The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-02-14
ANYBODY'S BUSINESS


 Private building activity in Wash- ington gathered momentum during the past week to set the fastest Winter building pace of the past ten years. The Washington Eve ming Star notes that the valuation of building permits during the week was approximately 75 per cent of the total for the entire month of January 1885. It had been the best January in building in the past several years. The total value of the weeks building permits in the District of Columbia was $530, ,7a7.
 Modernixatlon and repair Are major operations ia southern Cal- ifornia these days. Take it from the Illustrated Daley News, of Los Angeles. the Federal Housing Administration is lnsuring $eoe.- 900 in this type lean weekly In Che southern Callsornia district
 The Tacoma (Wash.) News Trib- une believes that Tacomans made good use of the Federal Housing Administration insured mortgage during 1885. It reports during the year e total of 90 insured mort. gages amounting to $l68,000. It also reports 0l8 moderuization and re- pair notes insured amounting to $24S,l25. On the strength of its 1885 showing. the News Tribune the Tacoma achieve ment in 1886 will be $s.O00.000 for new construction and repair and modernixation.
 Residential construction has tak- en the lead in putting real estate back on it's feet, according to Lee E. Cooper, writing in the New York Times. Mir. Cooper Is informed from many reliable sources that 200, 1000 new homes will be built in this country this year. Easier mort gage money. advantages of Federal Housing Administration loan in- surance, and Q potential demand for new homes that has been held back for several years form the on which these predic- tions are made.
 The city of Miami Beach. Fla. which established some kind of record with its more than $9.000.- 0oe building program during l9ss. is on It's way to bigegr and better building in 1886. Its January building permits totaled $e6l, ,l69. Fourteen new residences averaged more than $12.5o0.
 Real estate men were never more optimistic, if one may judge from the very excellent symposium ci opinion on real estate as published in the New York Herald Tribune Thirty leaders in New York real es- tate are quoted by the Herald Trib- une. They speak of real estate sales, new construction. finance rentals, and home planning for 1886, and the keynote is one oi ringing ctieerfulness.
 Capital ls seeking placement in reaI-eslate mortgages rather than loans seeking capital in more than 90 per cent of the cities having . population Of l0oy000 or more. Authority fer this opinion is the National Association of Real Es- tate Boards, as reported by the New York EEeraIA Tribune. The association reports that interest rates are falling in q per cent of the Z5k cities, are steady ln 50 per cent ef the cities, and are rise Ing in only 3 per cent Of the cities.
 How keenIy do we need residen- tial-prOperty repairs of single and double-famlly homes in this coun- try? The New York Herald-TrIb- une, quoting Herbert Abrann, presi- dent of the Ruberoid O.. reports this need to the tune of eJ,0OO. .OOO,- GOO. MT. Abram planes deteriora- ton through inability to maintain normal upkeep during the past six years.