Your square foot analagy works when all homes are basically created equal. We all know that not to be the case unless you live in Las Vegas tracs. Older homes can be very expensive to maintain, whereas newer is less likely to cause these costly issues. Further "Custom" homes need to be calculated on their respective merits, I've built "Custom" homes that cost $1,000.00 a square foot to build before 1993. Square foot is just another tool to consider in buying a home, but it is only one of many that any buyer should consider.
