Evening Star Newspaper, September 19, 1936, Page 35

REAL ESTATE. RISE IN BUILDING STANDARDS CITED i Quality of Dwellings Now Highest in History, F. H. A, Head Says. No advance in construction is more impressive today than that of the standard of residential building, in the opinion of Stewart McDonald, Federal Housing administrator, who attributes the sharply increasing vol- ume of business under the national housing act to two main points— better building and simpler financing. The investment of more than a billion dollars in home construction, refinancing and modernization by private enterprise can only mean, he said, that the Federal Government has succeeded within two years in establishing a higher and more uni- form standard of quality for the dwell- ing than has ever before obtained in the construction industry. “The introductfon of a new and sounder method of home financing throughout the Nation under the sys- tem fostered by the Federal Housing Administration was easier of achieve- ment thain the task of lifting stand- ards of construction,” he said. “Long- term, self-liquidating mortgages had been in use by some building and loan associations for a number of years. With this as a groundwork, the Federal Housing Administration expanded the system with insurance against loss to the lending institu- tions and incorporation into the monthly payment, by which the mortgage is amortized, of a share of interest, taxes, hazard insurance and other fixed charges. Soundness Held Evident. “The soundness of this type of financing was at once evident to all classes of lending institutions. To- day more than 8,000 are employing this method in co-operation with the Federal Housing Administration. “The establishment of minimum re- quirements for dwellings was devel- oped as an adjunct of eligibility for mortgage insurance. This means that dwellings financed under the terms of the national housing act must ad- here to or exceed specific standards of construction, and it should be pointed out here that this has been perhaps the most important step toward the elimination of one of the greatest risk factors in home buying. “If, a8 occasional evidence shows, home buying was once akin to the purchase of the dime fountain pen which only worked in the hands of the street hawker that sold it, or horse trading as it was practiced years ago, those days are happily passed. Few “Questionable” Builders. “It is a great deal more difficult today to market a poorly constructed home. Fortunately there are few builders today whose methods are questionable. The Federal Housing Administration has contributed more than its share to the discouragement of jerry building, and even the in- experienced or uninformed home buyer may venture abroad in the home market without great fear of victimization at the hands of un- scrupulous dealers. “The Federal Housing Administra- tion insists that homes to be financed with insured mortgages must be well constructed of sound materials; that they must be located in neighborhoods free from influences impairing their desirability as homes and their value as investments. They must conform to sanitation and health requirements, and they must contain at least some of the conveniences necessary to com- fortable and modern living. It is reasonable to assume that the strong- ost single factor in the buying and selling of homes is that they conform to Federal Housing Administration standards and their examination dur- ing construction by trained and im- partial Housing Administration au- thorities. The one assurance that a home does meet these standards is for the prospective buyer to make cer- tain that the dwelling is approved by the Federal Housing Administration.” e FLOOR SPACE AVERAGE IN BUILDING IS STABLE Proportions in Construction Ap- proximately Same as in 1925-9 Period. ‘The relative proportions of contracts awarded for building construction since 1929, figured in floor space, have been much the same each year in the several classifications of building as the 1925 to 1929 average, according to the Building Trades Employers’ As- sociation. Residential floor space, for instance, has averaged around 55 per cent of the total new building floor space each year since 1925, excluding public buildings. Other divisions aver- age as follows: Commercial, 19 per cent; factories, 9 per cent; education- al, 7% per cent; public buildings, 2% per cent, and all other building, 7 per cent. i Last year residential construction amounted to 54.5 per cent of the total and commercial and factory building to 14.2 and 8.3 per cent, respectively. Educational