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starter home

British  

noun

  1. a compact flat or house marketed by price and size specifications to suit the requirements of first-time home buyers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Today, a $900,000 starter home in her city on a $300,000 household income is 3x her and her husband’s combined annual income.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

His family just upgraded to a bigger home, paying $400,000 for a place with an extra bathroom, a bigger yard and about 1,000 more square feet than their starter home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026

The research also showed that terraced homes made up 30% of new mortgages for first-time buyers, although flats have been increasing in popularity as a cheaper starter home option.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2024

Under this law, the retirees can earn supplemental income and young families can buy an affordable starter home.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2023

“It was frustrating to be driven away from two jobs that we very much enjoyed, but a starter home for our family would have cost over $600,000.”

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

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