The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-30
HOUSES HARD TO GET.
AN UNTITLED DEMAND FOR
MALL-3IZEO DWELLINGS.

AN UNTITLED DEMAND FOR
SMALL-5IZEO DWELLINGS.
Renting a gents Overrun With Appli-
cations for Houses at a Rental OF
500 TO $50 a Month-The Growth Of
the City Iadexed by the Demand for
Dwellings
Houses are In demand for rent in Savan-
nah. Although it is some time yet before
the renting season begins, a great many peo-
pie are on the lookout for houses There are
few empty dwellings in Savannah, and to
secure good house conveniently lcated to
the business portion of the town at any
price is almost an impossibility. so the
people who are looking for houses say, and
the renting agents agree with them.
81 am going to get house at one
of the small towns on the Central railroad"
said a newcomer to the city to a MORNING
NEWS reporter the other day. 81 have
been trying for some time to find house
In this city and haven't succeeded. just to
/ show you the demand for houses, the
house at which | am boarding, and for
which the occupant pays SS5 month, was
advertised by the agent by mistake the
other day to rent at $45 month. There
have been a dozen applications day for
the house at that price,"
Another newcomer, d railroad man, was
complaining yesterday about the difficulty
Of securing house.
SMALL HOUSES NEEDED.
why don't they build some decent cot
tages that a man eau rent without
having to pay his whole salary for
rent' This is no poor mans
town. IL man cln secure a
NJ 1DS 70 h.
is lucky, and to get decent house at less
than S25 is next to an impossibility. l have
lived in bigger places than Savannah,
where good cottages could be had at Sl2 to
Sls or even s2j u month. A man living on
a salary of about 800 a month or less with
a family to support can't afford to pay $50
or $40 month rent. Talk about living on
$lCO month. No wonder tae boys have
quit marrying here.n
A number Of real estate and renting
agents we're called upon and each one en-
phasizsd the facts already brought ont.
Said the first agent: ~ haven't
any houses to rent, but 1 have num-
erous Inquiries for them. This town GER
tainly needs more houses. If hal 100 new
one of them inside of month. aud l con-
slider that a conservative estimate"
The gentleman referred to is not in the
habit of making rash statements.
RENTING AGENTS BEsIEGED.
"Do you know of any hou7es to rentY
was the question asked of the next agent
met upon the street,
mo, l don't. There are simply no houses
to be had. The need Of houses here is get
ting to be distressing. just get in my buggy
with me and l will show you something
that bears me out in what l say"
Driving out jefferson street toward Gas
ton, a number of small brick houses were
pointed out, which, the agent stated, he
knew to contain two families 20 the house.
"Tnere are two families in that tumble
down old wooden house on the corner too.
You will notice that not a one of these
houses, big or little. is to rent. They are
every one occupied by from one to three
families. Those people would not live that
way II they got good houses at reasonable
rent elsewhere"
"Can you rent me a housem was the
question asked an agent who deals in the
best class of houses.
mot much, was the reply. ''Ws've got
a large number of houses, but they are
every one occupied and nearly every occu-
pant has given notice of his intention 10
remain another year. We could rent q
great many more if we had them"
TO RAISE RENrs.
"Will the demand raise the rents any?"
Eyes, slightly. We will raise S25 houses
to $50, $50 to S35, and SO on up. The raise
will amount to 10 to 20 per cent increase.
There was a raise last year in about the
same proportion at the beginning of the
season, and this year we will have to raise
again."
Other agents said that they had no inten-
ton Of raising rents. They said that the
demand for houses made the prices pretty
stiff, and one of the most prominent agents
| said plainly there was no denying the fact
! hnN e.
| agent said that the demand for houses was
such that the foundations Of a new house
| were not laid before there were dozen ap.
| plicauts for it, and another corroborated
| him by saying that his firm had already
rented two houses that had just been begun.
| There is no doubt Of the need Of more
houses and better houses. The good houses
! to be had in Savannah below $25 a
month in any portion Of the city
are very few. The man who obtains
a good two-storv house with five or
SIX rooms conveniently located at from $50
to $40 a month is doing we'll. Many peo-
pie who are occupying houses incon-
veniently situated would like to change,
but there is nowhere to 80.
A DEMAND FOR COTTAGES.
"What this town needs" said one of the
Gated in good neighborhoods. Not on Bull
street nor anywhere near there, not in
! Yamacraw or the Old Fort, either
These cottages can be put up atfrom 5000
to 81 500 apiece and will rent readily at
500 month. That investment ought
to satisfy the soul of any Shylock"
The lack of houses is certainly hurting
our city. Many men who have recently
come here and who would like to bring
their families here, are delaying doing so
because they cannot secure houses at a
reasonable price. As a consequence, the
little towns along the Central railroad from
Savannah to Guyton are booming.
FLOODED BY RAINS,
Ponds of Water Stand on the Low