and public building con- tracts, at 11 and 5.4 per cent, were above normal because of governmental efforts to provide employment. First Showing 335 Willard Ave. e e s, rooms, 2 B“h‘. i ace. Bullt-in garage. d weather- many _of ‘unusual ipped _and atures including larse Open Daily and Sunday Phone Wisconsin 5512 ouis P. Shoemaker, Agent 1719 K St. N.W. Nat. 1166 . Cape Cod Type Home in Westgate Residential construction is viewed by the diagnosing eye of the Home Building and Home Owning Commit- tee of the United States Building and Loan League in a bulletin issued this week. This branch of the construc- tion industry, even with its 61 per cent gain in volume in the first six months of 1936 over 1935, is lagging far behind many other recovery in- dexes, and its revival is known to be heavily spotted geographically. With the fact generally admitted by leaders in Government and busi- | ness that mortgage credit is ample everywhere, new search is being made for the nature of the brakes now be- ing applied. Leaders in the savings, building and loan business, which has furnished $200,000,000 of financing |to the construction and repair of | homes during the first seven months, were asked by the committee to give their opinions. Increasing building costs, uncer- tainty about future employment suf- ficient to keep up the amortization and interest on the , and high taxes on residential real estate were the big three named by various leaders as causes of the lag. Costs Advanced 20 Per Cent. Building costs have advanced 20 per cent in the past eight months in one city of more than 200,000 in- habitants reported for by a building and loan leader. Such conditions affect many localities and definitely retard building without showing up in the general indexes of the cost of building, it is pointed out. Even the indexes on building costs, how- ever, show that an average increase of 24 per cent has come about in the past three years from a national point of view. Harold T. Donaldson, Lansing, Mich., chairman of the league com- mittee, says that the consensus of the leaders representing a careful cross section of the Nation is that home building will continue to go ahead perhaps at the same general rate of improvement as has charac- terized 1936, the revival making defi- nite strides in those localities where shortages in housing are becoming the dominant factors in the situation and where simultaneously the earn- ings of salaried people are increasing. Only under such conditions is home building profitable enough to be un- dertaken at its present costs, it is indicated. Taxes are s deterrent to home building, in the opinion of one out of every five of the savings and Joan leaders who gave their views, and high assessments are pointed to along with excessive rates. Public Confidence Is Factor. The amount of confidence the pub- lic has in real estate is one of the less frequently mentioned hinge fac- tors in the case, but obviously, ac- :nmtlm to the report, highly impor- nt. “Some of the cities from which these men report are doing s boom volume, of building, others are going along WU improved pace, and in a third group all of the efforts to get started with biilding have so far met with little response,” sald Don- aldson. “Conditions affecting local communities figure most prominently THE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1936 in the entire diagnosis as to what is wrong with the building market, in- dicating that it is in the community that the problem must be solved eventually.” The report also pointed to an un- usual trend noted in the home build- ing during the current season. The United States Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics, it recalls, shows that the great- est gain in residential building in recent months has been in the cities in the two smallest population classifi- cations. This is looked upon as a reflection of the fact that building costs are likely to be lower in such communities. Showing that the home building re- vival still has far to go, the commit- tee indicates a falling off in the per- centage of increase over last year from April to May and from May to June, with July showing a slightly larger increase than June. Even at that July home building was only 49 per cent ahead of July, 1935, - Attractive Cape Cod Colonial home at 5403 Worthington drive, Westgate, Md., recently pure chased by Mr. and Mrs. Howard R, Palmer from the Simpson-Peak Co., builders. The trans- action was handled by the brokerage office of William Boswell. | Home Construction Lag Is Held Due to Higher Costs and