I guess the thing I find troubling is the fact that all these (mostly newer) homes are based on what people can afford, rather than on what they actually want/need.

We're hoping to find about a 1000-1200sf 2/1 or 2/2 with a nice yard where we can grow stuff, but it seems like nobody has built those since the 1970s. Just buying a nice piece of land and plopping a manufactured home on it is looking more and more interesting, as an alternative. Manufactured housing is less shit than it used to be, and we'll be nearing 70 when we move, so it doesn't have to last forever...