GROW-OP HOMES CAN LEAD TO PROBLEMS

Grow-ops and the consuming public truly are at odds and I wanted to
applaud The Windsor Star's municipal affairs reporter, Roseann Danese,
and, Phil Dorner, president of the Windsor-Essex County Real Estate
Board, for their insights into house buying on Aug. 5.

Firstly, Danese pointed out in her news piece that homes that have
been utilized as grow-ops have usually had significant changes made to
the houses' infrastructures, which generally means the houses become
mouldy and uninhabitable for future residents because of the need to
keep the plants drenched with water.

She also pointed out that these houses can be found in any area of the
city.

Thus, these houses are not necessarily very good buys despite whatever
sale prices are advertised -- depending upon what type of
reconditioning is required to bring the buildings back up to code.

Secondly, as Dorner makes very clear in his later column, acquiring
home insurance is no longer just a quick phone call to your insurance
agent.

Most insurers consider factors such as the age of the dwellings, the
condition of electrical systems, plumbing systems, heating systems and
whether the home will be owner-occupied, rented or left vacant.

Most of us are aware that insurance companies normally look at the
claims history of the consumer they are insuring but, something many
of us may not know, they also examine claims reports on the actual
property itself.

As you can see, the moment you have a home that was previously used as
a grow-op, you also have the potential for problems acquiring insurance.

JAMES D. GODFREY

Amherstburg