The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-30
ROANOKE REALTY.
Condition of the Market as Fore
CaSted for The Times.

In talking with the real estate agents
and men about the city who take an in.
terest in the ups and downs of real estate
we have seen in the lust few days n faint
glimmer of that old spirit that used to
move our people in 1890 aud made them
the most wide-awake, energetic and pub
lie spirited citizens that could he found
anywhere in the Old Dominion. This
hopeful spirit is based on actual results
and is justified by the conditions Of the
city to-day. There is not city in the
state and few In the country that can
show as wonderful IA change fer the bet
ter as has been made Ivy Roanoke in the
last two years. y walk up and down the
streets in the business part of the town
shows nearly all of the stores occupied,
and the merchants say that they are do
ing safe business and many of our large
merchants have very materially Increased
the capacity of their stores
The residence section of the city shows
the most wonderful improvements. The
houses are nearly all occupied by good
tenants and an examination of the rents
that are paid shows that the propertv ia
paying fair per cent. on the actual value
of the property. Roanoke people have
been spoiled b. the nigh rates of interest
and eNorbitant rents that were in force
during the flush days of the city. but
thriving business men are now doing bus
mess on safer lines aud are satisfied With
slower but surer profits
Roanoke is now and always will be n
good town in which to reut property and
there will always he an active demand
FOR good houses to rent from the fact
that the average rail- Dad man lives with
his satchel half packed and enough money
in his pockets tor an unused pass to yet
out of town when the call comes for his
"head" For this reason great many
railroad people had rather Tay high rents
than buy property.
The year 1888 promises TO he u good
year Tor Roanoke real estate and every
thing that is done in any way to help the
city will add to the value of her real es-
tate. 1t will not do for our people to be
satisfied with present conditions and the
facL that the pay rolls from the Norfolk
and Western railroad will keep town
OF this size in prosperous condition.
This..'s danger that confrontso our people
ard our young city has earned the repu-
tation Of being live and wide awake and
we do not want to see the fact that the
people are living comfortable from The
large sums that are paid out by the Nor.
folk and Western railroad make them
iOSc eticit prog tSStNetleSS ana energy.
Let every man, woman and child in
Roanoke do ali they can to advance the
interest of the city. There is good liv-
ing now for every bohy here. The hus-
hand or brother who is at work assures
that, but we want more industries, OF !,
different order. something for the women
and children TO DO
In the past our ideas have been large;
orr industries have been large and our
failures have been large. Large indus
tries are all right when we have the cap
ital TO back them p,but we have not got
it. We need small industries with small
capital and conservative profits divided
among the people. Ten small industries
will do our people more good than two
81 ,000,O0o blast furnaces. If our people
work to establish small industries here
they can get them. Other towns have
them and they pay. .
1t is I'LL ''bosh''.to say that high freight
rates keep them away. We have build.
ings here that were put up by ''boom'
capital which can be rented cheap, bought
low or douated. We have the climate,
the fuel the employees and the market.