Dude - I work in real estate, I know exactly what I’m talking about. I can take you to housing developments in my area built maybe 25 years ago that are falling the fuck apart. Hell - my ex-wife lives in a rental house less than ten years old that already needs real work. Are standards for electrical, insulation, etc higher? Absolutely yes. But don’t you go telling me I don’t know what I’m talking asking about, especially when you are misconstruing what I wrote.
You have no idea what you're talking about. Houses are built to standards significantly higher than they used to be (aka, with standards).
Contractors skimp where they can but, due to threats of litigation, those cut corners are cosmetics.