Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 13

THE DETROIT FREE PRESS SUNDAY, JULY 1 1939 'Little Farms9 Solving Problem of Low -Income Groups PART ONE A Few of the 4,000 'Little Farm' Homes Located in the Area Adjacent to Detroit Plan Is Meeting Piper Explains 'Prof. Quiz' Series Will Be Continued Plan ar heine made by th A i iff5' I in )u .1 till, I f- Ilf 3 i I i---1 i --r1 -C Tax Sales Law Outlines Provisions of Amended Act Information designed to aid In the retention of ownership of tax delinquent properties to be of fered by the State at public sale next February was given Tuesday by Frank S. Piper, chairman or the legislative committee of the Detroit Real Estate Board, at the June meeting of the Land De velopers and Home Builders Division of the Board. Under a special act passed by the 1939 Legislature. Mr.

Piper pointed out, delinquents have until Oct. 1 of this year to pay taxes of 1935 and previous years, plus six per cent Interest, on their properties bid in by the State at either the 1938 or 1939 May tax sales. Title to delinquent properties not redeemed during October, he explained, will remain In the State and the property can neither be sold by it nor redeemed by the owner during the period Nov. 1, 1940. to the first week in February.

The length of time from the first Tuesday in February that will be necessary to offer all parcels for sale is problematical. Mr. Piper added, consequently it Is impossible to determine at this time the effective date, fixed Dy the law as 30 days after the com pletion of the scavenger sale. when the owner will lose all of his rights and the properties be sold to the general public at prices set by the State Land Board. Under the so-called amended Scavenger Act, owners of tax delinquent property bid in by the State at the May, 19JS, tax sale, will lose their entire ownership and the State will take title on Nov.

1, 1939, unless the properties are redeemed. Such unredeemed properties will be offered for sale by the State Land Board on the first Tuesday in February, 1940, to the highest bidders, Mr. Piper concluded. 5 Interest Rate Eastern Detroit Retrty Associa tion to continue the series of "Prof. Quiz" programs that have created great interest among members at recent meetings." Last Tuesday Harry T.

Sine appeared as Prof4 Quiz, and at the previous week meeting Robert B. Bartlctt functioned in that role. The program are in charge of Joseph O. Busclt committee chairman. At the Tuesday meeting thi4 week, John W.

Judge will present a representative from a prominent taxpayers' association to address) the members on tax problems. ANOTHER NEW HOME OPEN TODAY IN Co Vi oma d9e BISHOP ROAD E. WARREN to MACK lrtv rtnt (ndny Irtpl (hit planned ingl hnmm tlnimrnt of Kftrly Amrrtran affhiteMwr Display Homes Open Daily BISHOP ROAD 3434 4440 3440 5044 4 JlfVlL: APARTMENTS STORES BUSINESS PROPERTIES Terms up to 15 Years MODERN a 11 a JUST NO. OF OUTER DRIVE Nw cix-room hrx Colonial, ra hpt, rondHinn. natural ir(ila-.

tile bs xM). t'i itnv. far; Hiehly riirirted district. Pajruruu 1 lha r-ht Orv-n diy rnndMinn. natural ir(ila-.

tile bs'h. urn. It 6.700 FHA TERMS FHA INSPECTED BUILT BY HENRY FORTUNA ALBERT HANNON CO. 893? PURITAN UN. 1-5860 I I 1 4 -'tJ "i Interior assisted by Mrs.

Paul. 5. Cozy shingle home of Dorr V. Mitchell at 18905 Maplewood, corner of Clarita. 6.

Mr. and Mrs. David Allen and their seven children live in this two-story house at 29734 Bretton, near Middlebelt and Seven-Mile. 1. Home of Axel E.

Johnson at 18935 Maplewood, in the Seven Mile-Middlebelt section. Mrs. Johnson in her modern kitchen is shown below. 2. Small house at 29156 Senator, in Rose City Park, purchased by Lester Paul, who it shown in No.

