The Return Of The Mail-Order Home. With Free Shipping!

in #culture5 years ago (edited)

Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

Remember back in the day when Sears, Roebuck and Co. used to sell mail order homes? Of course you don't , you weren't around then! At least not many of us were, they stopped selling them in 1940.

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This dramatically helped the expansion of the Western territories

What an amazing run they had. From 1908 to 1940 they sold 70,000 "kit homes."

Yeah, they were pre-cut and fitted and all you had to do was assemble them, they came with a 75 page instruction manuel. (I'm guessing it was in one language.)

They didn't deliver it to your property

It arrived in one or two railroad boxcars, depending on the size. Totally complete including nails and screws. The customer had to come and haul the kit to their property though, and many did that with horse drawn wagons!

Check out some of the styles and prices..

I think this first one was their cheapest. A little one bedroom cottage for $191. The deluxe model was $266.00. lol.

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Here's a 3 bedroom Colonial:

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A little more deluxe:

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I love this classic design. If you're lucky enough to own one of these ordered from Sears you're sitting on alot of money!

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Many kit homes are still standing like this model:

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Check out this fine 10 room home, dang-near a mansion, especially in those days. This was their most expensive home. That price translates to $180,000 today, still a bargain. Try finding a home like this for that price!

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And here's that model today, this one is being used as a funeral home:

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It's interesting that the Sears kit-homes have become all the rage in real estate today.

They were made with the best materials so the quality is excellent and they are rare. They're hard to find and that's what makes them valuable.

For some reason all the company records were destroyed when the homes sales stopped in 1940. Just the records of the kit homes. No one knows why. So it takes some research to identify a Sears home but well worth the effort.

One couple bought a home for $60,000 some years ago and then discovered that it was a Sears kit home. It's appraised value now? $600,000.00! lol. One way to tell is Sears stamped all the wood with a mark like this:

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Enter Amazon

Hey you can buy everything else from those guys, why not a house? They started selling kit homes just like Sears did and guess what? It's an insane market, they can't even keep them in stock!

Here's a few of them..

Here's a little get away cabin. 292 sq ft but that doesn't include the sleeping loft sq footage. Price: $19,000(with free shipping).

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This one is 1,000 sq ft. with a price of $40,000:

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Here's one with 1,108 sq ft, $46,900:

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Here ya go, 1,336 sq ft for $64,650:

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Okay, so you can see what's happening here. With the medium home selling price of $234,000 here in the United States, you can understand why people are just buying kit homes.

With free shipping! lol. It's another brilliant move by Amazon.

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Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy
Texas
the gentleman redneck

I had to laugh at this...so true of human nature. (except Steemians who are rock solid role models of self-discipline!)

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It is interesting that the first two homes you show don't have a bathroom. I wonder if sears sold a kit for an outhouse, hehe ;)

lol! Howdy sir hhayweaver! good to see you! Are you posting these days? If you are I'm sorry I haven't been around but I'll get over there if you are. I thought that was interesting too, if I was going to pay 19 grand for a house I would expect at least a toilet and sink! dang. That's cheap today but still alot of money for most people. They did have one for 5grand but it was only 132 sq ft and was basically a utility shed with a large overhang in the front.

Oh wow! This is so cool that you can actually buy kit homes and build it out yourself. I am sure that I saw the getaway cabin 292 sq ft and the one directly after it at 1000 sq ft they both came out in a youtube video showcasing tiny homes! They look really good.

Howdy khimgoh! It's an interesting phenomenon for sure. Hey, I wonder if they are selling these in Malaysia? It might be a good fit in some neighborhoods, these would make good first time purchaser homes!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

Hey @janton not that I know of but I would so get the 1000 sq ft one. It is so beautiful with all the glass!

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I agree, I love that design! You have good taste in houses! lol.

If only my grandfather would have bought a bunch of these and left them to me. LOL.

lol! Exactly! Me too. They would unknowingly be making the investment of a lifetime for you!

I have never heard of kit homes before. I must be living under a rock. And I would still be living under that rock if I had to put it together myself. I better go stand in that lifestyle change line. Wait, there isn't a line so I will just stand at the lifestyle change counter. LOL!

lol! Howdy Butterfly! Don't worry, the Sears kit homes were before most people's time, even mine! And Amazon hasn't been selling these for long either. The lifestyle change counter is open for you though, that line is all yours! lol. No one has any self discipline.. But like I said, the Steemians are different and they do have self discipline or they wouldn't be posting everyday.

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Howdy esteemapp! Thanks so much for the upvote and the great platform!

I want pills... Got rogain?

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All I got is health supplements...boring!

Well with a little chemistry... Lol watching breaking bad now.

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ha! some chemistry going on there in that show!

There is a Sears home in my town. That is so cool that Amazon is following in Sears footsteps!

Howdy Melinda! It's a great idea and they've found a very popular niche. I wonder about the quality compared to Sears but they're probably pretty good. That's interesting, is it a nice style home?

I may be wrong. Somebody told me years ago that it was a Sears home, but when I went to look for a photo of it to show you I couldn't find any information online about it. Now I'm wondering if I was not told the correct information.

Oh, yeah that might be the case, someone might have gotten it mixed up or they had the wrong information. I think they're super cool!

I love that first one from Amazon! I could totally live in that!

Really? The price seems a little high for it's size but on the other hand I know that home prices up there are crazy aren't they? Canada is becoming too popular! lol.

I wasn't actually looking at the price tag, I just liked the way the thing looked

Yes sir, sir keith, I agree that it's very sharp. These little ones would be great for starter homes or for downsizing it you had the land to put them on. I reckon land up there is real expensive too isn't it?

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Hi janton, I recognise some of the older designed homes from the movies. I think I would have lined up for a Sears home too.

Amazon is a very clever enterprising company, There are obviously some creative thinkers sitting around a 'think tank table', lol.

Howdy today angiemitchell! yes, Amazon doesn't make very many mistakes, to put it mildly. lol. They know what they're doing. I wonder if these kit homes are available in Australia? Can you imagine what the shipping costs would be if they came from here? Maybe they make kit homes there.