Affordable Housing: Meet Amazon's $18,000 "Lillevilla" House with Free Shipping

Amazon is out to make housing affordable. It will eventually succeed.
Looking for an affordable home? Meet the Under $20,000 Home on Amazon.

  • Inside Combined Floor Area: 292 Sqf + the sleeping Loft (not part of the 292 Sqf)
  • Wall thickness: 1-3/4″ (44 mm) – dual T&G windblock pattern
  • Ridge Height: 12′ 8″ – Back wall height: 8″ – Kit weight is 7300 lbs
  • Doors: Exterior (2): 62-1/8” x 76-1/8” – Interior (1): 32-1/2” x 76-1/8”
  • Windows | front: 36” x 36” | back: 54-1/8″ x 36″ | left: 27-5/8″ x 46-7/8″ | right: 21-3/4″ x 68″ The Affordable Housing... Best Price: $42.20 Buy New $46.33 (as of 10:40 UTC - Details)

The Altwood Timberline 483 Square Foot Cabin is $39,900.

  • Inside Floor Area: 354 Sqf + Loft 129 Sqf
  • Wall thickness: 2-3/4″ (70 mm) – dual T&G pattern
  • Ridge height: 14’9″
  • Floor, Roof/Ceiling boards thickness: 23/32″
  • Adding/deleting rooms, room size changes are available for this model

Want Still More room?

Try the Allwood Eagle Point | 1108 SQF Cabin Kit for $46,900.

  • Inside Floor Area: 1108 Sqf (712 Sqf downstairs + 396 Sqf upstairs)
  • Wall thickness: 2-3/4″ (70 mm) – dual T&G pattern
  • Ridge height: 15’11” – high ceiling floor area 235 Sqf
  • Floor, Roof/Ceiling boards thickness: 23/32″

Prefab Boom

MarketWatch reports Amazon is selling entire houses for less than $20,000 — with free shipping.

Prefabricated and modular housing — with homes prebuilt in factories — is having another moment. From 2013 to 2018, industry revenue grew an annualized 8.6% to nearly $10.5 billion, including growth of 4.1% in 2018 alone, according to research firm IBISWorld.

Sears used to sell houses in its catalog. We have now come full circle.

Not Included

These prices do not include foundation, electric hookups, insulation, etc.

Many will not meet building codes, but that last one might straight up or with some modifications.

Coming Soon

I suspect for under $80,000 there will be prefab, well-insulated, and everything included (even the foundation, kitchens, bathrooms, etc.) homes that will be of reasonable quality and meet building codes in many cities.

Good luck finding land at affordable prices with electricity and utility connections readily available, to put one of these houses on. Affordable Housing: Co... Dietmar Steiner, Thoma... Best Price: $41.16 Buy New $41.11 (as of 10:40 UTC - Details)

Then again, try places like Danville, Illinois, my home town.

The problem, however, is $80,000 is an enormous price for decaying cities like Danville.

$50,000 will buy very livable homes.

Thus, we need to see $30,000 homes, with everything included, that can be built on the existing foundation.

In time, I expect this to happen.

Reprinted with permission from Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis.