Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-07-22
EXPERT PREDICTS BIG
REALTY REVOLUTION
Sees New Factors Destined to
Upset Present Standards
of Value.

Wellesley Hills, Mass, July %, 1920
Roger w. Babson, adviser to over seven
teen thousand of the country's leading
executives has called another turn,
In statement issued today he out
lines coming conditions in the real
estate field and advises the purchase of
suburban property before it is too late.
THE big movements in real estate
usually get well under way, says Mr.,
Babson, "bcforc anyone realizes what is
going on" Because they have seen land
unused for years most people think 1t
will always continue so. This is why the
original holder seldom makes any profit
from real estate The value is so close to
his nose that he does not see it.
"A fundamental change i'll real estate
mes is taking place, So far it has pro-
c cdcd quietly without much publicity.
~coplc have realized IT, The fact
/ hit pcoplc are no rng to tho country.
Nv wise heads nave discovered the
bargains IN country homes and they are
quietly buying up all the land they
want for themselves and as much more
as they can carry for speculation.
"Nlv advice to those who want subur-
the past decade or more, people have
been crowding to the cities Now, how
ever, reverse movement to the country
is beginning which promises to be the
greatest shifting IN population since the
institution of the railroad. Within the
next ten or moro years the building ol
suburban homes should rival the growth
/ o( the automobile, good roads, the movies
/ the monograph or radlol
I'm fact. these inventions make pos
sihle the suburban movement. lew
years ago country homes were limited
! TO the rich or to those employed IN the
country, because only such people could
afford means of transportation. Now
automobiles have come within reach OF
the great middle class ol people. They
are increasing at the rate of more than
n million wear. Ten years ago there
were ,OO0. O00 passenger automobiles IN
the United States. Today there are
about ten million, which is an average of
one car to about every ten people They
arc bringing new and better roads and
opening up millions Of acres of hitherto
inaccessible land The moro cars pur-
chased. the more families there are who
can have suburban home, even though
the brcadwinncr must work IN the city
Wage earncrs during the last period -
prosperity spent their money for motto
cars; in the next period of prosperity Il {.
will buy country homes!
The motion picture has put :hc loca
town hall on n par with the city theatre
The motor truck X giving the rural o
suburban dwcllcr nearly the same Trough
and express facilities rs has the cltN.
Motor bus lines are covering route
which never could he served 10y trollc'
ears. Automobiles are bringing tn
= SchoolhhouScs and tho village to with
few minutes of the country home
Chain stores are carrying To every con
= mumtv the same efficient mCrChandlSn
.. rs the city dwcllcr enjoys. Last but ne
. least the radio, especially II developed o
= General SGuirC's wired hasis, gives 7
suburban homes the finest city lecture
! and music.
The reason for suburban expansion
i. however, is not alone the attraction OF
country home. In the cities congcstio
= of dwelling house space and high rent
long have been brewing discomfort. FC
more than FIVE years now these cond
; tions have existed Rebellion on the pa
: OF the rent payer is reaching the pom
ofcxploSion. Almost any kind of Il chang
would be attractive. Once the avCral
city worker realizes that with ic
hundred dollars and fllvver he CO
q get a house of his own with all the lar
lac needs, the chances are two to one
Z will move!
- The city no longer has wall arouI
l. l., fhn first lrpuRh h
:. the railroads opened up only narrC
- strips along their lines radiatlng fro
- the city. In most cases the railroads Il
: lowed the valleys and lowlands, which al
- are not the best building location. Il
tween these lines are miles of landInu
more desirable for building but WIN
= have been inaccessible TO the commut
l.. because men had no means OF getting
the train. Ii is in these areas bctwe
the railroad lines and within radius
!, Is Or 20 miles of the cities, which {
- motor car and good roads have OPEN
up, that the most spectacular develo
=. ment in new building should take plaC
: IF YOU are interested in real esta
= the situation demands action, II inca
that If YOU want to buy desirable subj
ban land near any good city at preSc
low prices, You will have to go about
! ut once. In selecting such property,
"a. good plan usually is to follow out {
best residential street and buy whC
IL land begins to sell by the acre instead
!. by the foot. On the other hand, If Y
own city dwelling house property win
cannot be converted to business us
the quicker YOU get rid of il the bett
!. This does not gpply to business buildir
;, nor to property which will soon be
demand as the business section OF I
= city expands 1t does apply to OIL
"a city dwelling houses for which sli
. extrvagant rents are now demand'
- Remember that while the readjustmC
"a in industry is we'll along, the readju
Il ment in real estate values has only
! gun.
40 Some may ask why industry d.
- not move to the country? Before ma
1',s years have passed we probably shall Sc
81. strong tendency in that direction. Ma
81 businesses can be carried on in the CO..
= try far mOlc efficiently than in the CT
"a This idea that all offices and factor
. must be located IN the populat
- centers is simply a notion handed dc
66i,2 through generations. In the old d
2I5 industry was confined to the city
~ the country was left for agricultl
That was before the age of modern ira