Did You Know That Sears Used to Sell Houses in Maine?

At one point, Sears wasn’t just a department store that sold household appliances; it also sold full-on houses! Many of which are still standing in Maine.

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That’s right, the once-retail giant that, according to Retail Dive, had over 3,000 stores, used to sell homes.

Now, the number of Sears stores left is a little lower than that.

According to HasData, as of February 2024, there are 13 Sears stores in the United States. Our Pine Tree State closed its last Sears stores in late 2022, while the state with the most Sears locations is California, with 4 stores.

But we’re not focusing on the number of Sears left; we’re focusing on their house kits. In case you’ve never heard of them, what exactly is a 'Sears Ready-Made House Kit?'

A Sears kit house is a house built from blueprints and supplies ordered from a Sears catalog. The supplies, including pre-cut and labeled framing lumber, were shipped to the homeowner for self-construction or by a contractor. Everything needed for the house, from lumber to roofing, wiring, plumbing, and more, was included.

Sears kit houses were built from 1908 to 1942 and followed the design trends of the time.

However, not every house from the early to mid-1900s is a Sears kit house. Sears kit houses are not prefabricated houses, steel panel houses, or every Craftsman, bungalow, or Dutch Colonial-style house. Sears kit houses were also not built after 1942 or before 1908.

Other companies, such as Gordon-Van Tine, Aladdin Homes, Bennett Homes, and Wardway Homes, also offered kit houses. Approximately 70,000 house kits were sold, accounting for only about 2% of houses built during this era.