is often reconfigured to remove the strange smells that are produced by the marijuana plants. Regular spraying of pesticides, fungicides and herbicides on the plants in very high concentrations also contributes to a chemical contamination of the premises. And, let's not forget that there is an awful lot of water used on those plants and the resulting moisture generally leaves the house with a serious mould problem.
The profit is certainly attractive for the criminals. It is estimated that one residential grow op will house 1,600 plants and produce a $1.6 million profit in one year. Here are the shockers for the owners of the property: most homeowners' insurance policies will not cover the cost of repairing damage caused by this type of criminal activity, and the estimates from the Insurance Bureau of Canada suggest that the average cost of repairing a home that has been used as a grow op—if it can be repaired at all—is about $40,000.
How can you recognize a marijuana grow house? The following list is taken directly from the website of the Toronto Police (who, unfortunately, are extremely familiar with the grow house phenomenon). Consider the following:
- • The house does not appear lived-in. Someone visits but only stays for short periods of time.
• Activity inside the house seems to take place at odd hours.
• The exterior appearance of the property, such as the lawn and small repairs, is neglected.
• People using the property often back into the garage and enter the home through the garage.
• Garbage is minimal and may contain used soil and plant material.
• Windows are covered.
• Bright light escapes from windows, and windows are often covered with thick condensation.
• There are sounds of interior construction.
• Timers are set inside the residence.
• There is a strong "skunk-like" odour coming from the property.
• Items being brought into the house include soil planters, fans and large lights.
• Garbage bags are not left for the regular collection, but are transported away from the property.
• In the winter, there is no snow on the roof even when other houses in the area are snow-covered.
• There are unusual amounts of steam coming from the house vents.
A surprising indicator that a property might be a grow op is not that it smells of skunk but that it smells too good. Criminals often overuse fabric softener in dryers and vents in order to mask the smell of the plants. So, an excessive or frequent smell of fabric softener in the air may actually be a clue that the property is a grow op.
Best regards,
Ritesh JoshiYour Next Door Realtor
647-281-3424
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