Flip to Bill Levitt, seated on right, helping "veterans' wives" pick homes in Levittown, PA, April 13, 1949.Close Window
Credit: Levittown Regional Library
Using mass production techniques developed during World War II, the Levitts were able to drive down the costs of new housing. In 1949 a "Rancher" in the new Pennsylvania Levittown cost only $8,990 and could be acquired for a "fee" of $57 a month, which included taxes and fire insurance. While non-veterans needed $950 for settlement charges, veterans could move in with no money down. A family could acquire a house on a corner lot for an additional $500.
