Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-26
Reel Estate and Home Building

. THE real estate situation in Rock
Island is. as in all live and growing
cities, one of vital interest. When
all is said and done, real estate has
to bear the burden of taxation for
improvements in streets, pavements.
sidewalks, sewers and the general
condition of the city. Other proper
~ may escape the eagle eye of the
assessor but real estate, like the
poor, is always with us. No amount
of genial persitiage or mistaken inn
pressions' as to quantities and proper
lions on the part of the owner. can
induce the assessor to put 24O feet of
frontage in his list at 1O2 feet. and
there are obstacles in the way of
smuggling buildings and improve-
ments out of sight that makes. the
task very disagreeablc. For these
and similar reasons the real estate
owner is naturally pleased to see his
neighbor's holdings increase i'm value.
ON the tax roll at least. and AZ his
neighbor has precisely the same views
as to the other peoples property the
result * fairly reasonable avoid
ance of Partiality. There is also
community of interest i'm preserving
increasing values. in recognition of
the principle that the higher the as
sessment the better the prospect for
4 low rate of taxation. 1t * there
fore satisfactory Ia note that the real
estate situation i'm Rock Island is
healthy. There is nothing approach
ing a boom. and in fact if-there * ono
thing that the sound business uan
has less use for than another. it is
the period of fictitious and unhealthy
inflated values that accompanies the |
real estate boom. People are not |
tumbling over each other i'm a mad |
rush to buy lots or secure options in
this city. But there is an actual
healthy and pcrceptible increase in
values, such an increase as accom-
panies the period of growth and per-
manent progress. The general re-
vival of trade and commerce through |
ont the country has been shared in
by this city i'm no incOnsiderable de
gree New Industries have been and |
are being established here. the rapid |
and successful development has large
~ increased the population. and add
ed to the city's trade, and the out
look for the future * very bright and
promising. Naturally. real estate
has shared i'm the effects of the new
order of things. and the spirit of
what we have wei hold has enter
cd intD-thc people. scarcity Of
rentabie houses for people of modern
means has long been noted. and the
consequence is that many citizens
have gone into the business of own
ing their homes. who would other
wise never have thought of il. Real
estate dealers report a quiet but
steady movement along these lines and
the Indications are all in favor of
considerable building in the near flu
ture. There is an undeniable demand
for rentable houses at moderate fig II
ures. and it is demand that has
come 10 stay. The situation is in
short one of stability and confidence
that an investment in real estate is
safe and sound business policy.
To be the oldest real estate firm in
Rock Island is something of dis
tinction in itself. And when we re-
member that IN nearly all cases it is
"a survival of the fttest, this fact |
has even greater significance. That
* the claim that the real estate firm
eff Rcidy Bros. can assert without
shadow of a doubt. The foundation
of the business was established by
j. +. Reidy i'm small way in 1890. he
being joined two years later by his
brother. r. II. Reidy. Almost i'm
mediately by reason of their energy
and tact they took the front rank
i'm the field and have continued to- Oc-
cupy that position. Some of the
largest property deals ever negotiat-
ed in Rock Island have been put
through by this firm. And their