I think these prices are low, pretty sure my parents modest home purchased in the mid 1950's was closer to 20k which would translate after inflation to $225,000. A very small modest home now is $250k or so. So not much of a change in reality.
I belive you are right. My parents built a 750 sq ft Cape Cod with a basement apartment in about 1946 for about $15,000. After they paid off the mortgage ten years later, the rental income paid for most of the housing expenses including property taxes, fuel oil, garbage, sewer, and water.
I sold the house in 2020 for $165,000.
I don’t know the square footage but my parents bought a three bedroom home in Tucson Arizona and the early fifties for 7,000
In 1965 they purchased another three bedroom home in New Mexico for 11,000.
Our house was typical of average modest home, 3 beds, 1 bath, ranch style, and in the 70’s went for $$35,000- less than a truck costs today.
Yes, those prices seem a little low. In 1957 we moved to Jacksonville from Cocoa and I think my Dad paid $12,000 for our 3/2 brick ranch in a nice subdivision. The payment on the VA loan was about $100 A month. My Dad was making about $6,800 A year.
I remember standing with him on the front porch one day admiring the two new cars in our neighbor’s driveway. My Dad said “well you can afford two new cars when you’re raking in $10,000 per year”. 😂