That sounds more like "get off my lawn" than objective truth. I grew up in a house built in 1914, and almost 10 years ago I bought a brand new house. The new one is built better in nearly all regards.
Beyond that, most people are comparing old houses built by well off people vs modern middle class houses. If you look at "middle class" houses built 300 years ago they were basically shacks.
At least those shacks didn’t ‘cost’ a $million so the developer’s REIT could show 12% returns on quickly degrading crap. At least they have to meet some modern codes, but that doesn’t mean they won’t fall apart, leak and mold, or burn quickly.
You should compare your modern house to a commercial building with steel beams or concrete slabs, if you want a real comparison. Those ‘houses’ were not built for people to live in, but for commercial storage and transport. Of course they were expensive and well built... the owners were wealthy and the warehouses profitable.
