Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-10-25
rhe Price OF ItonI E.Ia,e.

unJreiudicei observers, who have no interest
III depressing prices OF real estate agree that 1t
holds its own very we'll in ths city, and that the
actual decline is small. 1t il true that property
forced to sale under the Shsnn's hammer, or
by the hands OF an Assignee. sells at rates mnch
lower than coull have bsan had two years and
half ago, bnt the explanation Of this
simply is that the number OF buyers IL
zmsll-.hsre lie not market. tl-t at tins time
70 sustain a large amount Of sales. 1t is found
on the other hand. that except in such cases,
where the sale ls compulsory holders maintain
iirm views as to prices aud there ID little or
none thrown in the market to be sacrificed.
Parties wishing to bny and selecting such prop
critics as suit their purposes, are paying well up
to the rates that prevailed before the Panic.
There is one very good reason why this should
be so. Real estate in Wilmington never took ou
inflated prices. Stores and dwellings have been
bought and sold at fair value rents have new
er risen above moderate return on the actual
Investment and even in unimproved property
the building lots in the suburbs-the freedom
with which they have been continually disposed
u at public sale prevented their rising to excess
=.Ye and speculative quotations. We venture to
say IL W ilh5 Tthl-eslt % utl 1855 iducg
and more actual value in the prices set upon it
than was the rule in Wilmington even in the
iinsh times before the Panic. Building lots
forced to public sale, now, rule low, 1t ID true,
for there are few houses being built, but with
business reviying, and more houses continually
being needed, these lots will quote as high two
yesrs hence as they did two years ago. For the
present the demand is light, bnt it is not going
TO remain so.
Any observant person may fortify these asser
tions with evidence for himself, and not the
least valuable facts bearing on the question will
be those to be obtained in other cities, such as
New York. where the valuation OF real -esta. q
rose to most prepoaterous heights on the wave
OF speculation. large part Of New York ) up
town property may be taken as an example, and
we observe recent reference to Kansas City
where tie visitor secs four-story brcl.
buildings standing vacant, with the grass
growing up through the bricks i'll the
sidewalk, and buyers with the each
can name their own pricea. There is moth
ing Of that sort to be seen il Wilmington; there
are few empty houses except those that, FOR one
reason or another, are undesirable; and nowhere
IL the grass growing on deserted sidewalks. A
walk through the .tTeets will chow houses aud
stores to let, hut not many more than are usually
70 be found. The number Of new ones built, last
year and Tins, has been small, and naturally
Tie number nnoceupied il very little larger than
las always been tue rule ut this season Of the
year. There has been a decline III the rents of
small houze=, for employment for mechanics
las been siaoh, and wager reduced, but IN other
iwellings rcntl have suffered little change In
desirable sections Of the city, good hou=e- com
hand nearly or quite az much a. they ever did
Altogcther,wc conclude that there If no break
tiowh IN prices Of real-eztate IN Wilmington.
The market If =tl! dull, with purchasers few,
bf the demand for good property is increasing.
So one who can afford to hold ON should let hs
property be sacrificed, for the market viii. from
'his out, slowly but surely steady tself, and
prices, two year. hence, will he readily had that
viii involve no hacriGce nj all