'I Live in a 1900s Sears Catalog Home--Here's What It's Like To Own a House That Arrived in a Box' [View all]

https://shorturl.at/Dwkxr

In the early 20th century, the massive Sears catalog (often 500 to 1,000-plus pages, a hard-copy equivalent of what Amazon.com is today) made it possible for people to get just about everything they needed within its pages. From 1908 to 1942, Sears sold approximately 75,000 mail-order home kits.

The Sears catalog homes were called "modern" at the time because they included the latest in home conveniences—like indoor plumbing and electricity. But they were also a feasible and affordable way for a middle-class family to live in quality housing.

Shoppers perusing "Sears Modern Homes and Building Plans" could pick a home from the catalog and write a check for a few thousand dollars. A few weeks later, all of the housing parts would arrive by railway train—often including 10,000 pre-cut pieces of lumber, screws, nails, paint, and even doorknobs and drawer pulls. It was truly a home in a box (which would then have to be built, of course, usually by a contractor for an extra fee).

Today, these Sears catalog homes are something of a historic phenomenon. Not only have they beautifully stood the test of time in most cases, but the people who live in them form an unofficial niche housing club. Realtor.com® decided to reach out to some of these catalog home inhabitants to get the scoop on what it's really like to live in a home that originally was ordered from Sears.

More article and photos at link.