The sun., 1919-04-13
LITTLE TO RENT
IN WESTMINSTER
Homeseekers' Chief Hope Lies
= in Buying; Good Market
in Vacant Lots.

Apartment dwellers in Manhattan and
The Bronx who think that on a pleasant
Sunday In May or June they win ride up
into westchester county and rent an
apartment or house are pinning their
hope OF relief from ascending rentals
and scarcity of renting accommodations
to a situation that has ceased TO exist.
For the first time since committing be-
came an institution OF metropolitan life
there Is no refuge for the dissatisfied
New Yorker In the suburbs unless he IL
willing TO buy home.
There are practically no houses to rent
at any price anywhere In Westchester
county and no apartments In Yonkers.
Mount Vernon. New Rochelle and White
Plains. Few apartment houses exist
outside Of the cities
Brokers in westchester are helpless In
the face Of a situation which, II II could
be exploited. would erase memories OF
the real estate boom OF 1905. the golden
year of the county's material progress
Not only are there few houses or apart
ments for leasing purposes but there 10
little prospect that there will be con-
struction to an extent sufficient to relieve
the pressure this summer.
Apartment rentals have been In
creased In westchester, but not as much
es In New York city. The demand for
apartments did not become pronounced
until this spring. and the increases to
date have as rule averaged only IS.
The Westchester apartment house
builder has catered to the needs of peo-
pie In moderate circumstances. The
maximum rate has been around $50 a
month for a fiat OF from six to eight
rooms. with conveniences that In the
case Of the top rate apartments usually
included two bathrooms.
The case of the White Plains builder
who has gone in most extensively for
apartments In that city Is typical Of the
county as a whole. He has eighty-four
apartments In his buildings, not one
vacant. The rate ranged from $2s to
s3s until April /, when 1t was increased
to run from $40 TO s42.b0.
A scheme Is underway to utilize the
long stretch Of the shore of the Long
Island Sound from Mamaroneck to
Greenwich. Conn.,, for tent and portable
house colonies this summer. number
OF SPECTATORS have been looking over
the ground. and their plans offer prac-
tically the only chance that Westchester
may have living accommodations to rent
this summer.
Portable houses have been found which
are compatible with comfort In summer
II water and sewage demands can be
met there will probably be many oil
them set up along the Sound shore OF
Westchester. where there is much front
age available.
In contrast to the stagnant market for
rentals In Westchester the viewpoint
toward purchases Is distinctly enlivening
A man with assets. real and potential
of SO, 900 against the purchase Of home
finds himself in distinctly sympathetic
atmosphere In the brokers' oces.
The man with 5000 may not be able
to pick home in the suburb that is his
first choice-he has to have from $7,60t
= up to do that--but he will have fab
range Of places to choose from. and he
viii md not single dealer who will
refrain from helping him in his search.
The brokers say 1t Is only auestUs
81 two or three months when houses FOL
sale will be a. hard TO find as house'
for rent. At Greenacre1. Scarsdale
twenty out of the sixty houses have
changed hands in the past six weeks, in
volving the transfer OF 100000. Fort,
houses were not in the market Murra!
Hill was a high class development OF thu
days following the book Of 1905. TIT
average value of the homo there Il
$4,000.
Unimproved property is to be had oil
advantageous terms. The record OF con
Nsyances shows many purchases of lot
ty people now living In the city who ap
- ,,arently hope that they may be able q
-. surmount the difficulties attached I
y , building under present conditions.