If you bought a new construction home in the last two years, you didn't buy a house. You bought a 30-year mortgage on a product designed to rot in 15. We are facing a silent crisis in American real estate: the mortgage gap. The loan used to buy a mass-produced home is now shorter than its physical lifespan for the first time in history. In this investigation, we expose the 'Value Engineering' secrets that Volume Builders hope you never see. We break down why modern 'Farm Raised' lumber twists behind your drywall, why 'Engineered I-Joists' turn into oatmeal when wet, and how the 'Piece-Rate' labor system guarantees that your plumbing and framing will be rushed. We also reveal the "Builder Grade" Illusion—why the faucets and appliances in your model home are actually cheap imposters of the retail versions—and why entire neighborhoods built today are destined to become "Future Slums" when their synchronized failure dates arrive.
