The daily gazette., 1880-01-10
FIRST EDITION.
n Rise In Rents.

AN ADVANCE OF TEN PER CENT ON
NEARLY ALL THE PROPERTIES IN
TOWN - TENANT HOUSES SCARCE
AND MANY STRANGERS COMING HERE
To LIvE--THE REAL ESTATE MARKET
IMPROVING.
| Rents have gone up. An advance Of
10 per cent has been made by most Of
the real estate owners here. Even with
this the demand Is lively, and desirable
houses are scarce.
| One of the most extensive real estate
dealers and property agents In this city
told u GAzETTE representative yesterday
Of much increased inquiry both from
people who wished to rent and those de-
string to purchase, and said that it SEEM
ed to him that people had made up their
minds that property was on the advance
and that 10 would be better tO buy al
once. This advance had commenced
within the last three months, aud the in
crease In rents had occurred quite recent
ly. He found greet many peOpl1 lnok-
ing for houses with view 70 making
purchases, and many strangers, mainly
laboring men, from down the State and
from Chester, Pa, were inquiring after
homes. The smand for tenant houses
was at least one tenth greater than in
1879.
| j. T. Heald In the Clayton House ac-
| knowledged that there was an effort TO
get rents up, but some difficulty was be-
ing met with. Relts In large houses
had generally risen. For stores almost
any reasonable sum asked for could be
secured. One store thst rented for $400
last year had brought ,450, and another
1 fnE NH oh ha mi ~ hah haaf
taken at $3.50. The difficulty IN getting
the rents raised was experienced with
small houses. The greater number of
applicants wanted house, for from So to
$40 per month, and many Of them were
| strangers.
George r. Townsend of the f m Of
Townsend u Co., at 616 Market street,
said, "there is a rise OF about 10 per
cent, but 1t is chiefly on large houses.
No rents have been reduced at ALL"
'Is the demand for houses much in
creased ?" ayes, there Is more inquiring
than ever and more houses are wanted
by laboring men than we can supply.
Nearly all our smaller houses are Occu
pied. The demand is especially great in
iho eastern part of town."
"How will this incl ease In rents effect
sales and building?" 81 think 1t will
stimulate building very much and that
there will be quite an increase In the
number of new houses. Parties are
much more inclined to purchase than
formerly, and my sales have been great
ly on the increase. The number OF un-
occupied houses will be quite small
possibly all will be occupied.
Thomas Il. Lally at 6O2i Market street.
remarked that he found II less di I'D cult To
rent dwelling house this year for -
than the same house last year for So
There was demand almost greater than
he could supply. The increase was great
IN stores ami some on Market street had
Increased 500 a year. Many laboriDg
| men wanted houses, aud great mum Der
Of people came from sussex county,
Philadelphia, and the suburbs. Houses
renting for from So ID $l2 were scarce,
but higher than that there was drag.
He attributed tha great demand To
strangers coming TO town, families rent
Ing separately who had lived together
before, and general increase In busi-
ness. With regard to property sales, he
said : "The business Is more rapid
have made more sales during the past
two months than for the six months pre-
viOus to that"
John II. Frazer & Co., at Third and
Shipley streets reported asmaii percepti-
bic Increase In all rents, but in large
houses, renting for from $50 TO $50, they
had advanced the rates about 10 per cent.
Store properties on which this advance
had been made were readily rented
"Smaller dwelling houses are now quite
scarce" said they, "and the demand ap
pears to have augmented at least 10 per
cent over that of 1879. Many come from
outside the city, mainly from Kent and
Sussex counties and the neig boring
counties in Maryland and PrnDsy lvania."
Samuel Culbert on ShIpley street above
Fifth, stated to the GAZETTE reporter
that houses were very scarce and he bal
hardly ever known such demand for
small dwelling houses. Those most de-
sired rented for $40 to Sl2 per month.
"Have you advanced the rents or your
houses :" was asked. ayes, 10 or 10 Der
cent except in few cases where We have
good tenants"
"Wbat do the people say TO the adj
vance 2" "They do not like itmuoh and
argue that wages have not gone up and
they are unable to live any better than
before the rents were raised"
| Bond 81 Pierce announced that the
houses most In demand were from SIC to
SIS they have no disposition to raise
rents except on some houses that had
rented too low before.
William McCualley & Co., appeared to
be Of the opinion that the houses under
their control would be rented at old hg-
ures and that an increase would only be
made upon certain houses. The demand
was quite brisk.
Mahlon M. Childs said this morning
that tenant houses were not scarce with
him. There was a steady aud rapidly In
creasing demand, and IL was his opinion
that ali houses would be taken long be-
fore March 26th. He admitted that there
was an increase in rents. but the rise de.
pended much upon location. Properties
IN good localities rented freely at SOME
advance over last years rates, and those
badly located were quickly taken at the
old rices. Tie advance was not general
upon all houses ehgibly situated, how
ever, and the rise, when IL was made,