A spec home is built on the speculation that you may sell it in the future. Since we currently know that any home built will sell... there are some building such.
The builder will also build a basic home... even the ones that I have posted online. But when the builder is building to a customer's wishes, it is the customer choosing the higher end custom options that make the home more expensive.
The home is just the summation of the parts and the skill it takes to put them together. Some of my customers want quality, but basic components. Other demand from me high end solutions that they have seen on the internet.
For instance, I can supply a white vinyl window with a lifetime warranty at any level of efficiency within the spectrum... but many customer choose the wood windows that will not have a lifetime warranty, and may not have the same efficiency, or a variation of the vinyl that increases the cost of the windows.
The wood windows in a new home could be standard sizing, while replacing them in an older home may require higher cost custom sizing.
What we see with new homes is splurging in unusual ways. The builder doesn't really care... unless of course the new units require some unusual means to secure them. In the older homes, landscaping has to be factored in.
The same goes for doors. A six panel fiberglass lifetime will cost less than a glassed unit or one designed to have a wood-look and fall into a trendy category.
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