The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-10-16
FLORIDA HOMES
FACING DECAY
Continued From Page y

boom, walls cracking off and stills
rotting in the damp ground.
One builder told me he could not
obtain highly skilled or careful
labor, but he didn't care. lie was
building for rapid sale at high prices.
He admitted the foundations OF
wood he was sinking in the ground,
with water sometimes only two feet
below the surface, would soon rot,
sag and help crack the stucco.
Hundreds who buy these places
will have to rebuild them within a
few years.
OF course not all operations are
building in this fashion. The more
substantial ones require tile or brick
construction under the stucco and
obtain really wonderful results.
often roofing their buildings with TIL
ing imported from Cuba or even
Spain and taken from buildings
which in some instances have stood
for centuries.
None Of the houses have cellars.
The ground is too near sea level and
the rainy seasons too numerous.
Practically none have other heating
apparatus than fire-places and most
Of the cheap ones lack even that.
Seep tanks take the place Of sewers.
The houses stand about two feet
above the ground to escape surface
floods.
| Most Of the houses have only one
story and many have no air cham
bers above. These are hot much OF
the year.
Architecture runs mostly to the
Spanish type in South Florida on
both coasts, bits of old Spain and
Portugal having been transplanted
to give atmosphere to those subdi-
visions which make any pretense or
real effort at stability.
Cheap limitations Of these are
found all over the State with weird
results. AS one writer said: FLORIDA
has three kinds Of architecture:
Spanish, Spanish itch and crazy"
In the older towns, notably Day
tona, st. Augustine and Jackson
vile, there are some delightful Col
onial buildings which in their setting
Of llve-oaks, heavily festooned with
Spanish moss, SAVIOR Of the romance
Of the old South--a refreshing re-
lief from the tinted stucco and palms
of the tropic section.
Building FuriousIy
Building is going on furiously all
over the State. Hotels and apart
ments are being rushed through for
the expected winter crowd. Build
ing inspectors have more than they
can do and the contractor who "cuts
tn corners" is apt to obtain a bonus
instead of reprimand. Embargoes
on materials, high wages and mex
perienced workmen have made it
impossible for contractors to guaran-
tee their work or its cost. Much OF
the building is therefore done, as in
war time, on the cost-plus plan with
the ultimate buyer footing the bill.
Housing congestion is so acute
ready sales are found and reader
rentals.
But the buyers take long chance
on their titles.
Never has there been so much
need Of applying that sterling rule
of real estate: Look before you buy
and know what you are buying.
The few title guarantee compa-
MES now operating in Florida are
swamped and most title abstract ex-
animation is done by lawyers who
charge per cent of the sale price
for certifying that the abstract is
properly drawn. They do not guar
antee the title nor insure the buyer
against their own or other peoples
errors.
Records Confused
Land has been transferred so
many times during the past year
that the records are in the greatest
confusion. Some lawyers believe it
will take ten years to straighten
them out.
Florida law permits n person to
recover his property which has been
sold for taxes by paying up the back
tax bills with interest.
Shyster lawyers are taking adj
vantage Of this to run down previous
owners Of abandoned property to in
form them of it's present worth and
the state of the law, and then sue
for possession from those who have
bought at the tax sales. This has
resulted in the loss OF thousands of
dollars to those who have bought
thinking a tax sale deed was sufH.
cient.
Laws generally are easy for per-
sons seeking to take advantage Of
the stranger. The Real Estate
Brokers law, which went into effect
Oct. /, designed to punish dealers
for misrepresentation, false adver-
Using and unethical conduct, failed
to make sufficient appropriation or
provide necessary agencies TO make
the law effective. The State Asso-
citation of Real Estate Boards plans
to remedy this defect by hiring de-
tectives and supplying funds to sup.
plement the law.
FIy-by- Nighters
Wholesale invitation has been ex
tended by the State to fly-by-night
corporations to organize in Florida,
through the recent passage of
corporation law loosen than Della
wares. This law permits any group
of outsiders to organize within the
state on payment OF a certain fee, to
issue unlimited stock with practic-
ally no State supervision and no
Jurisdiction of the State over either
the corporate books or assets.
Honest Florida lawyers see in this
blow to the cause Of clean corpora
ton promotion and control and be-
lieve it will make the State RESPONSE
BILE for n new crop Of schemes con-