The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-19
REAL ESTATE AND
BUILDING NEWS
Rains Play Havoc With
the Real Estate Agents
for a Week.
BUSINESS FALLS
OFF VERY MUCH
However, Real Estate Agents
Keep Fairly Busy in the Rental
Business-There Are Many
Rumors of Big Deals, but
None Are Anthem
tic.

MORE IMAM tHFee years ago the IN
hustrial Section OF The Times-Dis-
patch. backed by some OF the up-to-
date real estate agencies Of the city,
urged and begged for a real estate ex-
change. a kind of place where the
real estate business may go on day in
and day out for a whole year or a
thousand years. as for that matter re-
CARELESS of weather conditions. Some
OF the old-timers kicked against this
Innovation and the old timers hap
pening to be in the majority carried
the day. No real estate exchange was
established. and as sunny weather fol-
lowed for long while the old fogies
won out.
This Yenr's object Lesson.
For the past several weeks the real
estate business has been practically
at a standstill. because for that length
OF time there have been clouds after
clouds and rains after rains. The
aged system in Richmond is to sell
only on the ground, and as a matter
of course IL the rains or the earth
qrakes or the anything else come
along to prevent buyer from visiting
the grounds TO see the very dirt Itself
there are no sales of any consequence.
Surely real estate agent here and
map upon his personal guarantee that
every possible shade on the aforesaid
blueprint will come right square up
TO the outlines, but the agents are
NOT always suY1 enough of these things
10 sign up"
A short Weeks Work.
Nevertheless. the agents have been
enabled 10 do some business for the
pas; week, business that probably runs
!, NFEt
much more than that figure could be
made BY the mort enthusiastic OF opti-
inists. and there are many optimists
among the real estate fellows. II must
be confessed that the untoward weather
conditions of the past week have been
something or a "damper" on the opti-
rnists. and they have largely curtailed
their prediction, predictions based al
most entirely on the doings of the
weather folks and the season fixers.
Yesterday / asked real estate man
who is always right on the job to tell
me all about 1t. He smiled, or rather
grtnned. for he was nightly Disguised
over the weather conditions and the
smallness of the weeks work. He de-
clhred that there had been only one
bright day out of six to cheer the
hearts and revive the spirits of the real
estate fellows--that is, such of them
as are dependent upon commissions for
weeks pay. All the auction sales.
with possibly one exception, were
drowned out by the continued and all
most continuous downpour. This en-
ception was sale of 405 North TWEEN
ty-third Street, which had been adver-
tised by j. Thompson Brown & Co.
They made the auction sale between
showers and report that the same was
very satisfactory. Mrs. o. a. James
was the buyer. and her deciding bid
for the property was $3.50.
Rent People Are Busy.
All the rental agents report in.
creasing inquiries by prospective ten
ants and people contemplating changes
busy in the renting line. Many changes
are contemplated for the fall, and the
usual September and October moving
scene will be repeated this year, and
from Indications. on a much larger
scale. Many rent cards now up will
be down in a few days, owing to re-
newals and the realizing of the fact
by tenants that three moves are equal
TO fire." and that the cost and trou-
BILE incident to the same is not worth
the little savings that might be offered
as an inducement in the way of low
err rent Indeed, in some places rents
are increased and the tenants Will pay
1t rather than incur the trouble and
expense of move.
Runners In the Air.
There is nothing of general char
acter in the real estate business that is
definite TO be reported. There are all
kinds of rumors about big sales that
are likely to be pulled off. One Of
these rumors has 1t that some of the
most valuable and interesting of West
Broad Street business property is about
to change ownership and get into new
hands that will not be slow in improv-
ing the same. The property alluded to
is nown owned by a corporation or q
society, and whole lot OF red tape
will have to be unraveled before any
thing can be done. If the prospective
purchasers get hold of the property
they will smash out the official red tape
and get busy mighty quick. It will be
a good thing for Broad Street II the
red tape gets cut out.
BY the way, there is a whole lot of
mighty valuable real estate in Rich
mond that is kinder wound UP with
red tape and some other kinds of fool
ishness Some of this red tape and
foolishness is standing in the way of
a great deal of Main Street develop
Ment.
In this connection there are all kinds
of rumors. some of which involve the
Chamber of Commerce building, and
there are reports that syndicate is
In hand to deal with the United States
government about larger postal pur-
chases and custom house purchases by
Abe government. And then again 1t is
said that syndicate that has already
acquired very large building privileges
has been offered great inducements to
cell out those privileges. There are
all kinds of rumors in the air. and 1t
Just may be that none of them is worth
the breath 1t takes to tell about them
1t Is likely that all of these runbrs
pre the results of dull week, week
made dull by the continued leakings OF
lhe clouds When the rains keep folks
INDOORS they must needs have something
10 talk about, But all the same there