{"id":86684,"date":"2026-08-05T05:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T12:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/?p=86684"},"modified":"2026-08-03T12:27:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T19:27:51","slug":"starter-home-affordability-improving-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves Slightly Faster Than Overall Market"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><i>Starter-home affordability is improving:<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The income needed to afford a typical U.S. starter home is down 1.5% from a year ago, marking eight straight months of declines as price growth cools.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><i>Affordability for entry-level homes is improving more than the overall market:<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The income needed to buy the typical U.S. home is down just 0.5% because price growth remains stronger at higher price points as affluent buyers remain active.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><i>Typical incomes are pulling further ahead:<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The median U.S. household now earns about $17,000 more than what&#8217;s needed to afford a starter home, up from $12,500 a year ago.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><i>More starter homes are within reach:<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The typical household would spend 24% of its income on a starter home, down from 26% a year ago, and 71% of starter-home listings are affordable on the median income, up from 65%.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><i>Affordability varies widely by market:<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Every starter-home listing is affordable on the median income in 22 of the most populous U.S. metros, but none are in Southern California.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><i>Most metros are becoming more affordable:<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Austin leads the nation in improving starter-home affordability, while Detroit, Philadelphia and Cleveland are becoming less affordable\u2014though typical local households can still generally afford starter homes.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Americans need to earn $70,693 to afford the typical U.S. starter home, down 1.5% from a year ago. The income needed to afford a starter home\u2013those in the 5th to 35th percentile for sale prices\u2013has been falling since November 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the declines are shrinking; in January, for instance, the income needed to afford a starter home fell 5.3% year over year. That\u2019s largely because <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freddiemac.com\/pmms\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mortgage rates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have risen throughout 2026, pushing up housing costs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"datawrapper-vis-so91N\" style=\"min-height: 488px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" defer src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/so91N\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" data-target=\"#datawrapper-vis-so91N\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/so91N\/full.png\" alt=\"Starter-Home Affordability Improves For 8th Straight Month (Column Chart)\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We consider a home affordable if a buyer taking out a mortgage would spend no more than 30% of their income on their monthly housing payment. Starter homes are those in the 5th to 35th percentile for sale prices. This is based on a Redfin analysis of median home sale prices, prevailing mortgage rates and property-tax payments, and assumes a 15% down payment. This report focuses on June 2026\u2014the most recent period for which data is available.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The income needed to buy a starter home is declining while earnings are rising. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The typical American household earns an estimated $87,599, about $17,000 more<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">than what\u2019s needed to buy the median-priced U.S. starter home. That gap is widening: A year ago, the typical American earned roughly $12,500 more than they needed to buy a starter home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"datawrapper-vis-W6g7f\" style=\"min-height: 487px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" defer src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/W6g7f\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" data-target=\"#datawrapper-vis-W6g7f\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/W6g7f\/full.png\" alt=\"Incomes Are Rising Faster Than Income Needed to Buy a Starter Home (Line chart)\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Affordability is improving more for entry-level homes than for the housing market as a whole. Americans need to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/affordability-homebuying-2026\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">earn $109,796<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to afford the typical U.S. home for sale, down just 0.5% from an all-time high of $110,382 a year ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Affordability is improving a bit faster for starter homes because their prices are increasing at a slower rate; the median price rose 1.2% year over year in June, compared with a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/home-prices-record-high-june-2026\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2.2% increase<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for all homes. The typical household earns about $22,000 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">less <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">than they need to buy the median-priced home in the overall market. The discrepancy is partly because the overall market is driven by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/luxury-housing-market-may-2026\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outsized price increases<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the luxury segment, and outsized price increases in places like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/home-prices-record-high-june-2026\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Francisco and West Palm Beach<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where affluent buyers are active. At the same time, some would-be buyers of starter homes are pulling back because they typically earn less money and are more sensitive to affordability pressures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Affordability is improving for starter homes by a few other measures, too:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Decline in share of earnings spent on housing. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The typical American would need to spend 24.2% of their earnings to afford the median-priced starter home, down from 25.6% a year ago. That\u2019s because prices of starter homes are growing slower than wages.\u00a0 A common rule of thumb in housing is that you should spend no more than 30% of your income on your monthly housing payment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Uptick in the number of affordable listings. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than seven in 10 (71.4%) of U.S. home listings were affordable to someone earning the median income in June, up from 64.7% a year earlier.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While starter-home affordability has improved modestly, it is still strained, with sale prices near record highs and mortgage rates elevated near 7%\u2013and it is becoming even more strained, with rates hitting their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freddiemac.com\/pmms\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">highest level<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in a year at the end of July. Even though starter homes cost less than others, they\u2019re still often out of reach for first-time buyers, especially in expensive markets like coastal California and New York. First-time buyers are also competing with move-up buyers, who typically have equity from previous sales, for starter homes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAffordability has improved modestly for entry-level buyers, but starter homes come with tradeoffs, and finding the right one is a challenge,\u201d said Yingqi Xu, a senior economist at Redfin. \u201cThe first-time buyers who are in the market are already stretching their budgets to afford monthly mortgage payments, so they\u2019re hesitant to take on expensive renovations. Move-in ready starter homes attract strong demand, while fixer-uppers aren\u2019t quite as desirable because the buyers who are typically in the market for an inexpensive home don\u2019t have much financial cushion for renovations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starter homes are selling slightly slower than homes in the overall market. Sales of starter homes rose 2.2% year over year during the three months ending in June, compared with a 3.3% increase for median-priced homes. The typical starter home spent four more days on the market than median priced homes: 43 versus 39.