The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-11
TUSCH PLACE SOLD
Fred BentIy Buys 1t and Gets
Years Advance Rent.
RUSH FOR HOUSES
RUSH FOR
HOUSES
Some of the Causes Which
Contribute to House Famine.

Yesterday Fred Bentley bought. through
the Hartford Investment company. the
Tusch property on North Emporia, be-
tween First and Second streets, for s.. 100
| So great is the demand for homes that
Mr. Bentley, as soon as he closed the deal
rented the property for a year at $25 pei
month, the entire $500 being paid in ad-
vance. He had hardly got through with
! the rental contract till he had an offer Of
J $S5 per month and an agreement 10 pay
a years rent in advance at that figure.
In this city there is q famine OF houses,
I fats. apartments and suites for light
house keeping. Some of the hotels are
4 filling up TO some extent.
The house famine can only be account
/ ed for by the city's growth. Last fall
there was a scarcity much milder. how
] ever than that which exists at present.
/ Every real estate agency in the city mas
| from six to twelve applications a day for
cottages containing five and six rooms
and that will rent for eight to twelve dol
lars per month. The lack Of these medium
price houses is the main subject of discus
sion among real estate men. Most OF
those VINO apply to the rental agencies
are strangers 10 Wichita, who have come
here to stay. The business concerns are
employing more men than they did a year
ago and these men come from other towns
and cities. Another class of strangers
who arrive in Wichita are those who have
accumulated something to live on in other
towns and have come here to educate
their children in the schools and colleges.
Then there Is the usual demand for houses
near the central portion OF the city Gre
ated by those who have lived in the sub
urbs during the summer months. These
folks demand flats or apartments in
steam heated blocks as has been their
custom in the past winters, but this year
finds them occupied by new corners from
other towns.
The demand for small houses and cote
ges is from the middle class. who earn
good livings and are a desirable element
in a community.
There are some families who have come
to Wichita owing to the fact that the
husbands have secured employment in the
retail stores that are adding more room
and departments, others more goods and
new lines and even greater stocks than
ever carried before.
Other men have found employment from
travelling statesmen to night watchmen in
the many new Wholesale houses. which
have started up within the last six
months Soma of these people have come
10 Wichita and brought their families
here to live.
The reason must lie in the prosperity
and healthy growth of Wichita's estab-
lished business institutions and the new
enterprises that are projected for future
location and establishment.
Then the prosperous young clerks are
getting married and want homes TO fur
nish that they may become full-fledged
lords and masters as well as home" men.
There is every reason 20 note the in
crease in population. New grocery firms
are springing up, furniture houses are
branching out and taking in more floor
space, dry goods merchants are expanding,
some doubling their space for shelving
and display OF their large purchases this
season, others are painting and renovating
their places OF business.
There are many other business enter
prises that will start up in the near future |
among them the opening of new hun |
dred room hotel. the re-opening OF the /
Whitaker packing plant. rumors of q
furniture factory, the rebuilding and I
equipping OF the entire street car system, /
a new electric lighting plant and there is 1
ono or two other business propositions !
under way that is not far enough matured /
10 mention them at this time. There IS i
no doubt about the demand for houses. /
the values in real estate has stiff-