Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-20
VACANT HOUSES FEW
DESPITE THE GREAT
BOOM in BUILDING
IN ALL PARTS OF THE CITY
Real Estate Men Report Demand
So Large and Persistent They
Find 1t Hard to
Supply 1t

Never in the history of Philadelphia was
| there time when there were fewer vacant
| dwellings in proportion to the total number
| than there are today.
Real estate men In every part Of the city
are at their wits end to supply the demand.
| These conditions are not confined to any
one or two localities; they prevail every
where. while 1t Is true that the demands
are more Imperative for small and medium
sized houses there Is also good demand.
much better than for years, for houses of
the larger sizes
over the length and breadth OF the United
states. philadelphia" and the city of
Homes are Synonymous. In no other city
In the country does the word home mean
so much as here. and in no other city Is
there such an aggregation of separate home
dwellings or with such a large proportion
of them occupied by actual owners Any
thing, therefore that deals with present
conditions as regards vacant dwellings as
compared with the conditions In this city
one or two years ago must he of interest to
majority Of Our citizen property owners.
At the present time there are about 3GG.-
600 separate homes in Philadelphia. There
are on an average 10000 new houses added
10 this number each year. and the indica-
tions are that this year the number will
reach about 1000.
There Is an increase of about $4,000 to
the Cty'S population each year. giving an
average of about four and onc-half mem
bers to each family occupying our 100000
houses
PHILADELPHIA HOME OWNERS
OF these 8GG oOo homes about 5000 are
either owned outright or are in the process
of complete ownership by their occupants,
the remaining 10000 being rented.
Under normal conditions there are al
ways about 10000 vacant houses in the
cty-a number which at first seems large,
but is really comparatively small when con-
sdered in connection with the total of
100000. In this connection the number of
new houses being constantly added must
be taken into consideration, as in the rCa-
sonable time which must be allowed he
tween their completion and occupancy they
go to swell the total i'm the vacant" class
Besides, there are always a number of
unocCupicd dwellings in those parts of the
city where business IS encroachng on resi-
dental sections, such as can be seen on
certain blocks Of Walnut street and Of
which the present demolition OF residences
on the once fashionable Girard street in
the centre of the city is a notable example.
1t is estimated that of the 10000 houses
normally vacant in all parts of the city
there are from 5000 to 5000 in the category
of this transition period
Two years ago when the war broke out,
II was estimated that there were from
$4,000 to 10000 vacant dwellings, in phila-
delphia, one year ago conditions were only
slightly improved.
COMPARATIVELY FEW VACANT.
Today the number of vacant houses in
the city is below the normal. and there is
Il pressing demand for more houses in many
sections which remains unsatishcd
]. Wilson Smith, head of the real es-
tate department of the Land Title and
Trust Company, Broad and Chestnut
streets says:
"Our lists of vacancies have not been so
for In al
section in the KensinEton district unoccu-
pied a year ago not one is vacant today |
In another section of KensingtOn out of
100 houses vacant year ago the story IL
the same Our representative in KensingtOn
is begging, imploring for more houses
Many people have made deposits to secure
the first vacancies"
These conditions are particularly acute |
in the case of houses renting from SIS to |
$25 month, but Mr. Smith says there Is |
very active demand for houses renting |
from $50 to 800 per month.
IN OUTLYING DISTRICTS.
In West Philadelphia W, H. w Quick |
& Brother, South 10th street, say their |
vacancies are practically nil as far as |
houses from SIS to $50 per month are con. |
cerned. They cannot supply the demand |
Their vacant lists Of houses renting from |
$40 to $50 per month are about 80 per cent |
smaller than they were year ago. Most |
of the vacancies at present are because of |
undesirability for one reason or another.
In the Darby section small houses are at |
premium. According to Swopc & Son the |
activities at Chester and Eddystone cleaned |
them out and they have practically no small |
vacant houses for rent, notwithstanding the |
recent extensive building operations in that |
locality, They have very few high rental |
houses in that neighbOrhood.