According to a National Post article published this month, more and more marijuana grow-op homes are making it to Toronto and GTA real estate listings and becoming serious problems for home buyers. One of the most serious problems facing buyers of these homes is the mold associated with grow-op humidity and temperatures.
A mold inspection can help Toronto and GTA home buyers determine if a new home is safe to live in or not. The mold that grows best in grow-op conditions is the Stachybotrys genus, which causes chronic fatigue, headaches, bleeding in the lungs, nausea, rashes, difficulty breathing, memory loss, pain in the liver and chronic coughing. Because the mold – sometimes called the “toxic black mold” associated with grow-ops is so dangerous, the decision to get a mold inspection when you buy a new home is an easy one.
Real estate agents are obligated to tell home buyers whether or not their future home was once a grow-op. That is, if they know about it. For every marijuana grow house that is raided by police and put on the Toronto Police’s Grow-Op List, there are many that are never reported, eventually fixed up and placed for sale with mold still living under carpets, behind drywall and in attics.
Canadian Grow-Ops by the Numbers
- The Canadian Real Estate Association estimates that there are over 50,000 grow-ops across the country.
- According to the Insurance Board of Canada, if – and that is a big “if” – a former grow-op home can be repaired, it will cost about $40,000 on average.
- A real estate broker with Re/Max told the National Post this month that knowing a home has been used as a grow-op in the past will often decrease the home’s selling price by between 20% and 25%. A standard home inspection may not catch all the hidden mold signs associated with former grow-op homes, and it’s a wise investment to have a mold inspection conducted for peace of mind and your family’s health and safety.
Should you suspect the presence of mold in your home or business, contact MoldInspections.ca – The Greater Toronto Area’s mold inspection professionals – at (416) 575-6111
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