The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
Real Estate Values Show No
Depreciation.
BROKER SUMS UP SITUATION
Thinks Much of the Business Usually
Done i'm Fall Months VIII BE Com
PIeted I'm December-SOme Recent
Sales Are Cited TO Prove the As
sertiOn-BuiIdins Operations slow.


questioned. Some said the week had been
I duh, while others declared 1t was one Of
the best in recent months. From actual
sales reported, it would appear that little
was done by the dealers. Several of them
spoke encouragingly of big transactions
about TO be consummated, but they were
not ready yet 70 give out the facts.
One thing is evident-that the few sales
made public were st stiff prices, going
/ far to controvert the opinion of some
| that prices are too high. and that If sales
are 20 be made owners and agents must
come down. The situation was summed
up for The Herald by Ernest II. Daniel,
Of Willige, Gibbs & Daniel. as follows:
Yes I am aware that the month pre-
/ ceding Christmas Of every year is one of
the dull seasons in real estate. but We
/ have TO admit that this year has proved
an exception 10 the rule Ordinarily, the
months of September and October are the
! best for selling. but this year they were
dull. But, then, 1906 has been freakish
/ in more ways than one. Everybody will
remember what a horrible season of rain
We had during the late summer and early
autumn. Indeed, such was the ii.cism-
/ ency that il was almost impossible for
intending buyers to get out and inspect
properties. The money market was un-
settled for a while. and many people hes
itated to make purchases of real estate
until the situation cleared Up little.
Impression on Prices.
Then, too. the impression got abroad
! in certain quarters that perhaps the prices
! of real estate were too high. Consequent
/ ly. few intending investors held back.
| expecting TO profit by any drop in prices.
These. and perhaps other causes, retarded
! the selling season. Now IL seems as though
everybody in Washington is looking for
an opportunity to buy either a home or
! other real estate investment
! - healthy demand fer all classes of
: home and income-paying properties is
/ plainly evidenced. This is true not only of
/ the sales department, but also of rentals,
/ and SO far as our Office is concerned. the
/ problem is not 50 much how we shall pro
/ cure customers, as where we will find
/ suitable properties for rent or sale l
/ think this encouraging state of things is
/ entirely due 10 the fact that we have now
! had several weeks OF fairly good weather.
/ enabling people TO get around and inspect
/ properties with comfort TO themselves:
| the money market is easy, indeed money
/ Is plentiful again; then, too. the recent
/ enormous sales of real estate OF every
/ description, especially those involving
! 100000 or more. sold 10 men OF sound
+ judgment and large experience. have con
/ WINGED the timid ones that Washington
7 N~.V-a
price; indeed. quite the contrary Is in
/ prospect.
! Whether the reasons have given will
! account for the present excellent con-
ditiOn OF business. cannot say with
4 certainty, but we all do know that for
/ some reason or other a great impetus
/ has been given to the entire real estate
/ situation
! When I realize the splendid business
/ our Office has had during the last three
I weeks, that we have sold ten properties
( during the past week ranging In price
/ from 5000 to $l0O00A and that there is
a constant and growing demand for all
! classes Of real estate. I have no hesita-
/ ton in predicting that during the present
/ winter and coming spring the sale and
/ rental Of houses and lots in Washington
+ will be the greatest ever known here"
Some Examples Cited.
! As bearing out this view may be taken
the sale Of the Home Life building, at
! Fifteenth and G streets, recently at a
! high figure; the sale OF the Tuckerman
J residence and the old Lincoln home. both
| at big figures. and numerous conveyances
Of property in other parts Of the city
where the values involved show no tend
/ ency to slump. Last week the property
| at ST Fourteenth street northwest was
offered at auction and Withdrawn after a
/ bid of S24,750 had been made. In the
: gathering bidding for the property were
/ representatives from five real estate firms.
/. Il was evident TO the trustees that the
{ premises We're worth more at private sale
than those present were willing to bid,
and it was not allowed to go These and
other facts seem to settle the point that
the era of high prices is not yet over.
Sales by WiIIige, Gibbs & Daniel.
As illustrating the values of property in
various parts of the city the following
sales reported by Wnlige, Gibbs & Daniel
are cited:
! No. TAB Girard street, for Arms & Drury,
$3.50.
Elght-suite apartment house, IS street
! southwest, 5000.
Premises 2721 Thirteenth street north
west, for Mrs. Augusta c. Motz, $1,000
House and lot at Fifteenth and Emer-
son streets 70 Harry Wardman. for $500.
To Mrs. ]. c. Connor. 1923 Eleventh
street northwest, for $3.50.
To Harry Wardman, 2121 Flagler street,
! for $500
To John L. Cummius, 2115 Flagler street,
1900
To Mrs Mary L. West, 81 street
northwest. for $500.
Prices of property in the suburbs are
also strong. despite the fact that some
| brokers express the opinion that the
subdividing Of agricultural land beyond
the real needs for the expansion Of the
population has been vastly overdone.
Fulton Gordon reports the sale of thir-
tv-four lots in Connecticut Avenue Ter
race, at prices between $500 and 81
500.
J. b. Winners Sales.
J. B. Winner also reports several sales
in the Connecticut Avenue Highlands
subdivision
To ". 0. BIackwood. for D. c. Whar-
ton Smith, lot on the north side of S
street, between Connecticut avenue and
Phelps place.
To F. 2 Reside, for D. c. Wharton
Smith, lot on the south side Of Bancroft
1 place, where Mr.. Reside is erecting a
/ home.
To James J Hill, for F. G. Newlands.
through Thomas J. Fisher Co, lot
on the south side of Bancroft place.
To Mrs Elizabeth Edison, for the
same persons. lot on the south side of
1 Bancroft place.
To James l. Karrick, for the same
/ persons. lot on the south side of Ban