[An Old Man]

Houses cost more because:

1. The government has destroyed the value of the money.
2. The government extorts excessive and unnecessary fees from the developers.

I used to budget $70,000 in fees per house in the developments I worked on.

The actual cost to build a house today after inflation and extortion are factored out is less per sq. ft. than it was back in the 1950's.

[DB]

“The actual cost to build a house today after inflation and extortion are factored out is less per sq. ft. than it was back in the 1950’s.”

I have a very hard time believing that. A moderate house where I live cost over $150 a sqft in 2005 (my parents house). My house cost over $350 a sqft. Both of those are costs, not resale. We built both houses with a general contractor and our own plans.

[DB]

And that excludes the cost of the land on both.