Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-08
CAPITAL REALTY DEALS IN 1926
EXCEEDED $1OOOO0,OOO MARK
Board Secretary Holds Past Year Was
Greatest for City-Realtors' Work
Successfully Carried Out.

other instruments filed for record in
the Recorder of Deeds office A local
firm indicated its desire to publish in
Monograph form an accurate record
of this character, but was unable tO
secure a sufficiently large list of sub
scribers to justify the cost of the pub
| lication.
The board, recognizing the ad
vantage of such a record, undertook
to assist in building this list of sub
Scribers to a point where a loss would
not be sustained on the project. The
assistance of our committee which
had the matter in charge was exceed
ingly helpful. and our latest informa
ton is that the publishers are not sus
tanning any particular loss and the
continuance of the issuing of this
| record may be expected
Tax Certificates Delayed
The practice of the District authori
ties in issuing certificates which set
forth the status of taxes on certain
properties is designed to give cor
rect information in this particular.
For some time past, however, the
service in furnishing these certificates
has been so slow as to cause en-
their transactions. A committee of
the board was appointed to look into
the situa ton and if possible. fl Cilitate
the issuance of these certificates.
Our committee has devoted con-
siderable time in discussing this mat
ter with the Commissioners and with
those in charge of the tax division
and has received the assurance of
those in authority that an endeavOr
will be made to furnish the certificates
within Il much shorter period. We are
advised by number of offices that the
tax certificates are being issued in a
somewhat shorter time and it is eX-
pected that further Improvement will
be noted in the future.
The board has had part in several
matters of civic and community in
terest III the District during the past
year.
The members of the board in
diVidually have been called on to con
tribute to the purchase of the Shen-
andoah Park area. The board as an
organization made no contribution to
this purchase, but many of our indi-
vidual members have made sub
stantial subscriptions.
The board as an organization is as
slSt1ng in the support of the Washing
ton Convention Bureau. which has
done the able and efficient work of
bringing to Washington a number
of conventions and meetings OF
various kinds. Toward the support of
this enterprise the board has con-
tributed the sum of $3.50. We are
represented on the board of directors
by two members. j. Curtis Walker
and W, Gilbert Dent.
Bearing in mind the distress of the
many thousands of persons in Florida
owing to the recent disaster, and
realizing that man" realtors NAV be
included in the number of needy. the
executive committee at its meeting
ordered an appropriation in sub
Stantial amount to the American Red
Cross, to be used By it in relief work
in the stricken area.
During the week of October Is to
% the Better Homes and Building
Exposition was held III the Washing
ton Auditorium. This exposition was
sponsored by the board and was un-
dertaken by the executive committee
believing that an exposition of this
character properly conducted would
create a desire on the nart of many
to own their own homes and on the
part of others to own better homes
than they now occupy.
The Exposition Service, Inc. of
Philadelphia, was engaged to manage
this exposition.
The law of the District of Columbia
and municipal regulations governing
real estate signs in the District is at
the present time not altogether salts
factory to the real estate broker The
present law prevents the placing of
any sign on public parking. which,
when applied to many sections of the
city. means that no sign can be
placed between the building line and
the curb.
The regulations promulgated by the
Commissioners in their present status
require permit from the building
inspector for all signs which exceed
SIX square feet in area and that with
permit no sign with a. greater area
thaQ nine square feet can be erected,
except in the outlying unsubdivided
or newly subdivided sections Of the
District, where no sign exceeding 100
square feet shall be permitted.
Throughout the Summer a cam.
paign by the police department has
been carried on and many real estate
brokers have been put to great in.
their signs to meet with this regula-
ton. A number Of conferences have
been held with the Commissioners and
the inspector of buildings, and a com
mittee of the board is now endeavor-
ing to work out a satisfactory adjust
ment of this question.
1t is hoped that we may succeed
in getting a regulation which will
permit the erection of signs Of suf.
ficient size for general use without a
permit and provide for signs under a
permit Of sufficiently large size on new
developments, both Of subdivision and
construction character. 1t is hoped
to obtain an amendment by Congress
to the present law which will permit
the placing of signs between the
building line and the sidewalk