4 completing the he had acquired 1,800 acres between 'Farmington and Inkster Roads south of Grand over half of which have, been sold, mostly in two-and-a-half acre plots, some as small as five-eights of an acre. Good American People 'The purchasers of little farms are good American people." Mr. Boldt said, "mostly factory workers, some school teachers and building mechanics who are sub ject to occasional layoffs and vary ing economic conditions. The majority start in a mall way and build their own homes, first a mere shell or even a garage and later as their means permit they aaa 10 tnem. "In some instances we build the first unit of the future home, which we sell as low as $1,800, with J150 down and monthly payments of $18, with five-eights of an acre, sufficient to raise, vege tables, fruit or poultry for the family's own use and perhaps a surplus which they can market.

thus adding to their income. These people borrow money from the in dustrial banks or get credit from a lumber dealer for material to complete or build their homes. I have found their financial respon- Biuuiiy io oe oi me pesi. As we drove around, Mr. Boldt pointed out different types of houses In varying stages of de velopment.

At 18935 Maplewood ne introduced me to Mrs. Axel Johnson, who was just bringing in a basket of vegetables garnered from her garden. I was impressed with the size of the house and the well-kept condition of the im mediate ffrounds. She invited me inside. There were six good-sized rooms, a modern kitchen with elec tric refrigerator, a tiled bath room, and steam heating.

Started with a Garage. "We started with a 20x22-foot garage," Mrs. Johnson said. My husband is a foreman in a sheet metal factory in Ypsilanti where he drives 20 miles each way when he is employed regularly. we work our own garden and sell the surplus above our own needs at a stand on Seven Mile Road.

From this source we clear about $400 per year. We have gradually been able to add to our home year by year and are happy in the life we lead. Our two children are now grown up and help us on the place." This family was typical of sev eral I visited. They were thrifty, determined to get ahead, the kind of people that are the backbone of our country. "Too much is going to waste," Mrs.

Johnson said. "Too many people are looking for some thing for nothing. If more people would do as we have done there wouldn't be any need for WPA." Leaving the West Side 1 drove to the extreme East Side where I met Kenneth Draper, Realtor, of he Lambrecht-Kclly who are developing a small home com' munity in the villages of Rose ille and St. Clair Shores, known Rose City Park. Here the Lambrecht-Kelly Co.

are building embryonic homes, just four walls on a cement foundation, with white clapboard exterior and asphalt shingle roof. Joists are 2 by 8 inches and rafters 2 by 6 inches. The interior is left un finished except for electric wiring and water connection. Quarter or Half Acre Quarter or half acres or more are sold with the shell of the house for upwards of $1,350, with as little as $175 down and $17.50 Housing Needs Building Well Under Way in Detroit By Col. Henry H.

Burdick Krai Estate Editor One phase of the real estate market regarding which little has ton said but whicti Has attained the importance of a major movement is the development of "little farms" adjacent to our largs tic. Behind this trend to the country there is sound reasoning, The problem of providing nous ire for the family with an In roiiie of $30 per week, or less, has hoi-n blazoned across tne country one of the most pressing of the day. It has been held up as a challenge to the private building industry and as an argument to hnlster the cause of subsidized rnvemment housing. Right here in Detroit without fanfare this problem is in a. fair av to be solved by the "little farm" movement.

To the average person the men' tion of "little farms" conjures up thft "tar paper" shacks which have sprung up in a few sections on the outer fringe of the city. But. too often one is led to con denin a community or a movement without consideration of the full farts. It would be manifestly unfair to condemn the whole city of Detroit as a residential place because of a few sore spots or blighted areas, bound to develop in anv large community. And it would be just as unreasonable to discredit the little farm move ment because of a few unfortunate "shanty towns.

