A Sears house today should cost $32,000. Why can't you buy one?

From 1908 to 1940, Sears sold tens of thousands of its kit houses, many of which are still in high demand today. When a $1.1 million Craftsman house in Boulder, Colorado, was first built in 1923, the materials came from a Sears catalog kit that cost $1,797, or the equivalent of around $32,000 today. Even with the extra cost of buying land, adding a foundation, plumbing, electricity, and potentially hiring a construction crew—though the house could technically be put together yourself, Ikea-sty...