[quote=spdrun]I’m not convinced that price dictates what’s *inside* the walls of a new house, unless it’s custom built. Builders are in it for the profit, and after the warranty and statute of limitations on suits expire, as long as it’s to code, it’s Not Their Problem.[/quote]

No, it doesn’t. Because inside the walls, they’re pretty much all the same. What makes a house feel like higher quality is the finishes. The cabinetry, applicances, flooring, doors and windows, etc. These finishes can add $100K or more to the cost of a house. (The kitchen appliances alone in my townhouse cost the builder $10-$15K more than if they had gone cheap. And that’s one of the reasons I bought THIS house, instead of teh cheap one down the street.)

All buildiers are in it for the money. If builders can go cheap and sell the houses they build, they will. If the market requires they spend more in order to sell the houses, they’ll do that too. Most of them know what they’re doing, and build the right houses for the right markets.