Anne-Marie Berger investigates the history of Sears homes, which are ready-to-assemble houses that were available nearly 100 years ago in the Sears Roebuck catalog. In 1908, these kit homes were offered in 370 styles and ranged in price from $500 to $5,000. Families who selected a Sears home saved 1/3 the price it would cost to buy an already assembled, or 'normal', house.
My husband & I wanted to down-size so we bought a small bungalow year ago. It was built in 1922 and when the home inspector did his investigation, he actually had to call me & let me know that the house we were buying was a Sear's kit home and even though it was 99 years old, it was in better shape than most of the homes he inspected over the last 30 years. He told us that Sears used first-cut lumber & that all the materials that mattered, from nails to shingles to siding, were top-notch and made to last. He was completely enamored with our home and so are we! The neighborhood is a gas-lit suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, and our research shows that a Land Association bought the land and built dozens of these homes and sold them. I would say that almost all of the homes in this small area are Sear's homes. I am so thankful to be living in a piece of true American history."
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