Apartment Rental & Home Buying Tips

Illegal Neighborhood Marijuana Operations

Officials estimate that just in Canada there may be over 50,000 homes being used as grow houses for the large-scale growing of illegal marijuana crops that could command up to $1.6 million on the street for the up to sixteen hundred plants which may be produced in a single harvest. City suburbs are becoming preferred locations because residents do not make many inquiries or have suspicions and tend to mind their own business. Both land owners and home purchasers should to keep their eyes peeled for the kind of property damage that these growers may do to a home and the possible safety issues they pose to the area in general.

Organized interior marijuana growing operations need powerful lights that are often set up on networks that go around normal electrical circuits and cause local electrical system overloads, resulting in blackouts and creating a potential fire risk. Often structural damage has been done by sloppy alterations to create the house to ideal conditions, and the chemicals utilized in the cultivation leave behind toxic chemical residues. Extensive water damage is another problem caused by the size of these operations and buildup of mildew and mold could be so significant that the structure must be totally torn down. If you discover a Brampton house for sale which seems to be priced very low you should make sure you get it inspected for signs of it being a grow house prior to signing off on the deal.

Usually these homes are not occupied in on a regular basis and indications of infrequent occupation are the first clues that a professional growing operation resides there. Houses that have their drapes and shutters always drawn but that nevertheless have bright lights seeping out are also good candidates. There is often excessive water found on the windows from all the plants, and snow rarely stays on the roof because of the heat generated by the lights gets rid of the snow. There have been occurrences with Barrie real estate listings that where set up as grow houses with the tell-tale indications of unkept exterior of the home.

Another sign is the level of security around the property, and houses that have “no trespassing” signs or imposing electrical fencing in a relatively peaceful neighborhood should set off alarm bells. Also dangerous watch dogs are utilized to guarantee no one approaches the property, and they are often left on their own and bark frequently. On the other hand, houses with “beware of dog” signs that do not appear to have any pets are even more suspicious. Some growers who have purchased the property try to justify the doggy conditions by putting “for rent” signs in the front, but it is not advertised anywhere else. Often the ventilation has been rebuilt and grow houses, generating a lot of indoor building noise and creating strange “skunk-like” smells. These grow-ops introduce organized crime which can effect the prices for Hamilton real estate which is something that police efforts and success in raiding such homes helps to guard against. 

Questionable activity around a grow property includes people backing into the garage, despite stopping only for very short visits, and consistently entering the home through the garage door. There is often no trash accumulated in front of a grow house for weeks, and the trash that may be there usually consist of materials like plastic pots or empty plastic bags of fertilizer and soil instead of normal household garbage. Scraps from interior remodeling projects, electrical wiring, PVC piping and aluminum or sheet metal also indicate that there may be a marijuana operation in your area.