Taxes —Star Staff Photo. Pre-Showing Chevy Chase, Md. $10,950 4 Bed Room Brick 34 East Williams Lane Large, shady yard with four cherry trees. Copper gutters and down- spouts. Fully insulated. Slate roof. Garage. OPEN Daily and Sunday Until Dark To reach: Drive out Conn. Ave. € blocks beyond Bradiey Lane and turn rights McLachlen & Gavin National 0451 Wisconsin 3184 NEW TOWN HOUSES CHEVY CHASE, D. C. The Last Word in Comfort and Luxury 6425-6429 31st Place N.W. This home of Georgian Colonial design, containing 7 large reoms and 2 baths, has many unusual features, such as a beautiful wainut- paneled LIBRARY with built-in bookcases and firepiace (completely furnished) ; maid’s room and lavatory in basement; 2-car built-in garage. Complete oil-burning unit. The best of construction and materials. We defy comparison at our price. To Reach: Out Conn, Ave. to Nebfl.;ka, turn right on Nebraska to e Utah, left on Utah to 31st place, right on HEALTH HOME 31st place to property. UNTIL 9 P.M. . 4432 Residence, Cl. 4364 OPEN DAILY And SUNDAY THIS IS THE BEST HOME BUY At Only 8,450 N WASHINGTON 5122 3rd St. N.W. SEE THIS HOME AND CHECK THESE FEATURES @ 3 Bed Rooms @ Automatic Heat Second Floor @ Ample Closet Space @ Weather-siripped @ Recreation Room @ Screened You Can’t Match This Value Anywhere. Open Sunday and Daily to 9 P.M. Dris it Kansas Avense or ia Aven Giasin"Street then” rurn_sast to Thira,A%™"¢ t° BROWN BROS. GORP'N Owners & Builders. 907 15th St. N.W, Dls. 2724 Autumn Is “Harvest Time”’ In Westmoreland Hills, Too Never, since the first home foundation was begun in beautiful West- moreland Hills, have there been so many advantages . . . so many reasons why yos, too, should live in this established community with its sensible, protective restrictions. And keeping pace with an ever-increasing interest our construction and improvement program reached an all-time peak this Summer. Today you can select a tree-sheltered homesite in this park-like com- munity and build, while enjoying advantages that probably will not be repeated in generations. Whether yow're a lifetime resident or a newcomer to Washington you owe it to yowrself to drive out and see just what Westmoreland Hills has to offer you .. .and why NOW is “Harvest Time” for those who recoge nize and take advantage of golden opportunities. > 925 15th Bt. NW. NAtional 6370 F. H. A MORTGAGES GAIN IN SUMMER == Increase in Volume Held In- _dication of Advance in Construction. Continued speeding up of home- bullding operations in all parts of the country through the late Summer season, which usually registers a de- cline, is shown in the August volume of home mortgages accepted for in- surance by the Federal Housing Ad- ministration, according to figures just released. The August volume was $46,173,134, which was $1,841,676 above the pre- vious month of July and $6,400,000 above the same month last year. This speeding up began early this year, and the volume of $366,048,346 of home mortgages acoepted for in- surance in the eight months of 1936 Was & gain of 259 per cent over the volume of $74,056,503 for the same period of 1935. Since the start of operations un- NEAR— The New Shoreham Hotel Wardman Park Hotel 18th and Columbia Road 14th ond Park Rock Creek P The Heort of the City AND-— Newly invented homes Cross ventilation Double exposures The finest construction Most unusuol features FAR— The Greatest Values Ever Offered in D. C. 7 being built 4 sold—3 left Inspect now! der the insured mortgage system of the Federal Housing Administration in December, 1934, a grand total of 108,561 home mortgages, amounting to $434,927,078, have been accepted for insurance. All these funds were .avuu;h:y pflntlenmdn institu- PFederal Housing Adminis- tration lends no money. Of this amount of more than 35 per cent were for new con- struction, an indication of the direct influence or the Housing Administra- tion's program upon building activity. The average mortgage was for $4,- 006, while 57.8 per cent of the total number of mortgages accepted was for less than $4,000 and 73.7 per cent less than $5,000, showing that the insured mortgage system is prov- ing an effective means of home own- ership for families of comparatively low incomes. S 3::1. Totals Listed. of large-scale housing commitments amounts to $41,516,000; conditional commitments add $4,122,~ 20:‘ ;: Lhill'nto'-ll. lernization and rej notes made by private financial pl:ls‘;.ltuflnm under the modernization credit plan amounted in .August to $14,936,609, bringing the grand total of this part of the program to 1,152,167 notes smounting to $425,276,358, . Thirty Japanese are training - Ppine fishermen in deep sea fl.m::m i Sample Home Now Open, $12,750 1746 Hobart Street N.W. ©One block morth of 16th and Columbie Road, of Mt. Pleasant Street, ’ 1420 K Street N. National 8949 k PRESENTING A BEAUTIFUL NEW DETACHED HOME WITH 4 BEDROOMS M 4506 Garrison St. N.W. Open Sunday and Daily to 9 P.M. are 3 lovely new homeg frous. sl detached. cellent ma: Sturbitts homes are Doted. DRIVE OUT NOW Out Wisconsin Avenue to River Road. left on River Road to ¢5th Street, right on dSth St. to Garrison St. and left to homes. all plan, big living room with fireplace de kitchen. 