> especially with regards to earthquakes, and therefore people often wanted the latest designs. So when they built houses, they didn't spend as much effort beca

> especially with regards to earthquakes, and therefore people often wanted the latest designs. So when they built houses, they didn't spend as much effort because they knew after a few decades they'd be completely torn down That only explains the structure itself. But an empty, small lot of land (only big enough for one home) with no structure at all (or an abandoned, worthless structure) can be worth well over $1M in america.