Who bought the grow house in a bidding war?

Last weekend we performed a Pre-offer inspection on a house that was taking offers at 5 pm. Beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 storey, 12 year old, freshly painted, vacant house that was in wonderful condition. Until we examined the attic that was severely contaminated with black mold. I am sure that the mold was a result of grow house operations, but no one knew for sure. The potential buyers decided it was too risky and looked elsewhere. Meanwhile, someone bought that house - without an inspection!
I was asked by another agent why didn’t you contact the selling agent? Because my contract is with my client, the buyers. Their agent could have advised the other agent and maybe he did?
Similar situation last year when the 1.2 million dollar house had Plumbbetter piping (named in the Kitec class action law suit). Buyers’ realtor got a quote $30k to re-plumb it. She advised the selling agent who took competitive bids and sold it without an inspection too.

Caveat Emptor. [Latin, Let the buyer beware.]

Allan Spisak
ACISS Home & Commercial Inspection Consultants

Good one thanks Allan

Bypassing home inspections to win bidding wars a growing, dangerous practice

http://www.citynews.ca/2016/05/20/bypassing-home-inspections-to-win-bidding-wars-a-growing-dangerous-practice/

Bypassing home inspections to win bidding wars a growing, dangerous practice

A ‘sold over asking’ sign sits in front of a detached house with an artificial grass front lawn, Toronto, Ont., Feb. 7, 2016. The home is located in the city’s North Riverdale neighbourhood.
THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Rachel Verbin

Would you let your kids grow up in grow op?
It seems some people are unwittingly doing just that. Home buyers in the current cut-throat market are waving home inspections as a condition of buying a home in an effort win bidding wars.
Allan Spisak, chairperson of the Professional home and property inspectors of Canada says a buyer recently bought what appeared to be a beautiful, three-bedroom, two car garage home in the GTA that was once used as a marijuana grow up.
“Whoever bought it probably never looked in the attic,” he says, pointing out that a home inspection would have spotted black mould in the attic, a result of the grow-op.
“They are going to move in and they’re not going to know what’s up there.”
He estimates 6 out of 7 home owners are by-passing home inspections these days.
“What’s happening in this competitive market,” Spisak says, “is people are bidding over-price with lower or no conditions in order to get that house.”
The housing market in the GTA has been red hot. Earlier this month, the Toronto Real Estate Board reported single-detached home prices in Toronto hit an average of $1.258 million in April, up a whopping 18.9 per cent in one year. That works out to an increase of $550 dollars a day.
Romana King, Real Estate specialist at Moneysense says not getting a home inspections is dangerous.
“You really need to understand what you are buying,” she says, “you are buying a very large investment. So skipping a home inspection can lead to whole host of problems later on.”

Home inspection horror stories
What surprises could be lurking in a house that doesn’t get a home inspection?
An asbestos-wrapped chimney pipe

An expired oil tank, without required plastic-coated oil lines

Rotten joists, not repaired properly, causing the floor above to sink three inches

No signs of leaks, but a moisture meter reads 70 per cent wet

More rotten wood joists, improperly repaired

Not all the facts get into the news because they edit a lot out. Such as the average price of a home inspection is $500 a small price to pay when your average house is near a million dollars and the costs of problems can be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
At least some people are waking up, others will still be losers in the end.
Allan Spisak
ACISS Home Inspections
on City News everywhere

Allan after reading your thread I have to ask was the mould in the attic the sole reason you suspected a grow op?

Remember this was a suspect grow house. The mold was very severe in concentrated areas throughout the attic, not typical of a bathroom fan not working and around various areas of the attic.

Other factors were:
vacant house
all fresh paint
neighbors said owners very seldom seen during 2 year occupancy
So all the signs are a hint.

Allan Spisak
ACISS Inspections