The Missing Middle Podcast Canada’s Starter Home Is Dead
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Feb 4, 2026 A look at how the old starter-home ladder has collapsed and why small condos no longer lead to larger family homes. They discuss how trapped condo owners can’t generate the equity to move up. The conversation links housing failure to lower birth rates, limited careers, and broader economic consequences. It also critiques policy that ignores the second-time buyer problem and calls for family-sized housing solutions.
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Buying A Starter Home In 2004
- Mike Moffatt bought a brand-new detached 3-bedroom home in London, Ontario in 2004 for about $168,000.
- He used equity from that starter home to move into a larger family home seven years later.
Starter Home Has Shifted Generationally
- The definition of a 'starter home' has shifted across generations from small townhomes to shoebox condos for many younger buyers.
- That shift means today's buyers often can't realistically use a starter home to 'trade up' later.
Aged Out Of Starter Homes
- Sabrina Maddeaux explains she's 'aged out' of the starter home phase and wouldn't buy a tiny condo now.
- She worries small condos bought today won't allow buyers to trade up later in life.