Home on Acre of Ground To satisfy myself, during the past week I toured the periphery of the city. I was very favorably impressed with the co-ordinated development of "the little home en an acre of ground," which was the rule rather than the excep tion. I found thousands of acres of land, subdivided into one-half to fi-e-Rrre parcels, some even as (mall as a quarter of an acre, pravel roads built and, in a few instances, with available public utilities including city water. There were hundreds of cozy houses surrounded by well-kept lawns nicely landscaped, with thriving truck gardens and small fruit orchards being busily worked by the owners and their families. Fnme of these places had the earmarks of having been occupied for several years, others were patently new; just a simple, boxlike house or a garage temporarily converted to living purposes the nurleus of the evisioned future home.

I am informed that there are 4,000 of these "little farm" homes within a radius of 15 miles of Detroit. My curiosity was aroused and I determined to find out whnt 1ype of people lived in these homes, how they financed them, and what had influenced them to adopt this mode of living. I dropped in on Clarence Boldt, a Detroit Realtor, at one of his seven branch offices at Seven Mile and Middlcbelt. He told me that he has specialized in little larms since 1915 and has developed many communities of this character around Detroit. In the immediate vicinity of this office Tint Inderal's sound mortgage plan will help you buy or feuilJ 'he home you're planned lor.

Convenient monthly payments in clude principal, interest las, insurance. Quick service. See 5II Lcib Detroit M0 No on A Knlnpsf Aran 13 AND wlfh Union MORTGAGE IflC. 2014 Union Guardian Bldg. CHtrry 7360 THE LAST WORD IN i f54 ttn 'V 2-4 ft: June Sets Record in Realty Activity Sales Reach ew High During Past Month Real estate activity in June was 100 per cent greater than during any previous month of the current year, it was shown by a preliminary compilation of sales reports submitted by members of the Detroit Real Estate Board and released Saturday by W.

E. Knoertzer, director of public relations for the Board. The transactions of 11 Realtor firms totaled $1,152,756.36 and covered practically every type of real estate. A breakdown by classifications follows: 104 vacant lots, 57 single residences, 34 building jobs, 14 flats, eight commercial buildings, five apartment buildings, two industrial buildings, two farms, 14 little farms, one suburban property, 24 leases and four rentals. Real Estate Board members Included in the survey all Indicated that there had- been a definite increase in the response to newspaper advertising, that "drop-ins" have been much more frequent, and real prospects more numerous.

The following record of sales was incorporated in the report of the research department: Contract Investment James E. Atkinson, Fred Blackwood Clarence J. Boldt Holden and Reaume, Walsh, James Wasey. Equitable Life Insurance Garrells Kllpfel, Seldon John son, Toynton-Brown, H. H.

Woodruff, $207,350. MORTGAGE LOANS Mortgage Group to Repeat Exhibit Exposition to Be eld Here in October The Mortgage Bankers Association of America will again sponsor, for the third consecutive year, the Exposition of Building, Industry and Services to run concurrently with the association's twenty-sixth annual convention in Detroit, Oct. 3, 4, 5 and 6, according to Frank I. Kennedy, president of the Abstract Title Guaranty Company of Detroit, and chairman of the exhibit committee. This industrial show, said to be the only one of its kind in the established in 1937 in an effort to show those who supply the bulk of the mortgage and building money in the United States some of the newer developments in the building field.

"Even with the rise of new building In the past few years, relatively few people fully realize how great has been the technical advance in construction during the past decade." Mr. Kennedy said Saturday. "The house being built today is almost as much an improvement over the house built 10 years ago as the 1939 auto mobile is an improvement over its predecessor of 1929. "Sherwin-Williams, National Cash Register, Westlnghouse. Du i'ont, ueneral Irigidaire Division of General Motors, Tlle-Tex American Stove Portland Cement Association, and Detroit Steel Products have accepted invitations to display.

Others who will exhibit and whose products or services are indirectly related to new building include: American Fire Insurance Group, Hartford Fire Insurance, Kemper Insurance, Home Insurance, Amer ican Title Association, Bonded Surveyors of America, and Amer ica Mat Corp." Permits for Week Above $1,000,000 Value of building permits in Detroit issued during the week ended July 15 again exceeded the million dollar mark, according to the report of Commissioner Joseph P. Wolff, of the Department of Buildings and Safety Engineering. New construction accounted for $1,163,080 and additions and alterations were estimated to cost for a total of $1,310,539. This compares with $1,201,587 for the corresponding week a year ago, and with $1,154,489 in the previous week of this year. Single and two-family dwellings Included in last week's totals numbered 147, estimated to cost $810,190.

