I wonder when it became evolutionary advantageous for primates to pay longer-nosed primates 1/5 of their monthly fruit for the privilege occupying the tree they call home.

From the perspective of evolution, it generally requires less effort to do so. Which is an advantage in both time and energy output.

It wasn't until modern times that we as humans have had the ability to build homes in mass.

Look at the modern era compared to previous era's put a dividing line at the industrial revolution. Prior to that the few sawmills, were water powered stone. Most boards in the US were manually cut and then planed into shape. It wasn't easy to build a home. The few houses that were built were often built to house a new section of a family.

Then we had decent steam powered sawmills by 1900, but few ways to move the products around easily (train, river, or wagon). 1880 or so kicked off automobiles, by the end of WW1, most towns were starting to consider cars on the main streets in their planning, and trucks started being used to haul a significant amount of good to places that you had to use horse and wagon for.

Early real estate plots, the few sold, were large, some amazingly so. They weren't marketed at everyone, most people simply built the new houses or rooms they needed when they needed them as a community at that point. In the US (the start of cities (Official) changed this). Washington DC was 1791 with the first real estate plots sold. Before that land was acquired in various methods. (granted from lords or governor, bought from natives, inherited...) In Europe real estate was a practice since at least the dark ages, but limited mostly to the wealthy or influential.

In the US, around the world I would bet. There are some small town records you can look at where you can see early towns in the US granting a small hunk of land to a family to build their house on and then the community helping them do so. It was one of the ways a town attracted a builder type (smith, leather, carpenter...). This was gone by the Civil war. We employ a similar practice today only with corporations and not people...

So before being able to easily build massive amounts of houses (sawmills -> distribution -> real estate). It really wasn't easy for the vast majority of people to occupy a home that had never been occupied. In the US we were building houses in the hundreds a year. Now we count them in the tens of thousands. I cant speak with any certainty for the rest of the worlds production before the steam saw mill and truck distribution.

On the comparison side. Look how many people move into brand new homes now, even as their first home.

Just in the last 175 years... I would love to see where we will be in another century.

The last 20 years has seen the start of the 3d printed concrete house... I don't want to argue asthetics. Its a fucking marvel in speed. Another one folks don't agree with that has helped in the last 50 years, is the rise of the modular home.

I think it may be a comfort thing. Plus less energy expended