Homesepot $44K pre-fab house

You're saying it's crazy where you are. It's crazy where I am. The easier dimension of figuring how the value proposition gets from where we are to where it makes sense is that getting framing done could be very expensive, and this Home Depot kit would presumably take less labor, time, or expertise.

The other dimension is that different things make sense in different places because of how intensively the land is used. When I lived a half mile from the beach in San Diego, people on tiny lots had incredible gardens and sitting areas in their small outdoor spaces. You would almost never see such nice gardens and sitting areas in places where the lots are larger, even at houses owned by much richer places (or by people with more free time, if you prefer.)

If you have a large, low-value lot, mobile homes and broken down cars are understandable things to have in the yard. But you won't see them in expensive places. And you won't see nice campers and luxury cars parked in the yard either. Using outdoor space in high-cost areas is like raising bonsai trees: it looks ridiculous how fussy it is, but it also produces a pretty impressive outcome.