Buyers Beware:

FORMER GROW-OPS NEVER A GOOD DEAL, DESPITE PRICES

Houses Pose Health Risk From Mould, Pesticides and Other Chemicals
Used in Operations

Residential homes that have been renovated to clean up mould and
indoor air problems caused by defunct marijuana-growing operations may
still be unfit for habitation, says a federal researcher who will

drug-making operations are absorbed by drywall, carpeting, wood,
subfloors and concrete basement floors, says Virginia Salares, a
senior researcher with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. They may also
be found in backyards, where they are frequently dumped.

"People cannot take for granted it's safe," says Salares. Vapours from
chemicals can permeate the entire house, not just the rooms where the
plants were grown. The health risks vary, depending on the
concentrations of chemicals used, how long the grow-op was in
operation, and the age, immune systems and health conditions of the
people who move in.

York Regional Police in Ontario estimate there are about 50,000
grow-ops in Canada, although the exact number varies, says Toronto
real estate lawyer Bob Aaron, who has developed some expertise in
dealing with grow-ops. "I would say there's tens of thousands," Aaron
says.

Despite the risks, lower selling prices of former grow-ops -- 25 to 30
per cent less -- attract buyers looking for a deal, says Ottawa real
estate agent Richard Rutkowski, who recently represented the seller
and buyer of a former grow-op.

"There's a buyer for everything," he says. "Ironically, the [nearby]
hydro lines posed more of a deterrent than the actual grow house."

Real estate agents have to ensure everyone involved in a sale is aware
of the home's state, says Rutkowski. He estimates that for every 10
people interested in a property, eight will back out when they learn
it's a former grow-op.

Other agents refuse to list grow-ops, and counsel their clients to
avoid them. "There are too many unknowns, especially with the
chemicals," says Winnipeg real estate agent Cindi French. "I
personally would never consider them a good deal at any price."

Salares did a study earlier this year into mould problems and indoor
air quality in rehabilitated grow-ops. It noted that while police
identify and seize many grow-ops, marijuana growers often avoid
detection by buying and selling houses quickly.

"The homes are superficially repaired and sold to unsuspecting buyers
who may be unable to locate the previous owners," the report states.
"Where this occurs, new homebuyers can be unwittingly exposed to
hidden contaminants from damage that was cosmetically covered over
without proper remediation."

Growers typically pack hundreds of plants into small spaces with high
moisture and no natural light or air circulation. As a result, the
plants get fungal diseases and insect infestations that are treated
with high doses of chemical pesticides. Growers are unlikely to use
organic solutions or dispose of chemicals in an approved fashion,
Salares says.

If a crop spoils, they cook it to extract the drugs, and these
chemical vapours are absorbed by the house and later released into the
air. Chemicals are often spilled on floors and poured into soil
surrounding the house, where future homeowners' children may someday
play. Chemicals are also dumped down drains.

"The plumbing of course can be flushed and cleaned, but all those
pesticides are going into the municipal sewage system or the septic
system if it's a rural house," she says.

Disclosure requirements vary by province, says Bob Linney,
communications director for the Canadian Real Estate Association. Some
police departments post addresses of grow-ops. Winnipeg, Durham, Ont.
and London, Ont., police departments, for instance, have lists of
grow-ops on their websites.

Aaron advises buyers to insist that a clause be included in the
purchase and sale agreement stating the home was never used for the
growth or manufacture of illegal substances.

Salares is now studying which chemicals are used in grow-ops, how
they're stored, how various surfaces absorb and give off toxic
vapours, and how a house can be rehabilitated. Linney says guidelines
for rehabilitating a former grow-op and standards for air quality will
be invaluable to real estate agents.