Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-09

he can move them with little delay For
the up-to-iate broker Ii frst OF all alert
at ts often remarked by obseryant trav-
eiers that q city's growth reflects in large
measure the efforts Of her real estate ira
terniey Go into a town where the hum or
enterprise as growing louder every month o,nl
often brought there by real estate agents.
and where the city itself seems shooting out
AMI building up in every direction, and you
conclude that behind the movement there Is
wideawake, progressive lot OF realty
dealers. Find town that has gradually
settled into itself and where in spite OF
immense business interests capital has
never been coaxed into big real estate in
vestments, and IL you look around Won will
discover a threatening lack of real estate
enthusiasm.
ut is true that mere promoting does not
make a town. but, on the other hand, the
united, weli-directed efforts of few dozen
real estate brokers viii SO divert interest
and stimulate home pride and business en-
terprise, as to make over a city in a few
years The successful real estate broker is
always a pusher. He scents an opening.
studies out a plan of action, unfolds his
schemes to capitalists and perseveres in his
argument until the wisdom nf his claim Is
apparent. Hundreds OF acres of land. long
ago too valuable for farm purposes, are
thus added every year to the ever-spread-
ing circle Of home sites.
Secure Improvements.
Sections of streets and parts of cities
WHICH, DBCduSe VI no Improvements VI III
desirable surroundings, have been idle
ground for years. are brought to exercise a
powerful influence upon values. Grant II
you will. that he is working primarily for
commissions. The fact remains that by
selling the same property over time after
time at handsome advances, he attracts the
attention of large number of capitalists,
large or small, who have hitherto paid lit
tie or no attention to real estate invest
ments. Naturally, the more buyers in the
market the stronger the demand for good
property and the higher the prices asked
and paid.
New investors, too. are generally more
Inclined to spend money freely on i'm
provements than the old-time property
owners. and this is direct help to the real
estate market, for every improvement adds
value to surrounding property and makes
the neighborhood more attractive for other
investors. Without the real estate broker
these benefits would accrue much more
slowly, both to the realty investors and to
the city at large.
1.-THE value of the broker as an inter-
mediary in realty transactions cannot be
overestimated. Every city has been held
back in certain quarters for years, and
often for generations, by the stubbornness
of some one or more property owners who
generally inherited their estates and have
resolved to hold on to their lots. grasping
In the meantime all the tremendous en-
hancement in values which the enterprise of
more public-spirited and energetic owners
has brought to them. To get these land
misers into any sort of a deal that will
result in benefit to the city Is usually ex-
tremely difficult, even though they are Of
fered fabulous prices for their properties.
Often the real estate broker works months
and sometimes years to discover some string
which he can pull to bring the willful prop
erty owner into line. A skyscraper or
magnificent public building is the monu-
ment erected to his patience and tact. But
the general public very seldom considers
this phase of the question.
The capitalist who appeared the chief
promoter of the enterprise is lauded to the
skies as public benefactor, while the
broker. whose clever dealing made the pro-
ject possible. is forgotten by the public or
perhaps recalled with envy for the big
commissions he earned.
washington has for years been pecu-
liarly fortunate in having a class of real
estate brokers whose ability and energy
have been exceptionally great. The results
of their work can be seen in every part OF
the city. improvements that were delayed
for years, or might never have been made
at all, have been carried forward only be-
cause brokers paved the way for the
schemes
Sale of Timber Reported.
The passing of the forests of this country.
and the consequent advance in the price of
lumber owing to the scarcity of prime
building timber, renders the timber situa-
ton an interesting and important factor In
the business world very large timber
| transaction, although not of local nature.
| as the timber of both Maryland and Vir-
| gnia has virtually disappeared, has been
consummated by the selling of 1900 acres
| of hard timber In North Carolina by Grant
Parish of this city to parties interested and
associated with the Standard OIL Com
pany. The object of this purchase OF tim
Der Is to turn out on the spot the barrel