Sweet to Review New Realty Laws To Speak at Brokers' Wednesday Meet Carroll F. Sweet, executive sec retary of the Michigan Real Estate Association, will address the Brokers Division of the Detroit Real Estate Board, Wednesday noon, at the Savoyard Club in the Buhl Building, ire will discuss Latest Legislation Effecting Real Estate In Michigan." As executive secretarytof the Michigan Association of Real Estate Boards. Mr. Sweet's work Is primarily concerned with legislative matters and he is said to be one of the best qualified experts in real estate legislative matters in the State. Last Wednesday the Brokers Division was addressed by R.

C. Russell and Philmore Hardy, of the Ford Foundation. Mr. Russell explanled the policies of the Foundation and described the project of 53 homes to be built on 44 acres of land. Mr.

Hardy presented plans of the development and explained the architectural and constriction policies to be followed. to Rt YOUR Individual Situation Get lh benefit ol our ll ju txpart-nc In working out lh mortg? plan tht bl iniwtn your ntdL FHA or BonFHA mortqiii; to 20 yu term. Conilmctloo loans. Fhoa Chrry 3(80 trained mortqig mill will tdviM you yeu etlic or bom oo cot or obligitioo. per month, including taxes.

Such a house can be built in about 10 days, Mr. Draper told me. Purchasers of these homes, mostly factory workers with incomes in me per week bracket, as a rule complete their houses them selves, sometimes with the aid of friends or relatives. And sure enough, when we stop- pea at a new house at 29106 Sen ator, we found Lester Paul, i Hudson Motor Car Co. employee, temporarily laid off, busily en gaged in finishing the interior of his recently acquired home, pur chased through Irwin-Klght Hines, Realtors, who are the selling agents for the property.

With the aid of Mrs. Paul, attired in slacks, and their small son, he was applying sheet rock to the studs. The house, which was purchased July 4, will be completed and ready for occupancy this week. Mr. Paul said.

When finished there will be a living room, kitch en, two bedrooms and a bath room. The dimensions of the house are 22x24 feet. It will have oil heat and an electric range. The Pauls have been livi'nir In a small five-room house in Detroit for which they paid $30 per month J.nat thev were eoine to be happy in their new home was evident from the smiles that wreathed their faces as they busi ly went ahead with their work. These are onlv two examples of the many similar ones that I visited in my journey.

In every case I found health, happiness and thrift as the actuating mo tives that took these good Americans to the country. 1940 Ideal Home Architects Picked Hyde and Williams to Design Show House The firm of Hyde Williams, Detroit architects, has been selected by the Detroit Builders' Show to design the 1940 Builders' Show Ideal Home, the chief educational feature of the annual exhibition. The architects were chosen from the membership of the Michigan Society of Architects through the joint action of the officials of that society and the Builders' Show, according to Kenneth Di McGregor, executive secretary the show. Both of the architects are grad uates of the University of Mich igan and have had wide experi ence in the Detroit building field. They were members of the group of architects elected to design the Brewster and Farkside Housing Projects.

Mr. Hyde, while a member of the firm of Stratton Hyde, handled the design of the Naval Armory, various hospitals. theaters, public schools and many; residence jobs in the Detroit area. Mr. Williams was the winner of i the recent Detroit Steel Products; Co competition.

The twenty-second anr.nM Fni! 1- Show will be held early In the luring of. mo. 4 mmmw in ENJOY GAS HEAT SAVE MONEY! a DALZEN GAS BURNER IN DETROIT IT'S NfW lmptntmnt" principle prwirp nmflmum a mount of hrst from glrrn mount of approved no payment nnlll Krpt. 1. equipment.

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