SKUNK CABBAGE SMELL AMONG WARNING SIGNS

There are clues that can be detected from the outside of a house that
are synonymous with a grow operation.

"Myself, I look for a vacant home that's not well looked after," says
Marilyn Jones, president of the Calgary Real Estate Board. A grow op
will also likely have less or no snow on its roof in the winter
because the house is kept at a high temperature, says Reinhard Thomas
of Professional Home Inspections Ltd.

Other indicators include steamy windows, condensation or discolouring
of the roof, unusual amounts of steam coming out of vents in winter,
or a rapidly spinning power meter that shows electrical tampering.
After watching closely, close your eyes. You might hear a humming
sound of fans or generators used to produce excess humidity in the
house.

If you get close enough, you might notice a skunk cabbage smell oozing
from the cracks in the house. Within the home, Jones looks for
"moisture or a damp feeling in the house."

Sometimes, people will also try to cover up the stains that grow pots
leave on the floor with paint or disguise them through
renovations.

While there is no demographic to watch out for, people who run
grow-ops tend to have certain habits:

- - Unloading copper or PVC pipe, soil, halogen lamps, large amounts of
black plastic aluminum ducting and fans.

- - Residents who come and go at unusual hours, rarely staying
overnight. When they do come by, they might only take out garbage,
move toys in the front yard, shovel the snow or cut the grass, and
then leave immediately.

- - Little to no garbage brought to the curb/alley.

- - Mail is rarely delivered and mailbox may be taped shut.

- - Metal bars on windows and excessive security like guard dogs, along
with no trespassing signs, high fences, heavy chains and locks on gates.

Source: The Canadian Real Estate Association's pamphlet called Grow Ops,
What Realtors Need to Know, December 2004