My grandparents had the option to buy their home from a mail order catalogue. No kidding! No Amazon. No computers. Just a Sears Catalogue. From 1908 to 1942, Sears sold an estimated 70,000 — 75,000 houses.
And they could buy the whole house!
Sears would ship between 10,000 and 30,000 pieces of pre-cut, numbered lumber, plus windows, doors, flooring, hardware, and — if you upgraded — plumbing, heating, and wiring, all arriving by rail with an instruction book. Prices ranged from $360 for a starter model to $2,890 for the deluxe version, with Craftsman and Bungalow styles the clear favorites.
Here’s the really great part: many of these homes are still standing strong and are very desirable. Buyers actively seek them out, HGTV does episodes on them, and websites pay homage. Why? Sears didn’t skimp! The framing used dense, old-growth cedar and red oak that simply doesn’t exist in modern supply chains, built to outlast decades of weather. A “Sears house” is a genuine selling point on real estate listings today.
Are we going to see a revival of house kits?
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — passed by Congress this month — packs in 47 separate proposals aimed at boosting supply, cutting costs, and expanding access to affordable homes. Two provisions stand out: it promotes manufactured housing (yes – homes built in factories, Sears’ playbook, minus the rotary-phone-era pricing) — and it opens the door to office-to-apartment conversions, turning empty commercial buildings into places people can actually live.
That sounds awesome!
But let’s not hold our breath — now come the challenges.
There’s still no real boost in federal support for affordable housing, and rising construction costs — labor shortages, tariffs, inflation, and higher interest rates — aren’t going anywhere. And the biggest lever of all, zoning, is still a local call. Washington can nudge states and cities toward friendlier land-use policy, but it can’t mandate it — that power stays right where it’s always been.
I guess that means no Allen wrenches any time soon. With all these challenges, my IKEA PTSD flashbacks can stay dormant a bit longer.
Enjoy your day!
Barbara
July 20, 2026
Sources:
- https://www.searshouses.com/
- https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/11/economy/new-housing-affordability-law-heres-what-it-means
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the investment company carefully before investing. The prospectus and, if available, the summary prospectus contain this and other important information about the investment company. You can obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus from your financial representative. Read carefully before investing.