Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-15


REAL ESTATE GOSSIP.
The New Real Estate Assessment and How
| 1t 10 Being Done.
REALTrs CONTRIBUTION To THE REVENUES OIL
THE DTsrBrCT-HANDsoME PROFITS YIELDED BIZ
PROPERTY INvEsTMENrs-soxK ZINE IMPROVE
HKNTs-oTHKR MATTERS
livery FEW MEN. EVEN REAL ESTATE
dealers. are sufficiently interested Just
now In realty to 60 out every day inspecting
property. The temperature Of the average
summer day il not conducive to activity of this
Kind. Prospective customers might stimulate
the energy Of the dealers. but this desirable
class Is usually not large enough in warm
weather to keep real estate men active.
lhere are, however. three men who are
devoting the working hours Of each and every
day to the inspection of real estate. Whether
the weather is cool or not these men are ct
work, but, unlike most men similarly engaged,
they have not in view sales and commissions.
Their reward lies in the consciousness Of pub
lie duty we'll performed and in the receipt
from the public treasury Of something over
s2oo per months each. They are known as the
assistant assessors Of the District, Offices
which were created by the last Con-
gress- Each day they meet at the Dis
riot buildings and start from there on their
rounds. covered wagon with seats extend
| ing along the sides and drawn by stout horse,
convey the assessors to their work. They are
| supplied with plat books showing each square
| IN the city, the improvements and the alleys.
The assessors have been engaged in this work
| about four weeks now and they have
viewed" as it is called. every piece of
property in some 140 squares. beginning with
square 1 and going east. 1t is expected that
their progress will be more rapid as they &C.
| quire facility, but even with greater speed 1t
will take a good deal of time to inspect
the property comprised in the ZOO
squares lying within the old munich
pal lines OF Washington. Then there are
loU.squares in Georgetown and then comes the
great task of viewing the property in the
county. The assessors are required by law to
complete the entire assessment Of property
within the sixty miles SQUARE by the LIST Of
June next. Property owners will have
an opportunity during the months Of
June and July to inspect the new
| assessment and then to tell the assessors how
they ought to have assessed the property.
Citizens who are dissatisfied will be given q
chance to convince the assessors of the error
makes out his bills in November of next year
they will be based on the assessment made by
the present assessors.
AN IMPORTANT UNDERTAKING.
The work now being done by the assessors is
one Of great magnitude When it is known
that the total assessed value of real estate in
the District last year amounted to nearly S142,-
OO0,OOO and that this property paid into the
revenues of the District the sum OF %, l04, CAS-
some idea of the importance of the assessment
that Is being made can be obtained
a~,x- al &-a.r H.
citizens Of the District comes from the tax on
real estate. Last year the running expenses of
the District amounted to S5.632, 4G6. Half of
this amount Is paid by the government which
owns, in point of value, it is estimated, over
Az per cent of the entire realty of the District
The share of the District was therefore 90, &c.
2SS, and this entire revenue, with the
exception Of about 100000. was derived
from the tax on real estate. The expenditure Of
nearly hive and three-quarter million of dollars,
which Is required to keep the municipal gov
eminent of population of 230 coo people going
for one year, appears large'in bulk. But when
the Items or expense are considered it
does not seem to be such large sum after
all. The single item Of interest on the debt of
the District and the payments into the sinking
fund amounts to Sl.2l3, 947. Then there was
expended last year on the streets 81 .249, OF.
The public schools cost nearly million, the
police force nearly half million, and
these items alone amount to nearly a DOC. 00O
Then there is the fire department and the other
expenses of great city which easily absorb
the million and three-quarters remaining Of
the funds available for the annual expense ac-
count Of the District. All these large sums Of
money are expended by payments from the
Unlten states Treasury with all the safeguards
which are thrown about treasury disbursements,
and 1t Is safe to say that in city in this coun-
try Is such a large percentage Of the money
collected from taxpayers expended for their
benefit and that OF citizens generally as is the
case i'll this CITY,
HANDSOME PROFIT.
The sale Of the Brooks property in Brookland
to the Marist Fathers, which was closed during
the past week, is an instance of the profits in
real estate. Three years ago this property
which comprises about two acres of land and
is improved bya large old-fashioned house,
was purchased for 1880. The owner re-
cciyed from the Marist Fathers s2O, 1000
realizing in three years the handsome ad-
vance OF SIR, $50. profit of over 100 per
cent 1t is rather unusual to find any invest
ment that will yield such profit, but the his
tory Of real estate transactions in this city
affords many similar instances This is espe-
clally the case during the past five years when
property has appreciated IN all parts of the city
and the suburbs.
SPACIOUS BUILDING SITES.
The tendency to purchase spacious building
sites has been frequently commented upon in
these columns, and it has been especially re-
marked that this departure has in view the
reservation OF generous proportion of the
ground for a lawn. The advanta ses of having
the openings of a house on one or both
sides as well as the two ends are of
course obvious. The interior plan can be
made not only more picturesque, but the
comfort OF the occupants is greatly enhanced
for the reason that they obtain more air and
light than is possible in house which opens
lifelong resident of the city, who
is also quite o large operator in real estate
purchased lot where he intends to erect a
residence for himself The lot has frontage
OF eighty or ninety feet, and the purchaser
told STAR man that of course he did
not intend to have his house occupy
the entire front. II am going to reserve
ground on one SIDE" he said, ''for lawn
There will be windows and porches overlooking
this lawn and intend to get good deal Of
pleasure out of it. If at any time / should de-
sire to sell of a portion of the ground or all of
it, can do SO and my house will then be
like other city houses. Some people consider
that it is piece OF extravaganza to put SO
much money in a house and lot. But don't
look at it i'll that light. 1 own unimproyed
property in various parts Of the city. When L
build my house it will naturally increase
the value of the adjoining property Why
should l not reap the benefit of this
appreciation which l have created by the in
yestment of my money? If own unlmproved
property why should it not be in the locality
which am improving by the erection of res
ldence! L consider the vacant ground which