New Housing Estates, page-15

Hi quinn

I speak from the point of an older person (seen it all) and an ex builder
Yes I do expect them to deteriorate quicker and require a lot more maintenance, as to time, I have recently been staying in a house which was built 103 years ago and it is only now showing it's age.

The newer homes IMHO have a lifespan of about 10 years before they require serious maintenance and a total life of only about 40years. This is to do with the poor design and the poor quality of materials

Now the value of a property is in the land so it could be said that if you build a house to last for a 100 years it is a waste of money as the building will be so far out of date in 40 years (it will no longer fulfill our living requirements)

So there is value in each opinion, but that is of no use for someone who buys a house to live in until they retire and die.

I do not for a second believe the story that the public want miniature blocks, it is purely a money thing and is forced upon them by the developers who are in league with the town planners.

Also there are enormous profits being made in the building industry and the reason that they can charge such high prices for everything from taxes to materials is that the people are still getting very high mortgages and paying what is asked, so they are not paying what it is worth.
The industry is eventually going to strangle itself with poor quality and excessive pricing

Look at other areas of Australian pricing,
Reading glasses that previously cost $600 can be bought on the internet for $50
CDs have come down in price but they were $40 to $50
Golf Club driver was $890 now $180

Just check the prices on the internet for building materials overseas and you will see the same results
Finally the government takes about 50% of the cost of a new home in fees, charges and taxes