4 bright bed tiled baths. plenty of cl tomatic wis heat, detached 5 Tage—fine ation, just River Road, [ecrrzew ] Realtor Tower Bldg. DI 3100 =| CHAS. STURBITTS, Builder | o Open Daily screened. FACH : North. T R i iaan ve. O G 0 SULLIVAN BROS. First Showing—A Distinctive New Home in baSalle Park 6 Rooms—2 Baths 4316 19th St. N.E. ERE in beautiful La Salle Park, conve! public schools, is a new, detached, center-hall plon all-brick home of 6 rooms and 2 baths, of quality ma- terials and construction. slate roof . . . gos heat . . « « . finished attic . . . recreation room . . . large lot. fully insulated, weather-stripped and nt to parochial end There is a garage The house is a REAL VALUE. ] It is MEt. 4323 REAL ESTAT ALUMINUM FURNITURE Provokes Much Attention in French Products. ‘Among current developments in French furniture, aluminum is pro- voking more attention, perhaps, than anything else. The first functional attempts with chairs and tables of aluminum tubing have developed into treatment in which the metal is lac- quered and the forms neoclassic, with accompanying upholstery formal enough to be harmonious. Pottery tiles will have a place, too, in coming furniture fashions, accord- ing to reports from abroad. They are recommended especially for table tops, as & practical solution of the alcohol stain-cigarette burn problem. First they are baked very hard to eliminate breakage possibility. Edges are pro- tected by wooden frames. LET YOUR HOME PA‘Y I"gk ITSELF! ‘down- With one apartment . doliars *monthy would " ‘carty S, With no alteration can easily be con- yerted ‘info Sinale’ home "after 1t Sass A $10,590 priced, House open Saturday and Sun- day, 2 to 5 P.M. 3811 Suitland Road, S. E. (Directions: Out Penna. Ave. 8. 1o top of second hill, ri St. and one block out 38th St. Suitland Road. Call Lincoln 0307 detween 6 and 7 for further infor- mation.) 716 Tewkesbury P1. N.W. Reconditioned Like New Bemi-detached. All brick. 6 rooms. 3 bed rooms. Built-in garage. Deep lot. Located between car and bus lines, within walking distance to schools and stores. Open Daily 10 to 9 HARRY WARDMAN, INC. 1512 K St. N.W. District 3830 First Showing Brumback-Built Colonial AND PRICED AT ONLY *8.250 ON CONVENIENT TERMS Open Afternoons and Evenings 621 North Jackson St. in Beautiful Ashton Heights One of Nearby Virginia's Most Attractive Home Communities Here you will find all the features and Motor Rol appointments usually included in Inl'(!h:::::—l“lr'n“‘l:f.l Brumback-built homes, with quality | .¢'Monument on Trving St.. continue construction throughout. You'll be de- | to Pershing Drive, turn right te lighted—Drive out now! Jackson St., then right 2 squares 20-minute bus service to downtown ~z=T. J. BRUMBACK & Show Place of Woodside Park This beautiful Chas. D. Hobbs-built Colonial brick home 840 Noyes Drive It is located on the most prominent corner in this de- lightful park—and has a lot containing 10,455 sq. ft. The home is exceptionally well planned, with 6 large rooms; two wonderful tile baths. Convenient breakfast nook, panelled in knotty pine, adjoins the kitchen. Slate roof; large outside porch and attached garage. The unusual equipment includes air conditioning; American radiator heating; “Care-free Comfort of Modern Gas Appliances”; bronze screens; windows and doors weatherstripped and caulked; copper gutters and down- Xu and nnlm'{ plumbing equipment throughout. All gs that you seldom find provided in a home, but this home is truly custom-built. Inspect the home—hear the price—and you'll buy it Draperies by Ligon, Rugs by Manoukian, Woodside Perk is @ wonderful community for children and for your convenience stores, schools, churches, etc., ere handy-by, with direct town bus accommodations. Trades Considered Tune in WRC Sunday Open All Day Sunday—and From 2 to 9 Week Days mernings and listen to “American Homes” izt | MOSS e us. Tower Bldg. Metro. 1776 out . Evenings and Sundays Only— Sh. 3742 ot M it n.rlvl. turn right