House Seller Mark - Chapter 8 - Addressing the Grow Op Issues

This is a story about House Seller Mark.

Now that the house was going to be listed through a real estate brokerage, there would be requirements for the grow op history of the house to be disclosed.  Before determining what would be said,  Real Estate Agent Valerie asked House Seller Mark and wife Lou to tell her everything they knew about the history of the grow op and any fixes or changes they had made as a result of that knowledge.

Mark and Lou had bought the house a couple of years after the discovery of the grow op.  In fact, they were the second owners after the raid.  Lou and Mark were told by their agent that the then owners had done the work to make the home safe after the grow op.  Mark and Lou were a bit naive and bought the house based on taking the Sellers' word that all was done to mitigate any mould issues, structural damage and haphazard electrical work.  Mark and Lou had been in the home for a couple of years and did not think there were problems.  Now the market was more sensitive and/or knowledgeable about grow op problems.  Many buyers and all of the home inspectors would be on the alert for structural issues such as changes to the foundation.   Mark and Lou would need to get a few tests done to be proactive in selling their home. 

The first issue was the hydro wiring.  Grow ops often steal electricity off the grid by changing the wiring.  Mark and Lou wanted a certificate from the hydro company indicating that no hydro splicing or lines were compromised getting into and around the house and bypassing the meter.  Hydro sent an inspector who found no problems but did find a couple of exposed wires and outlets in the basement that needed to be covered.  These were minor and common problems.

The next issue was moisture levels and mould.  Mark and Lou had an environmental assessment performed.  The good news was that there was no excess moisture in the home and that there was no mould that could be found.  The attic insulation was tested to ensure that it was not damaged from excess moisture.  Finally, the issue of possible compromise to the foundation and the cement floor was reviewed.  The exposed walls were inspected.  The cat stained carpet was removed and the concrete inspected.  After several hundreds of dollars of tests, Mark and Lou had certificates to show the status of their home.   All of these reports would be made available to a Buyer.  Mark and Lou expressed disappointed that they had to organize and pay for all of the tests and, more annoyingly, that they had not required these themselves when they bought the house. 

As soon as the inspections were finished, Agent Valerie called Lou and gave the names of three excellent home stagers:  Judy Klean, Sally Worthy and Janice Anytime. 

It was now time to get the house ready to show.

Photo credit:  Electrical closeup