« Condos Listing In The 21st Century | Home | Fire Pits: An Elegant Addition To Condominium Homes »
Grow Houses Are Hiding In Residential Neighborhoods
By Vic Hurlstorm | August 23, 2010
The government estimates that in Canada alone there may be more than 50,000 homes being used as grow houses for the organized growing of illegal marijuana crops which could command up to $1.6 million on the market for the up to sixteen hundred plants which can be produced in a single harvest. Professional growers are placing their activities in the suburbs where they realize individuals are much more likely to not noticed and not raise to many questions or be suspicious of their neighbors. Both land owners and home buyers need to keep their eyes peeled for the kind of property damage that professional growers leave behind and the potential safety issues they pose to the area in general.
An indoor criminal marijuana cultivating setup requires large amounts of energy for the needed equipment and the traditional electrical system is often bypassed, that may put a strain on surrounding power systems and pose a potential fire hazard and local power outages. Often structural damage has been done by sloppy modifications to create the house to ideal conditions, and the chemicals used in the growing generate dangerous chemical remnants. Massive water damage is an additional concern caused by the extent of these grow houses and mold and mildew buildup can be so significant that the structure must be completely demolished. If you find a Brampton house for sale that appears to be priced very low you need to be certain that you have it looked at by a professional for indications of it being a grow house before committing to the deal.
One of the telling factors that an organized cultivation setup is in place is the fact that these properties are not lived in on a day-to-day basis. Prime candidates involve homes that have bright light seeping out of the windows despite the fact that the shutters and curtains are always drawn tightly. Often there is a lot of condensation built up on the windows from all the plants, and snow almost never stays on the roof due to the heat generated by the lights gets rid of the snow. There have been incidents with real estate in Barrie that where once grow-ops with the suspicious signs of a messy front yard with no grass.
Another clue is the amount of security around the house, and houses that have “no trespassing” signs or intimidating electric fences in a relatively peaceful neighborhood should set off alarm bells. Also dangerous watch dogs are used to guarantee no one approaches the property, and they are regularly left unattended and bark incessantly. On the other hand, be weary of a house that displays “beware of the dog” signs but does not appear to have dogs on the property. Owners of grow houses may even have “for rent” signs to help justify the strange conditions that exist around such a property. Due to the strong odor that a large scale operation generates, the ventilation systems in marijuana houses are often rebuilt, and evidence of such work includes indoor construction sounds and strange “skunk-like” smells seeping from the property on a regular basis. Police in Hamilton have found and closed down many of these activities which helps to avert a drop in the value of Hamilton real estate as it keeps neighbourhoods safe and gets rid of the professional criminals.
Another suspicious activity is the backing the vehicle into the garage, even for quick visits, and continuously coming in through the garage door. Normally a grow house does not have normal household garbage on a regular basis but trash is at the curb it is composed of growing materials like plastic containers and empty soil and fertilizer bags. Scraps from interior building projects, electrical wiring, PVC piping and aluminum or sheet metal also are clues that there may be a marijuana operation in your neighborhood.
Topics: Uncategorized | Comments Off
Comments are closed.