The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-25
CLEANLINESS HAS A
HIGH MARKET sHALUE
Real Estate Man of Experience Tells Why Some
Pt0be,ties Cannot Be Turned Into Cash Snye
at q L0ss-Nent E0uSeS and Neighb012t00ds
Boost Real Estate Values Turnout an Et,tire
CITY.

stClean up'' is the watchword Of the
real estate men just now. They urge
holder, for the benefit of his neigh
borhood, and for the whole city.
Rental men know well the value OF
spring cleaning, and all sorts OF reno
walton, such as repairing, painting,
washing. To have accomplished all
these things is to be able to rent the
property at q. good figure. Nondls-
eliminating property owners who refuse
to allow their representatives to apply
some of the year. income in repairs to
their property, fail to grasp the IN
innate bearing of the condition Of the
s the chances of renting it again when
MAY moving time comes and leases ex-
pire.
One Of the real estate fraternity says
he would like to impress on his fellow
agents and on property owners them
selves that clean conditions have like
influence on the sale of property.
Has Cash Value.
"The first appeal to- eye," said he,
of the property. The increment
which it adds is out of all proportion
to the actual expense Of putting the
property in presentable shape. .
sfBecause of the effect on values OF
the clean or dirty condition OF houses
and premises every property owner has
a partnership interest in the appear
ance of his neighbours property: Condl-
lions of the individual properties then
have bearing on communities. IN
turn the aggregate effect Of the property
conditions in communities affects the en-
tire city, and all of it's property, favor
ably or unfavorably.
81 EFor this reason improvement as
sociations have sprung up all over the
city. They are doing great work, but
the value of such organizations depends
on individual effort by each owner, for
a single filthy spot in a community is
really the undoing Of the effect of the
whole Improvement work.
The Spring Cleanup.
"Respect for common decency and
for sanitary laws usually results, in the
spring, in the carrying off of garbage,
unsig lightly piles of ashes, old cans and de-
caying matter that has been hidden by
the snow, and the contagion may spread
to the repiling of wood and a general
strengthening up of property, the burn
ing of useless stuff and the raking of
dooryards.
"What I am getting at just now is
something that affects the individual
property more especially. 1t is a gen
orally recognized fact that the first ap-
peal made to the ey Of a visitor by a
city is an impression that cannot be
eradicated Naturally, it behooves the
city as a body and the individual citi-
zen to keep the picture setting up to
standard. Most decidedly the proper
ty value of a city is affected vitality by
the picture conditions. This means
the conditions of streets, the state Of re-
pair, the appearance Of alleys, the de-
gree Of repair Of buildings, the condi-
ton Of the paint and even the general
appearance Of the trees, shrubbery and
lawn, exactly as much as the clear or
smoky appearance of the sky overhead.
"Just as surely is the value of sin.
gle property dependent on its physical
f. condition. I wish I could impress this
on the mind Of the individual citizen as
decidedly as if it were burned in. Men
come to my office whose seedy appear.
Il ance show me at a glance in just what
sort Of shape I shall find the property
they want me to sell. l can't sell that
property at the price it should bring
any more than that man can get a posi-
ton at the wages he should get. So
toften I have observed these men who
are not prosperous because they do not
feel prosperous. and therefore, letting
themselves get into a rundown appear
ance, do not look prosperous.
Property Like Humanity.
FL 'tProsperity is 'shooed' away by the
rundown appearance Of a property, as