More than three-quarters of the nation’s homes were built before World War II, and while the United States has had a long and successful relationship with its overseas holdings, it has a long history of building new homes at home.
And while there are many things that can be done to protect them, there is a very simple answer: The first thing to do is protect the house itself.
And a new study finds that when we take the safety of our home for granted, we are actually making it worse.
“A lot of people are not taking the threat of home invasion seriously enough,” said Steven Sizer, who conducted the study with a colleague at the University of Virginia.
“They are not doing enough to protect themselves, and when they do, it’s really expensive.”
To find out why, Sizer and his colleagues reviewed the results of a series of studies that examined the safety, durability, and financial costs of building a home.
For instance, a study that looked at the cost of house repairs in California showed that an average home with one- and two-family dwellings cost $3,600, but a three- and four-family home cost $12,800.
Sizer noted that this cost, if left unchecked, would be enough to bankrupt a typical family.
In addition, Sizers noted that, even if we were to build a home with a high level of quality, this would still result in a cost of $1,000 per year for the average homeowner.
A study by the University the University at Buffalo, however, showed that a home built for $100,000 in 1940 had a cost only $200 per year after 30 years, meaning that if you bought the home for $300,000 you could afford to buy the house.
“I think we should be doing something,” Sizer said.
“When you get into the $400,000 to $500,000 range, we should have a serious conversation about how to prevent these kinds. “
And the only way we can do that is to get people to understand the financial risk that they are taking by building these homes and putting them up for sale.” “
When you get into the $400,000 to $500,000 range, we should have a serious conversation about how to prevent these kinds.
And the only way we can do that is to get people to understand the financial risk that they are taking by building these homes and putting them up for sale.”
What do you think?
Should we be building houses to last longer than 30 years?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Related: The Most Dangerous House in America: How Much Would a Home Worth $3 Million?