Many people have heard of Sears homes, sold by catalog, but did you know rival Montgomery Ward offered them too? See a 1931 model for sale now in Battle Creek.

Today, we buy everything on Amazon, but many people can't fathom purchasing an entire house and having it shipped piece by piece. Sears, Roebuck & Co's home kits were so popular, that the company sold more than 70,000 in North America from 1908-1940. As with any business, success breeds imitation, and Sears' department store rival Montgomery Ward's had their own stick homes for sale. Even fewer of these are in existence today than the Sears homes, and a rare find is for sale now in Battle Creek.

While Sears shoppers had more than 370 architectural designs to choose from, Montgomery Ward's "Wish Book" had a limited selection of 25 or so. For sale now at 42 S Cedar Ave in Battle Creek is a 1931 Westmont model. The 4-bedroom, 2-bath Westmont "ranks high in public favor."

People used to believe that a home of modest cost must be square as a box and just as uninteresting. But clever modern architects are telling an entirely different story and PROVING IT. For instance, here is the Westmont- picturesque, charming, quaint as an English cottage, modern as a New York Apartment, and the price- well it is unbelievably low.

-1931 Wardway Homes catalog

Not as successful as Sears homes, "Montgomery Ward closed down their Wardway Homes division in 1931 as a result of the declining sales and unprofitable mortgages from The Great Depression." Take a look at video and photos from this unique piece of history now on the market in Battle Creek.

Montgomery Ward kit home for sale in Battle Creek

Sears wasn't the only company that sold homes out of a catalog. Take a look at this extraordinary 1931 Montgomery Ward home for sale now in Battle Creek.
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This next one has been sold, but a Frank Lloyd Wright home is always worth a look anyway.

Extraordinary Frank Lloyd Wright House For sale in Kalamazoo

Known as "the McCartney house," this unique marvel is composed of two triangles. Lovingly restored and now for sale, it is guaranteed to sell almost immediately.

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