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Every Single Starter-Home Listing Is Affordable in Almost Half of the Biggest U.S. Metros<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All starter-home listings are affordable on the area\u2019s median income in nearly half of the metros in this analysis, mostly in the south and Middle America.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s the full list of 22 metro areas:\u00a0 Austin, Fort Worth, Charlotte, Dallas, Virginia Beach, Houston, Montgomery County, PA, Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Columbus, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Warren, Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Detroit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Detroit, the median-earning household would spend just 13.9% on a starter home, the smallest share in the U.S., followed by Pittsburgh (14.8%) and St. Louis (14.9%).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>In California, Starter Homes Are Out of Reach\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While starter homes are affordable in much of the country, they are almost impossible for average locals to buy in the most expensive markets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In three California metro areas\u2013San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco\u2013there are virtually zero starter-home listings affordable on the area\u2019s median income. In Anaheim, just 2.6% of starter-home listings are affordable to the typical resident, and in San Jose, it\u2019s 7.4%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Los Angeles, a household earning the median income would spend 51% of their income on a starter home, the highest share of the metros in this analysis. Next come two other California metros: Anaheim (47.6%) and San Francisco (47.3%).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Bay Area, the typical starter home costs nearly $1 million, making it tough for even someone earning the area\u2019s high median income to afford. In San Diego and Los Angeles, the typical starter home costs roughly $650,000, putting it out of reach for people earning the median income in those places\u2013which is lower than in the Bay Area, but higher than nationwide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Starter Homes Are Becoming More Affordable in Most of the Country\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starter-home affordability is improving in 30 of the nation\u2019s 50 most populous metro areas. In Austin, TX, homebuyers needed to earn $92,607 to afford a median-priced home, down 6.1% year over year\u2013the biggest decline of the metros in this analysis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oakland, CA had the second-biggest decline: Buyers there must earn $162,765 down 6% year over year. Dallas, where buyers must earn $83,096, down 5.1%, rounds out the top three.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the flip side, it got <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">harder <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to afford a starter home in Detroit, where buyers must earn 8.3% more than a year ago. It\u2019s followed by Cleveland (6.1% more) and Nassau County, NY (3.7% more). Still, buyers in Detroit and Cleveland, which are relatively affordable, typically earn much more than necessary to afford a starter home. In Detroit, for instance, the typical local household earns $65,687, versus the $30,511 necessary to afford the median-priced starter home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In more than half of the major metros, including Detroit and Cleveland, the typical household earns <\/span><b>more than<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> what\u2019s needed to afford a starter home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"6\"><b>Metro-Level Summary: Income Needed to Afford a Starter Home, June 2026<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We analyzed the 50 most populous U.S. CSBAs and included the 46 with sufficient data<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>U.S. metro area<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Income required to afford typical starter home<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Income required to afford typical starter home, YoY change<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Estimated median income<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Share of income required to afford a starter home<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Share of starter-home listings affordable to median-earning household<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anaheim, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$200,255<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-0.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$126,178<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">47.61%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Austin, TX<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$92,607<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-6.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$109,059<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">25.47%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baltimore, MD<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$68,647<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$112,328<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">18.33%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boston, MA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$141,696<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-1.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$127,467<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">33.35%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">28.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charlotte, NC<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$76,552<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-1.3%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$91,545<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">25.09%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cincinnati, OH<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$58,734<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2.8%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$89,002<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">19.80%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleveland, OH<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$43,336<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$78,519<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">16.56%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Columbus, OH<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$64,501<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">0.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$91,468<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">21.16%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dallas, TX<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$83,096<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-5.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$103,144<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">24.17%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Denver, CO<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$108,689<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-4.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$116,323<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">28.03%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">68.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Detroit, MI<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$30,511<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8.3%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$65,687<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13.93%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fort Worth, TX<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$77,886<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-4.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$93,102<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">25.10%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Houston, TX<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$70,384<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-4.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$90,865<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">23.24%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indianapolis, IN<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$56,033<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-0.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$90,927<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">18.49%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jacksonville, FL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$65,957<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-3.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$88,715<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">22.30%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kansas City, MO<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$60,790<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">0.