re: The “time price” of square foot of housing is 24% lower than the 1950s

quote:

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Square footage on homes is often overlooked when people compare prices across different decades.
My grandmother's house had 2 bedrooms, one bath, and a window AC unit added much later.
No one would stoop to buy a house like that these days.

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And had 6-7 siblings. Especially the Catholic families down here.

This was not a Stout thread.

Did anyone ever consider that maybe the 120+ million foreigners that have poured into this country since 1965 have something to do with there not being enough housing?

It drives wages down and housing up. A lose-lose for the American citizen

My parents built their house in stages - the basement first, which they lived in for a few years while they saved $ to build the main house. My Dad, a machinist with a HS and Army education, then did most of the contracting for the top floor himself. We had every amenity on the list save the dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave (of course) and the garage, but we did have a covered carport and a largish basement. That was 1958-1962 or so. The house was maybe 1200-1300 SF.

I can testify that storm windows, two bathrooms (three if you counted the one in the basement), and a fireplace were rarities among my friends' houses. We were still short a bedroom because his mother lived with us. Even then, you had to be creative and make compromises if you wanted all the bells and whistles.

Also notice that graph stops before COVID. It's now around 250 to 300 compared to the 100 baseline, by far the highest in history