About this tool
The AEI Housing Center's answers to common questions about state bills that greenlight starter homes on smaller lots in new subdivisions and light-touch homes in existing neighborhoods. It covers recommended minimum lot sizes, the size, bedrooms and prices of small-lot homes, zoning history, local control, schools and taxes, and institutional investors. It helps lawmakers and residents see what these bills would change and what the evidence says.
- Shows
- Questions and answers with charts on lot size, living area, bedrooms and affordability of new homes, the New Home Bonus of naturally occurring affordable homes, survey support and state legislation.
- Places
- Nation, States
- Years
- 2000–2026
Questions it answers
- What minimum lot size should a state set to allow starter homes?
- Would homes on 2,500 square foot lots be big enough for a family?
- How many more starter homes would small-lot bills produce?
- Which states have passed starter home legislation?
- Will more homes overcrowd schools or lower home values?
- Are institutional investors buying up single-family homes?
Limits
- This is an FAQ document of the Housing Center's recommendations and research, not an interactive data tool.
- Estimates of additional starter homes and freed-up affordable homes are projections that assume broad state passage of these bills.