The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-15

| deposits shows how many of the sub stantial citizens of Birmingham have been practiclnR thrift
 There is still some talk about fur ther adjustment of rents, but that is a matter that Is going to be regu- lated absolutely by the law of supply and demand. Where rent seems high in some cases, 1t must be borne in mind that for many years some of Birmingham's property owners were struggling along and getting a re- turn of only per cent on their in vestment In the days of per cent returns the rents may have seemed high. but the renter must not for get the years when he got the ben eft of the landlords 3 per cent re- turn.
 Much New Building
 "Of course the rent situation, par ticularly in connection with older houses. will be constantly modified as new houses are built. And I look to see a great many of them built this year. We need more badly. We need a great many of the desirable apartment house type, which will be attractive to outsiders who can live here as well as anywhere else. but are governed largely by the living conditions.
 As a community our biggest and most important problem Is to make Birmingham a more desirable place to live. We want more good houses, more schools, improved parks, suit able amusements and attractions. We need to take lessons from place like Kansas City, which has made itself such a desirable and pleasant place to live that people with in-
 iv, thousands, invested in homes and thus helped to make Kansas City the great city 1t has become"
 Anticipates Better Year
 Mir. R. II. smith, of Smith, Throck- morton & Schultz: We anticipate a --atter business in 1922 than in 1921.
 People are of an inquiring frame of mind since the first of the year and that is a good indication. We have already some nice sales for our January sheet.
 Rents have been reduced to a normal level in the properties which we handle and we do not look for further reduction in that respect.
 We handle the rental of the Dulion apartments and the fact that all 4S of the apartments of this structure are rented indicates that there are few apartment vacancies.
 "Of course, these are unfurnished apartments. You will find very few furnished apartments in the city,"
 Means Future Building
 J. Claude Smith, vice president Yeatman. Pill and Smith Realty com pany:
 People are now showing an in terest in lots and that means future building.
 This has been apparent the past week more than any other time since the last of November. The building movement should crystalize soon. There IS no increase in the price of lots nor has there been since the war. We are selling lots in Forest Park, a choice residential district, cheaper than we did four years ago.
 With the prices of houses built during wartime at tho level they now are and new houses costing $500 to $500 a room, I think the impetus for building is great and that building boom will start soon.
 ''Firguring directly and indirectly from the time the tree Is hewed un- til the house is built, and correspond ingly so with other materials which go into the building, 1t Is safe to say that labor is so per cent of the cost of the house with the raw material value at 20 per cent. House building will bring labor activity in many lines and will be benefit to the city, county and country at large.
 What we need is ways and means of financing new homes. Desirable loans cannot be made in many in- stances until the house is complete. This retards building and fosters un- employment"
 Approaching Normal
 H. A. Moseley. of the Moseley, Hem derson and Davis Real Estate com pany: Indications are that conditions will be much better in 1922 than they were in 1921. We are on the turn for more nearly, normal times and have reached the period for readjust- ment but are not yet over it. I be- lieve we will pass that turn early this year.
 The number of vacant houses just onw is not as large as the number vacant when normal conditions pre- vailed. This, however. is largely due to the number of houses which have been built during 1921 and with the exception of abnormal times houses
 
 never 100 per cent filled.
 Taken all in all I predict the year 1922 as a whole will be peter bus- mess year in all lines than 1921 was and while it did not come up to the war time period, those days are gone and business last year was not SO bad"
 Larger Demand for Homes
 Claude Estes, president Estes Real Estate and Insurance company: T think that there will be a gradual improvement of business conditions in 1929.
 T think that the demand for mod erate-priced homes. say from $3.O00 to s5,o00. will be real estate fea- ture of the year. These homes will be for men of moderate means and will be mostly on the bungalow style, to my thinking.
 One thing I would like to see ac- complished during this year. for the good of the entire city, would be the the South Bessemer highway. This will be a great help to traffic between Birmingham and Bessemer. The new year may be expected to bring forth new basis of pre-war prices and may bring back normalcy but all this will come gradually. in my estimation. The day of quick jumps in prices has been left be- hind"
 Building Prospects Bright \ A. A. Gambill: This year will find the people more ready to accept a normal scale of liv,ag. The past few years have found us either living in the era of flush times or else in the time of depression.
 Prospects for building homes seem to be very bright Hundreds of peo- pie have already expressed their in- tention of building their own home