Hi Neighbors,
A few big things happening for my clients, SOLD SOLD SOLD and right in our neighborhood! One of the properties was an expired listing! Let's connect and figure out how we can make this a reality for you!
Do you receive our Windsor Whistler? If you are one of the lucky 5,000 households then I am sure you are all familiar with the captivating world of the Windsor Whistler, a collection of stories that Hancock Homes Realty publishes in a newsletter. Along with community events and activities the newsletter features a historic home. The historic home takes you on an extraordinary journey through diverse landscapes, intriguing characters, and rich neighborhood history!
Our latest Windsor Whistler tells a very interesting tale of many homes that Sears sold, known as Roebuck Kit Homes. Picture this! The day has finally come! The whole family piles into the carriage and heads down to the train station in anticipation. It’s time to greet the first shipment of your family’s brand new house! All the lumber will be pre-cut and arrive with instructions for your dad and uncles to assemble and build. No, it’s not one of today’s modular homes… It’s the early 1900’s, and your family has ordered a Sears - Roebuck Kit Home!
Many of us have heard of Sears Modern Homes. However their story, and their significance, remains largely misunderstood. It is estimated that from 1908 - 1940, over 100,000 houses were sold through Sears’ mail-order Modern Homes program.
The saga actually begins more than a decade before the homes went on sale. In 1895 Sears began selling building materials out of its catalogs. However, by 1906 the department was losing money, and was on the verge of being shut down. Sears brought in an unlikely candidate - Frank W. Kushel, the head of the company’s china department - to oversee the dismal task of dismantling the failing department. Frank, however, saw opportunity where others saw a lost cause. His first innovation was to ship materials directly from the factory to the consumer, saving a fortune in expensive warehouse costs. Thus began a successful 25-year journey which would literally change the face of the country.
Although his name is not widely known, Frank Kushel may have had as much impact on American housing as his famous contemporary Frank Lloyd Right. Kushel was no architect; rather, he was a merchandising genius who spotted a market niche. He realized that Sears already sold nearly all the components necessary for a new home; building materials, tools, furniture, appliances… By creating a mail-order program, and marketing ready-cut do-it-yourself homes, he not only revived the sale of building materials, but ensured that every piece of the new house would be a Sears product. In 1908 the company released a new catalog, the “Book of Modern Homes and Building Plans.” For the first time Sears sold complete houses, including plans and instructions. There were 22 different styles, advertised as “complete and ready for occupancy.”
His timing could not have been more perfect. The nation’s economy was booming, and cities were expanding exponentially. Waves of immigrant laborers seeking the American dream were flooding the already crowded urban centers, and rising labor costs were driving up new home prices. The ever-growing middle class began fleeing the ‘big city’ for a more peaceful suburban life as trolley lines and railroads made commuting possible. Affordable, mail-order homes brought home ownership within reach.
For years, the company enjoyed robust sales of its kit homes and related products. When the great depression struck, the program was dealt a blow from which it would never fully recover. Millions of dollars of loans were in default, and demand all but disappeared. Additionally, advances in available technology were making construction more complicated and expensive. Sales floundered until about 1940, when the program finally came to an end.
However, the impact on the history of American housing during those years cannot be overstated. Thousands of intact examples of Sears homes still exist, including entire planned communities. And recent trends in pre-fab and modular housing seem to pay homage to the idea, born over a century ago, that quality affordable housing should be available to everyone.
Tune in for our next historic home! And don’t forget to subscribe! Make it a great day!
Cheers, John
👋🏼CONTACT INFO
John Duerler | Hancock Homes Realty
📞 213.924.2208
📧 john@hancockhomes.com
🖥 www.hancockhom...
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