Pubdate: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 Source: Windsor Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2006 The Windsor Star Contact: http://www.canada.com/windsor/windsorstar/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/501 Author: James D. Godfrey 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 - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath