Starter homes are getting harder to find. These 20 cities are bucking the trend.
Starter homes are becoming harder to come by in all but a few major metros. dpproductions/Getty Images The market for starter homes is decreasing, but some cities still have plenty available. A report from Realtor.com shows that fewer than a quarter of large metro areas are starter-home-dominant. The number of starter homes is falling nationally, but it's increasing in some cities. As mortgage rates continue to reach new heights , options for first-time buyers are dwindling. Even starter homes — affordable properties that entice first-time homebuyers get their foot in the door — are jumping in price. The inventory of starter homes has recently decreased across the country. Data from Realtor.com shows that the national starter home share dropped from 38.1% to 36.2% from August 2019 to 2026, but the price during that timeframe increased 30.8%, from about $260,000 to $340,000. Realtor defines starter homes as homes listed at or below 80% of the median list price in that metro. A recent report from Realtor analyzing 8,300 ZIP codes in the largest 100 metros found that only 18.3% of those ZIP codes were starter-home dominant. "Affordability is only part of the story. What matters as much is whether affordable homes are actually for sale in the places where buyers want and need to live," Realtor senior economist Hannah Jones said. "For first-time buyers, the search is increasingly shaped by the geography of opportunity, not simply a metro's headline price. Keeping homeownership within reach will require more entry-level homes at attainable price points." It could be a while before the housing market gets back to "normal," but there are still areas that have more starter homes than others. Below are the top 20 metros — out of the 100 largest metro areas — that have increased their share of starter homes. 20. Las Vegas et al., NV Eric Lo/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 29.6% Point change (2019-2026): +0.4 Starter home price: $374,080 19. Los Angeles-Long Beach et al., CA Long Beach, California. Ron and Patty Thomas/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 36.7% Point change (2019-2026): +0.6 Starter home price: $840,000 18. Worcester, MA Worcester, Massachusetts. DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 30.9% Point change (2019-2026): +0.6 Starter home price: $447,920 17. Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Spokane, Washington. ChrisBoswell/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 31.6% Point change (2019-2026): +0.6 Starter home price: $399,200 16. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Detroit. Photo by Mike Kline (notkalvin)/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 39.8% Point change (2019-2026): +1.0 Starter home price: $220,000 15. San Francisco-Oakland et al., CA San Francisco, California Alexander Spatari/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 34.9% Point change (2019-2026): +1.0 Starter home price: $719,200 14. Charlotte-Concord et al., NC-SC Charlotte, North Carolina. benedek/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 31.1% Point change (2019-2026): +1.0 Starter home price: $340,000 13. St. Louis, MO-IL St. Louis. Perry Spring/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 40.7% Point change (2019-2026): +1.2 Starter home price: $232,000 12. Nashville-Davidson et al., TN Nashville. digidreamgrafix/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 32.7% Point change (2019-2026): +1.2 Starter home price: $432,000 11. Kansas City, MO-KS Kansas City, Missouri. halbergman/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 37.7% Point change (2019-2026): +1.4 Starter home price: $318,400 10. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX San Antonio. John Coletti/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 31.9% Point change (2019-2026): +1.5 Starter home price: $260,000 9. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Austin. halbergman/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 32.7% Point change (2019-2026): +1.7 Starter home price: $360,000 8. Raleigh-Cary, NC Raleigh, North Carolina. Ultima_Gaina/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 30.0% Point change (2019-2026): +1.7 Starter home price: $360,000 7. Miami-Fort Lauderdale et al., FL Miami. frankpeters/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 39.6% Point change (2019-2026): +2.2 Starter home price: $392,000 6. Urban Honolulu, HI Honolulu. Art Wager/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 39.5% Point change (2019-2026): +2.4 Starter home price: $528,000 5. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Aurora, Colorado. Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 31.6% Point change (2019-2026): +2.5 Starter home price: $456,000 4. San Jose-Sunnyvale et al., CA San Jose, California. halbergman/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 37.6% Point change (2019-2026): +2.9 Starter home price: $1,072,000 3. Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Des Moines, Iowa. Sean Pavone/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 35.1% Point change (2019-2026): +3.7 Starter home price: $276,000 2. Portland-Vancouver et al., OR-WA Oregon. BruceBlock/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 32.0% Point change (2019-2026): +4.0 Starter home price: $479,200 1. Boise City, ID Boise City, Idaho. Fly View Productions/Getty Images 2026 starter home share: 31.4% Point change (2019-2026): +4.7 Starter home price: $511,200 Read the original article on Business Insider