HOUSING SHORTAGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1921, Page 8

HOUSING SHORTAGE.

POSITION IN CHRISTCHURCH, NO SIGN OF IMPROVEMENT. /> Christchurch, Jan. 12. Slumps deferred must be making sick the hearts of too cautious would-be house buyers, and there is still little prospect of their long “waiting for houses to be much cheaper” meeting the anticipated reward, says to-night’s Star. One leading Christchurch house agent expressed the opinion to-day that in six months’ time the housing shortage would be more pronounced than ever. He based his opinion mainly on the very little building in progress, the high cost of materials, and the financial stringency stopping a lot of 'speculative and other house building. Following the usual “quiet” months of November and December the house and estate "business has begun to get busy again. Inquiries for houses for sale are numerous, and. there is every prospect of many dealings in the next two or three months. The autumn is becoming busier than the spring where house transactions are concerned. Harvesting once over, farmers who propose to retire will be buying houses in the city to get settled before the winter. There is very little prospect, so far, of a drop in values. Hauses to let are still extremely rare, and the rents asked for the few that become vacant naturally reflect the shortage. Some business is being done with furnished houses to let, but generally speaking, house seekers must buy. The sales of sections have been very limited during recent years, and owing to building costs and other circumstances the demand shows little signs of increasing. Sections fire really cheap, said one agent to-day, and from an investment viewpoint have many advantages.