Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-01-18
Advertising property Sales.

Advertising Property Sales.
A very erroneous impression prevails.
among people as q inc source of costs
in legal sales. AYe# ars frequently
reminded by q,tasf Complaints that the
newspaper Office is extortionate in,
charges for advertising. By way of
having this office properly understood,
we propose to state the truth in regard
to the matter, and in connection
Herewith present some views Of our
own concerning such advertising.
The rule with commissioners Of sales
is to have small number Of bills
printed, usually from twenty to thirty,
for distribution in the neighborhood Of
sale. The cost of printing these ranges
from $3.50 to s4.0o, according to size.
and quantity Of matter. There are ten
bills. at least, at the former price. where
there is one at the latter. This cost
covers the advertising Of nine-tenths of
all effected sales. When property has
to be re-offered the same cost is incurred
again and where property has to be
offered three times to effect sale at
less than the limit Of two-thirds its
assessed value, the cost Of advertising
rarely, If ever, exceeds $50 or $1,000.
1t sometimes happens that the printers
bills embrace the fee for an order Of
publication or commissioners notice,
but this is only when there are non
resident defendants; and this is the
consequence. of the suit. and in nowise
"a part of The costs Of sale. The average
change for these has hitherto been five
dollars. 1t VIII be observed from this
that a very snail fraction Of the costs
Of either a suit or a sale goes to the
printer and if it be the latter, without
the order of publication to non-residents,
it is a mere bagatelle
So much for the facts now for our
views. +
Too little attention is paid to advertis-
ing property for sale. The attorney
takes his decree for the sale Of farm
or other valuable property, and
distributes 20 bills in the vicinity to
notify the neighbors. Every neighbor
would know Of the sale by common
rumor without the bills being up. This
amounts to no advertisement at all. It
is b,irlesque. The knowledge that the
property is for sale is not conveyed to
any one and the cost is $3.50 perhaps.
To our mind it appears to be the most
important item in q sale to have it
generally known. To dispose Of
thousands Of dollars Of property On a
few handbills is unjust to all parties
interested, not less SO to dsbtors than
to creditors. For the small sum Of ten
dollars the advertisement can appear by
the bills and in the local newspaper for
four weeks. In the paper it will reach
its thousands Of bona ide readers and
| becomes known to five times as many
as the actual subscription list numbers,
in that time. The paper goes to land
agencies and is filed for the inspection
of purchasers. 1t goes to other Offices
where men &c TO LOOK after such
advertisements. There is scarcely q
week but OH office Is visited by men to
examine exchanges for land sales; yet
our own paper rarely ever contains one.
That this is occasioned by any disposition
on our part to extortion is not true.
The figures we have given are strictly
correct. To verify them we suggest
that persons interested in the future
look over the items that constitute the
bill Of costs. and see fer themselves
what it is that runs the column up 50
high. Hereafter for legal notices we
intend to charge our regular advertising
rates but for any ordinary land sale the
cost Of both bill and paper advertising
will not exceed ten dollars. In the
event Of more than one Offering a
proper reduction will be made.
We have frequently had men write US
from distance to become subscribers
for our paper only to see the land
advertisements. One case we can cite.
was that of a gentleman from Maryland
who took the paper to know when a
certain property was to be sold. The
sale was made without bis knowledge
because the property was only adver-
tised by bills. and thus the county lost
a good citizen and the parties interested
lost money. Another Eas the case Of
d piece Of town property for which a
gentleman was authorized to lid $1,000.
He depended upon the paper and the
property sold for 1925.
Persons in other counties and other
states rely upon the papers for such
information because it is customary to
put all such advertisements in the local
paper. There is not another county in
the Valley CT State IN wt1icl4 this is not
the rule. One gentleman here always
uses the columns Of the paper and ne
says that he invariable ascertains that
his sales are effected by the paper adver-
tisemeut. Hence it is a good rule.
The evidence taken before the Goa
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