Other than that everyone is in their starter house because you basically have to double your mortgage to get something slightly nicer.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5782954&forum_id=2#49324254)

Cities in most places have larger townhouses in the nicer suburbs. Then you get the stacked units, a recent development, which is a townhouse on top of another while the overall appearance is one large townhouse. Those tend to be found primarily in more expensive suburbs as infill.

OP is right. If you bought/refinanced when rates were sub 3%, it's very hard to give up a supercheap mortgage. I've looked into it myself as I'm ready for the "I've made it" house but when I do the math and realize I'm more than doubling payments while adding significantly more equity, all for something that is vanity more than necessity. So we haven't bit the bullet. And won't till rates drift back down closer to 4ish. And, incidentally, the older I get the less important it becomes.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5782954&forum_id=2#49324318)

You sound like a boomer who is shocked to learn that a teacher can't afford an 1100 sf condo in the school district she teaches in.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5782954&forum_id=2#49324612)