The San Francisco call., 1910-01-15
BEST RECORD SINCE
YEAR OF DISASTER
Real Estate Sales in This City
During 1909 Represent To-
tai of S33,719,123

Thomas Magee & Sons report that
there were 7.945 sales of real estate
recorded in San Francisco during the
year 1909, not including the last day OF
the year, representing a total of $SS,-
719.12S. This is an increase of S1S per
cent over the figures for the year 1908.
and an increase of per cent over the
figures for the year 1907. The record
for the year 1909 is. therefore. the high
est since the fire
That our recovery from the effects
of the fire and from the financial de-
preston of 1907 has been slow but
sure" the firm says. is indicated by
the fact that the sales for the last
eight months of 1906 made good
showing under such adverse conditions.
and by the fact that the sales in 1907
and 1903 did not in those trying times.
fall under the s3O.0OO.0OO mark.
GRATIFYING SHOWING
'@The steady nature of the activity
in the real estate market is shown by
the following figures:
May TO Dec. 81
19o7-s,2o4 sales ......---.-.------. 81. .sl6. l50
190S-T,41S sales ......---........-- $l.OS5-SI1
:.The gradually increasing activity
noted during the year 1909 is accounted
for by the return to normal financial
conditions throughout the country, and
by the fact that the San Francisco saw
ings banks have gradually resumed
loaning freely on San Francisco real
estate.
Under all the financial conditions. af-
fecting the entire country in the last
three or four years. and particularly
under the adverse conditions which
have affected us locally since the fire
of 1906. and when it is remembered
that all the money which could be OBJ
tained on mortgages was needed for the
rebuilding of our buildings and the re-
habilitation of our various lines of com
mercial activity, il is remarkable that
we have had practically four years. dur
ing which the sales have reached "A total
of over s30,0OO.00O for each year.
GOOD FINANCIAL STANDING
Among the contributing factors to
our stability. as indicated by our re-
covery in the last four years. the two
which stand out above all others are,
first, that San Francisco practi cticallS
had no municipal debt at the time OF
the fire. only s3.500.000 of bonds hav-
ing been sold by the city up TO The
time of the cOnfa grafton, and second,
that the mortgage debt on San Fran
cisco real estate amounted TO only II
per cent OF the actual value of land
and buildings.
Even now. nearly four years after
the fire when we have voted bonds for
public Improvements amounting TO
s2S420,0e0. with s16.205,00O of bonds
sold. San Francisco is on of the very
lowest in per capita debt of the large
cities in the United States
LOWEST MORTGAGE DEBT
after the expenditure since the fire
of S165.O00.000 for new buildings. and
the consequent increase i'm mOrtgaS sc
debt, San Francisco has today mort
gage indebtedness on real estate of
only 16 per cent of its actual value. =
We therefore retain our position among
the other large cities of the country
in being the lowest in mortgage in
debtedness on real estate. and are still
one of the very lowest in bonded debt
per capita.
"A very pertinent fact is that our
assessment for buildings alone for
the current year is $25,000,000 higher
than in 1905, the year OF the highest as
sessment in the history of San. Fran
cisco. The following table. taken from
tbs assessors official figures, indicates
our rapid recuperatiOu: