Milford chronicle., 1947-03-28

A GREAT MANY PEOPLE must feel
sense of frustrated sadness now as they re-
member those wartime advertisements which
pictured the "dream home" of the future-a
miracle of convenience, beauty and function
al design, in which all you had to do was to
touch a few buttons and silent machines
would press your clothes, mix your drinks
and do practically everything else: These
advertisements were often tied IN with pleas
to buy more war bonds so you'd have the
wherewithal to purchase the dream house
once peace returned.
Peace has been around quite a while now,
but the dream house hasn't put IN an appear
ance. The grim truth is that obtaining any
kind of house at all is the toughest problem
faced by millions of Americans Most COM
modify shortages are being rapidly made up
but the housing shortage grows worse than
ever
Let's touch on some of the most lmme-
diate problems facing the hOmebullder and
homebuyer. First of those problems, OF
course, is cost. Existing homes that were
worth five Oh six thousand few years ago
now command ten or twelve. And When
YOU enter the never-never land OF new con-
struction, anything can happen-and usually
does. Few contractors will now build on
firm contract-they insist on a fee or cost
plus basis of work BUSINESS journals carry
gruesome accounts of homes which were de-
signed to be built for ten thousand or under
and wound up in the twenty thousand dol
lar bracket Commercial builders, who used
to develop subdivisions, have drawn in their
horns and some of them have stepped out of
the picture entirely for the present. A num-
Der of building and loan companies, the back
bone of whose business used to be homes,
auto courts and apartments, have announced
they will not make more loans for these pur-
poses until the situation stabilizes.
The veteran home program, with its en-
phasis on under-S 900 houses, is SO far in
the doldrums as to be practically invisible.
Many veterans who put only few dollars of
their own money into projected homes, have
found payments beyond their means and
have let them 60.
The reasons for high costs are obvious
enough. Labor costs about twice as much as
it used to, and complaints are heard that la
Dor productivity is low Material costs run
to as high as three times the prewar level.
Land values have followed the trend, and in
many regions you must pay as much for q
lot as you used to for an acre or so. But, lOgl-
cal as high costs may be, that doesn't help
solve the basic problem-which is that homes
cost great deal more than the average fam
lily can possibly afford to pay. Costs must
come down sharply, many in the industry
are certain, if home building in 1947 is to
come anywhere near the level predicted by
the Department of Commerce-S6,00 900 ,O0O,-
900 in private residential building and mil
lion private dwellings started.
High hopes have been held by some fol
prefabricated houses. These represent al
attempt to apply mass production principles
to the building problem. A number of con-
Germs are producing prefabS. However, sc
far at least, they have certainly not proven
revolutionary influence. They, too, cost more
than prospective buyers think they should
and they must be erected on piece of land
and plumbed, heated and wired, all of which
runs into money. Again, the sameness in de
sign which is an inescapable feature of pre-
fabS, is distasteful to many people. The aver
age American is willing to drive car jus
like Jones' next dOor-but he wants his hom
to be different.
Another complaint is that newly-buil
homes are inferior as we'll as expensive. In
stances are cited of green lumber, bad foun
datiOns, fimsy hardware inefficient heating
plants, etc. These are unfortunate results O
efforts to shave costs. However, it is report
ed that the quality of materials in genera
has improved of late. But price has gon
up along with quality.
So far as existing homes are concerned
they are still being listed at very high price
practically everywhere But-and this is
very important "but' indeed-they are NOV
ing much more slowly than they did even
few months ago. Buyer resistance is tn
reason. The owners want big money-tl
buyers want to pay less. It's comparable I
the old analogy of the irresistible force an
the immovable object.
What it all adds up to is that housing
problem to which no one has found soil
tion. The dream home is farther away tina
ever, so far as the bulk of us is concerned
and it's come down to a question of how
get four walls, roof and floor at pri,
we can afford. Many authorities are afra
the situation will get worse before it ge
better