The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-09-20
REAL ESTATE AND BUILDING.
A Temporary Decrease in Activity in Both
During the Past Week.
THE ATTRACTIONS OF BR1aHTwooD PARK
transactions " he con-
he rIxet.

The real estate market had q return last
week Of the dullness which marked the summer
season. The reason for this condition. ound no
explanation among the dealers who looked
upon it merely as one of those cases which
sometimes occur, and for which no cause can
be found. There WAS an unusually small
number of sales, but like the previous week
agents had many inquiries regarding property,
and especially houses for rent. The tempo
rary inactivity cannot last long, however, and
when the market begins to show signs of
life a considerable boom may be ex-
pected. Although many people have re-
turned to the city, a large number
OF the most active operators in real estate are
still absent, and this coupled with the fact
that those who are now in the city have hardly
had an opportunity to catch up with the ac-
cumulated business, is probably the cause Of
the quiet market. recent article in the
columns Of the HERALD set forth as one of the
reasons given why boom is looked for in
real estate this fall, the fact that the money
market, which has been tight for some time,
is becoming more easy, and capitalists who
have held their money in hand are regaining
confidence and placing it in circulation. Upon
this subject the last number of the Milwaukee
Realty and Building Record has the following
editorial
"The United States is not now engaged in
the business of exporting gold. The tide has
turned, and the flow of gold is now hither-
ward. Assistant Treasurer Roberts, of the
subtreasury at New York, received advices on
the last day of August that $65o,OO0 in gold
had been shipped at q European port for
Vail = 10 zk.1r
1t is certainly encouraging to the business in
terests of this country that the flow of gold
from Europe should have set in now, when
only small percentage of this years. immense
crop has been marketed abroad Such being
the case at present, what can we not expect
when our hundreds of millions of bushels of
cereals and other products are bought and
paid for, and ct the highest prices knewn for
many years. The combination of high prices
and immense crops does not happen every
year. AS things now look, 1892 will be
jubilee year for Uncle Sam and his large fam
lily.
encouragement is also afforded by the re-
port of the Treasury Department as to i'm
ports and exports for the month of July. Our
exports for that month were $500, 600 more
than those of July, $780, while the imports
for the same month declined $11 200, 900, max
ing total change in our favor of $19, 400, 900.
1t cannot be expected that specie shipments
will at once set in in this proportion, but there
can be no question that the flow of gold for
the next twelve months must be in this di-
rection, and that, too, in large amounts. The
receiving OF these vast sums of ready money
cannot fail to give new inspiration to the
aptiyifiae Of the m tire au1 nr6 6,rd
spread prosperity to the people of the United
States.
"But dangers beset the path Of prosperity
Business is apt TO be overdone; all kinds of
wildcat speculative schemes are foisted upon
the confiding public; many people unwisely
venture into enterprises that have no sound
business basis; people become extravagant
and cease to practice those habits of frugality
and economy, which afford the only safe and
sure road to individual, as well as national,
prosperity. These are some of the dangers of
prosperity. But they may be avoided. People
90 into wildcat schemes, not because there
are no safe investments for their money,
which yield reasonable return, but because,
seeing Others occasionally make big hit in
speculative venture, they become impatient of
the ordinary and slower methods Of making
money. AS result they often venture all on
an uncertainty and not infrequently lose that
all. Persons tempted to make such unwise
ventures would do well to study the situation
carefully and see il an Investment cannot be
found which combines the two elements of
safety and the certainty of profit materially
larger than an ordinary interest rate"
Splendid opportunities for investments of
this character are found in we'll selected real
estate, and there is no better place in the
United States than the District of Columbia
for safe investments of this kind AS most
Of the people with capital are looking for
well paying Investments, and 1t is reasonable
to believe that the iturn Of gold toward this
country will result in largely increased actiy-
ity in real estate in this city.
Building operations were likewise as dull as
the real estate market. Few permits were is
sued and those that were, called for the cree
ton OF small houses. The noticeable features
OF the permits issued was the fact that the
largest number were for houses In the suburbs
During the week there were nineteen permits
issued for the erection of thirty-one buildings
to cost $56,55O. OF these two buildings will
be erected in the northwest section to cost
$500, four in the southwest 10 cost $e, 800
nine in the northest to cost S19, 800, one in the
southeast to cost 5000, and fifteen in the county
10 cost S24, 400.
After the falling OF the arches in the Hooe
Building, at the northwest corner Of Eighth
and Z streets, there was eomewhat OF feel