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$92,718<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">19.67%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Las Vegas, NV<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$87,481<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-4.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$82,975<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">31.63%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">46.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Los Angeles, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$166,231<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-4.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$97,775<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">51.00%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">0.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Miami, FL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$92,851<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-3.3%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$77,854<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">35.78%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">32.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Milwaukee, WI<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$64,459<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2.8%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$86,909<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">22.25%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Montgomery County, PA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$97,537<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-0.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$127,721<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">22.91%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nashville, TN<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$86,853<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-2.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$96,448<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">27.02%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">78.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nassau County, NY<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$163,351<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$149,811<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">32.71%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">32.8%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Brunswick, NJ<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$113,112<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">0.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$122,960<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">27.60%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">68.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New York, NY<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$132,117<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1.5%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$98,287<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">40.33%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">24.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newark, NJ<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$120,830<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$113,773<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">31.86%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">41.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oakland, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$162,765<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-6.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$139,407<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">35.03%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">26.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Orlando, FL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$79,058<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-1.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$85,400<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">27.77%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">72.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Philadelphia, PA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$49,204<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$75,254<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">19.62%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phoenix, AZ<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$88,154<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-4.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$95,979<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">27.55%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">76.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pittsburgh, PA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$41,213<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$83,419<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">14.82%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Portland, OR<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$114,334<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-2.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$105,952<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">32.37%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">35.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Providence, RI<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$107,457<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$94,620<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">34.07%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">23.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Riverside, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$111,413<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-3.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$97,116<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">34.42%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">24.5%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sacramento, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$118,531<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-2.5%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$105,873<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">33.59%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">23.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Antonio, TX<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$62,859<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-3.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$83,650<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">22.54%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Diego, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$170,647<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-2.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$115,304<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">44.40%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">0.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Francisco, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$255,320<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-4.6%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$162,118<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">47.25%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">0.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">San Jose, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$253,882<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-1.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$176,401<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">43.18%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seattle, WA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$155,049<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-3.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$131,404<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">35.40%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">28.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">St. Louis, MO<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$44,049<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$88,593<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">14.92%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tampa, FL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$67,827<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-3.5%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$81,390<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">25.00%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">90.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virginia Beach, VA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$71,667<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$91,854<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">23.41%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Warren, MI<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$58,325<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">0.7%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$96,676<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">18.10%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington, DC<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$107,583<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-0.