New-York tribune., 1919-12-28
Lengthy Waiting
List for Houses
In Westchester
By Charles |. Marvin
OF Fish &c Marvin

The year that is just closing has
been most unusual one In real
estate circles. During tho war period
the construction of dwellings prac-
tically ceased-most of the material
and labor being required for govern
mcnt purposes--with result that the
supply Of homes now available is en-
tirely inadequate to the ever increas
ing demand.
There is little to be said Of the
rental market, as there is none. 1t
is almost literally true that there is
not house in Westchester County that
may be rented to-day. The Fish &
Marvin organization, with its ten
branch offices in different sections Of
the county, has been in q position to
get general line on the situation in
the county as whole, and we receive
the same report from every office. In
each there is considerable waiting
list made up of those who are anxious
to rent as soon as anything offers. In
Bronxvlle alone there are over 200
names on the local office list.
The selling market has been strong
and active. During the present year an
enormous amount of construction work
has gone forward in the county, but
it does not seem to have in any way
taken care of the demand for homes.
There was a great deficit in homes
available imme diately after tho war,
and with all the building that has
taken place we are not even keeping
up with the demand for new construc-
ton. 1t will be necessary to overcome
this deficit and catch up with the cur
rent demand before there will, in my
opinion, be a material decrease in ac-
tivity. In the present condition of the
labor and material market it seems
that for number of years to come
there will be no decrease in activity or
prices.
Strong as the improved property mar
ket has been, there have been relatively
few sales of unimproved land. Con-
tractors and operators have been build
ing houses in great numbers, but the
individual prospective home owner has
not been building for his own account.
This is undoubtedly due to the uncer-
tainty Of building costs and the high
prices as compared with the prc-war
period. l believe that the prices are not
coming down for some time, and that
this will be more and more realized
by the man who wishes to build his
own home, and We are looking forward
next year not only to a continuance of
the activity in the market for improved
properties, but TO n great increase in
"SIA'iNS Aoi uiiiiiiP ONCOp dliu CIdC RcIl-
eral activity in Wcstchester will con-
tinue for q number Of years to come
Among the larger sales made by Fish
& Marvin during the current year have
been the sale of the George Clark es-
tate on King Street at Greenwich to
Mrs. Bontecou, the place having been
held at 100000; the Haulenbeck resi-
dence at Sycamore, Bronxville, held at
S35 900; the McDonough estate at Rye,
sold to John N. Steele and held al
S150,000; the Hayward property at
Lawrence Park West, Bronxvile, held
at 100000 and sold to S. A. Birdsong,
of this city; the Mcguire estate at
Sands Point, Port Washington. held at
$25o,oo0; the Williams place at White
Plains, sold to Anthony j. Drexel Bid
die jr, and held at $125,000; the Tuck
er property at New Rochelle and the
smith residence at Pelham, held at
1000 and $4,000. respectively; the
kuhlka property at Tarrytown, held at
$4,000; Robinswood, at Stamford,
Conn. comprising fifty acres, and
held at 100000, and the Arthur S.
Nernay property near Briacliff, COM
prslng 10 acres, held at $3.50, 900 and
sold to Dan r. Hanna, of Cleveland.
he foregoing are merely illustrative
Of the demand for larger properties.
The greatest number of sales however.
made by the organization with which
l am connected are those ranging in
price from $4,000 to $4,000.