The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-13
AUTOS now FACTOR
Prove of Decided Value in
Real Estate Business.
MAGNETIC statesmen NEEDED
Old Time agent Describes How
the Broker" Does BuSiness-ThinI1s
1t Good-Market for week ouIet.
SI2,OOO,OOO Invested in BuiIdinga
Last Year-SnIeS of Dealers.

htAHouS III the real estate business
/ have changed greatly within the last rew
years" said one OF the older dealers yes
terday in speaking OF the conditions
which confront the agent now, as COM
pared with former days:
When I began in business twenty
years ago 1 did not even keep a horse,
and / did not go out Of my Office much.
/ Persons with real estate to sell came to
me and put the property in my hands.
where It was advertised. and generally a
buyer came in, got the price, went out by
himself, or in my company. TO look it over.
thought the proposition al out, and then
came back to say what he would do In
the majority Of Instances all that was
necessary was to get the owner and the
prospective purchaser together for half an
hour and the deal would be completed
That was before the title insurance
companies had como in. and il remained
for me TO establish the title. Tx W the
papers, and complete the details OF the
transaction, Whereby earned my COM
mission.
Now it is all different The real estate
agent. OF broker, rs he now calls him
self. is a hustler. Ia owns an automo-
iAC AlAlilolAls anu 4Etfat tNp 10 tel
men who own machines or rent them O..
possibly get along with q horse and run
about buggy. The broker does not wait
for business TO come to him, not he. OF
course. business does come TO him as IN
the older days. but he also solicits bust
ness.
Advertising Signs Multiply.
Even in renting il is customary for
81
put their cards in the windows, or their
board signs on lots which already are
Diacarded with signs Of rent or sale. Then
the broker hunts up buyers by advertise
mcut and otherwise. The broker also
buys suburban property, subdivides L.,
sells the lots. builds the houses and finIs
buyers for them. From start 10 finish x
is a hustling business. The automobile Is
a necessary adjunct of the office, being
required 20 take the customers around
and to accommodate the salesman
This leads me 10 speak Of the most
important accessory OF the real estate
business as now conducted In order 10
make sales, the man Of large stature,
commanding presence, fine clothes, pros
porous appearance. and magnetic address
IS needed. Within the past few years
some fifty young men have gone into the
business as statesmen. They are good
takers. and the method 70 which I re-
ferrcd is that employed by these men 10
dispose Of property. Given a piece Of
property for saie-it makes little differ
ence what il is-the salesman finds the
purchaser, or such person is furnished
him through the Office. He takes the
man or woman in an automobile, whisks
HIM or her about the city along some
avenue OF attractive street leading To the
property. Time is taken under the ex-
hilaratiCn Of the ride 10 enlarge upon the
surroundings. and the convincing sales
man points out how the surroundings are
growing W. He tells Of property
near the one offered that has recently
been sold for higher prices. The wOuId-bc
purchaser has his mind prepared for his
pointed out in detail. When the salesman
gets through. that particular piece Of
property seems the most attractive pur-
chase IN Washington II all ends in the
salesman getting an option or deposit on
the sale, and the prospective purchaser is /
not allowed time 70 think it over or re-
pent Of his bargain
Did Not RidicuIe Method.
The real estate man said he did not
speak Of this method TO ridicule it. lie
said il was remarkably successful. ard he
thought a legitimate way OF doing bust
ness. He declared that il resulted IT.
building up the city; in getting many per-
sons into the way OF buying homes which
the old ways would not reach He Thought
it was merely the adaptation Of modern
ways to the real estate business. But it
was none the less a remarkable departure
from the practices Of ten and fifteen
years ago. when the real estate business
was IA digniied and sedate mode Of life
which had its attractions in the way Of
easy going effort
During the past week not much in the
way of actual results has been accom- (
plishcd by the leading brokers. Several 0f
them report inquiries for property and
several have deals in process of c0mplS
ton. Actual sales have been few, and 1t
is not expected that business viii pick UP
for few weeks
The brokers dealing directly with sub
urban property have been specially
favored by mild weather. and they have