I have the same thoughts - im an old tradie and I look for defects and how things are built. ive looked at new houses and been amazed that they have passed muster. the older houses, especially in the areas that the Italians and slavs lived are built much better quality. once looked at a new house in qld and checked out the slab. in wa its 4 inches of concrete but over there the "slab" is a mixture of 2 inch think concrete and foam. in the newer homes even the walls aren't straight. catch them with the sun on them at the right angle and when looking down you can see they are off.
its all about quantity and how quick it can be built not quality.
