What happened to starter homes?

For decades, the idea was simple: buy a modest first home, build equity, and eventually move up. But today, many buyers feel like starter homes have disappeared entirely.

In this episode, Silas Lindenstein takes a closer look at the concept of the starter home and explains why the traditional version may be gone, but the opportunity is still very real.

Silas talks about:

• Why starter homes feel harder to find today

• How housing markets have changed

• Why buyers may need to rethink what a “starter home” really means

• How the first home is still one of the most powerful financial steps you can take

If you’re trying to buy your first home and feeling discouraged, this episode may change how you think about the path forward.

Buying a home can turn your brain into a 2 a.m. anxiety machine. Paint colors. Cracks in the wall. “Is this place secretly haunted?”

In this episode, Silas breaks down what you’re actually allowed to worry about when buying a home, and what’s just noise. Not to eliminate fear, but to aim it correctly.

We talk about the things that truly matter long-term, the stuff that affects your lifestyle and finances, and why most buyers end up stressing about the wrong details. If you’re an anxious buyer who wants clarity instead of panic, this episode is for you.

In this episode of You’re Buying a Home with Silas Lindenstein, I break down the buzz around 50-year mortgages and whether they actually make homeownership more affordable — or just more expensive over time.

We talk about how longer mortgages lower your monthly payment, why that can be misleading, how interest and amortization really work, and why lenders often focus on what’s possible instead of what’s sustainable. I also explain who these loans might make sense for (rarely), the risks of relying on future refinancing, and why mortgage choices are as much about peace of mind as they are about math.

If you’re a first-time buyer or feeling stretched by today’s prices and rates, this episode will help you think clearly before locking yourself into decades of stress.