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$141,029<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">22.89%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100.0%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">West Palm Beach, FL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$71,719<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-3.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$90,688<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">23.72%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">83.3%<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starter-home affordability is improving: The income needed to afford a typical U.S. starter home is down 1.5% from a year ago, marking eight straight months of declines as price growth cools. Affordability for entry-level homes is improving more than the overall market: The income needed to buy the typical U.S. home is down just 0.5% [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13153,"featured_media":86688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,8],"tags":[20,850],"dashboard":[798],"coauthors":[124,747],"class_list":["post-86684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-affordability","category-housing-market-news","tag-housing-affordability","tag-starter-homes","dashboard-starter-home-market"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.7 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The income needed to afford a typical U.S. starter home is down 1.5% from a year ago, marking eight straight months of declines as price growth cools.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves Slightly Faster Than Overall Market\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The income needed to afford a typical U.S. starter home is down 1.5% from a year ago, marking eight straight months of declines as price growth cools.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Redfin Real Estate News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/redfin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-05T12:10:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1799\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dana Anderson, Yingqi Xu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@redfin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@redfin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dana Anderson, Yingqi Xu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dana Anderson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/309385292bf91585d2e0a130b0a2566b\"},\"headline\":\"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves Slightly Faster Than Overall Market\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-05T12:10:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1567,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Housing Affordability\",\"starter homes\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Affordability\",\"Housing Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-05T12:10:09+00:00\",\"description\":\"The income needed to afford a typical U.S. starter home is down 1.5% from a year ago, marking eight straight months of declines as price growth cools.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":1799,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves Slightly Faster Than Overall Market\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Redfin Real Estate News\",\"description\":\"The latest real estate news and research from technology-powered residential real estate company, Redfin.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Redfin\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/Redfin-News-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/Redfin-News-Logo.png\",\"width\":1100,\"height\":235,\"caption\":\"Redfin\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/redfin\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/redfin\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/redfinrealestate\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/redfin\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/redfin\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Redfin\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/309385292bf91585d2e0a130b0a2566b\",\"name\":\"Dana Anderson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/Dana_Anderson_722_RT-150x150.jpg6a0821cd173d24b4c47bf9d2c09ca097\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/Dana_Anderson_722_RT-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/Dana_Anderson_722_RT-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Dana Anderson\"},\"description\":\"As a data journalist at Redfin, Dana Anderson writes about the numbers behind real estate trends. Redfin is a full-service real estate brokerage that uses modern technology to make clients smarter and faster. For more information about working with a Redfin real estate agent to buy or sell a home, visit our Why Redfin page.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.redfin.com/news\\\/author\\\/dana-andersonredfin-com\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves","description":"The income needed to afford a typical U.S. starter home is down 1.5% from a year ago, marking eight straight months of declines as price growth cools.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves Slightly Faster Than Overall Market","og_description":"The income needed to afford a typical U.S. starter home is down 1.5% from a year ago, marking eight straight months of declines as price growth cools.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/","og_site_name":"Redfin Real Estate News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/redfin","article_published_time":"2026-08-05T12:10:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1799,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Dana Anderson, Yingqi Xu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@redfin","twitter_site":"@redfin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dana Anderson, Yingqi Xu","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Dana Anderson","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/309385292bf91585d2e0a130b0a2566b"},"headline":"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves Slightly Faster Than Overall Market","datePublished":"2026-08-05T12:10:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/"},"wordCount":1567,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Housing Affordability","starter homes"],"articleSection":["Affordability","Housing Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/","name":"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-05T12:10:09+00:00","description":"The income needed to afford a typical U.S. starter home is down 1.5% from a year ago, marking eight straight months of declines as price growth cools.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-29557687-scaled.jpg","width":1799,"height":1200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/starter-home-affordability-improving-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"First-Time Buyers Catch a Break As Affordability For U.S. Starter Homes Improves Slightly Faster Than Overall Market"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/","name":"Redfin Real Estate News","description":"The latest real estate news and research from technology-powered residential real estate company, Redfin.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Redfin","url":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Redfin-News-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Redfin-News-Logo.png","width":1100,"height":235,"caption":"Redfin"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/redfin","https:\/\/x.com\/redfin","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/redfinrealestate\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/redfin","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/redfin\/","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Redfin"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/309385292bf91585d2e0a130b0a2566b","name":"Dana Anderson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Dana_Anderson_722_RT-150x150.jpg6a0821cd173d24b4c47bf9d2c09ca097","url":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Dana_Anderson_722_RT-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Dana_Anderson_722_RT-150x150.jpg","caption":"Dana Anderson"},"description":"As a data journalist at Redfin, Dana Anderson writes about the numbers behind real estate trends. Redfin is a full-service real estate brokerage that uses modern technology to make clients smarter and faster. For more information about working with a Redfin real estate agent to buy or sell a home, visit our Why Redfin page.","url":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/author\/dana-andersonredfin-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13153"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86684"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86689,"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86684\/revisions\/86689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86684"},{"taxonomy":"dashboard","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dashboard?post=86684"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=86684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}