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PODCAST

Who Killed the Starter Home?

Have you seen any starter homes for sale lately? Neither have we. In this podcast, we speak with experts and try to figure out why this humble first home is going extinct. We’ll be exploring if it is the politicians, wielding zoning laws like a murder weapon who killed the starter home? Or maybe the scaredy-cat planners and designers? Or the developers, armed with cookie-cutter plans and corporate indifference? Is it our convoluted tax policy that subsidies homeownership, but puts every tax

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All Episodes

41:18

Do NOT Sell Grandma's Home! conversation with Shaheed...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/08/22

Shaheed Morris takes us inside his personal journey, from nearly losing his grandmother’s home to building a bigger vision for Trenton’s future and for his own. He’s working, studying, and building all at the same time, turning challenge into momentum and vision into action.

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46:45

Redefining Luxury: Walkability, History, and...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/08/16

In this episode Architect and Developer John Hatch and I explore how walkability, historic charm, and a strong sense of place can be the real luxuries—and why cities like Trenton are full of starter home treasures waiting to be rediscovered. I especially love the story of John and his collaborators literally bringing 18 homes back to life in their own neighborhood—and that’s just the beginning.

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52:14

Want a City That Works? Give a Damn!

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/08/08

In this episode, Sean Jackson, CEO of Isles, shares his thoughts on what it takes to grow a city that truly works. We talk about Trenton’s housing and community revitalization—and how it all starts with caring enough to make change happen. Isles is a nonprofit organization dedicated to training and educating adults and youth, helping families build wealth through innovative financial services, and promoting healthy living.

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46:13

Bedroom Community to True Community, Conversation...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/08/01

This first conversation is with Roland Pott, a real estate broker, developer, and longtime Trenton resident. We talk about what it really takes to turn a “bedroom community” into a real one.Trenton’s walkability, density, and affordability offer a rare opportunity: a place where first-time buyers and small-scale developers can help shape the city’s future—without waiting for billion-dollar investments or zoning miracles. Roland shares why this historic city is already built for community—and why

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57:11

Is NIMBYism Hypocrisy? Conversation with Christopher...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/07/25

In this episode, I spoke with Professor Christopher Cowton, an expert in business ethics and co-author of a powerful paper on hypocrisy. Joining us from London, he helps unpack the moral tension at the heart of NIMBYism—when people who support progressive values push back on new housing in their own neighborhoods.Is it hypocrisy? Fear? Or something deeper? And how can philosophy help us talk about housing more honestly—and more possibly more productively?

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45:17

You Get What You Tax For - conversation with Joe Small

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/07/18

In this episode, I spoke with the Honorable Judge Joe Small, retired presiding judge of the Tax Court of New Jersey. Judge Small breaks down how our property tax system, rooted in 1940s constitutional language, affects everything from starter home construction to school funding, and why it’s often lower- and middle-income families who end up footing the bill.We talk about what's broken, what could be fixed, and why some reforms are harder than they should be. We would like to hear what you think

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40:41

The Government IS Working, conversation with...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/07/11

In this episode, I spoke with Commissioner Jacquelyn Suárez of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA). As one of the state’s largest departments, DCA is on a mission to support residents, local governments, businesses, and community organizations through financial assistance, technical expertise, and smart policy—helping improve quality of life across New Jersey.I’ve personally benefited from DCA’s technical services, so it was especially exciting to hear about the innovative and

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53:14

After-Renovation Value Financing - Conversation with...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/07/04

In this episode, I spoke with Skip Schenker, who’s helping people turn fixer-uppers into dream homes by creating tools that simplify financing based on after-renovation value.Financing problems are a huge part of why starter homes are so rare—and Skip and his collaborators at Ready4Remodel.com and Renofi are working to change that.

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59:44

We ARE building starter homes! Conversation with Kol...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/06/27

In this episode, I spoke with someone who’s actually seen starter homes for sale—Kol Peterson, an author, educator, and housing advocate based in Portland, Oregon.Thanks to Kol’s efforts, and the work of many other incredible advocates, Portland is seeing real change and real results. It’s a true success story we can all admire—and learn from.

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58:00

We can bring the cost down! Conversation with Aaron Holm

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/06/20

Lots of people have asked us: Why is it so expensive to build starter homes?In this episode, I spoke with Aaron Holm, who’s tackling that question head-on. He brings deep experience in technology and innovation to the construction industry—and he’s not afraid to challenge the status quo. Spoiler alert, By the time your bids come in too high, it’s already too late. We would like to hear what you think about this conversation or if you have any ideas for how to bring the starter homes back

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01:05:32

Housing SOS: Conversation with Shane Phillips

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/06/13

In the final episode of our mini-series featuring conversations with brilliant millennials, I spoke with Shane Phillips, author of The Affordable City: Strategies for Putting Housing Within Reach (and Keeping it There). We dug into what’s broken in the housing ladder—and what kinds of housing policy could help fix it. We would like to hear what you think about this conversation or if you have any ideas for how to bring the starter homes back from the brink of extinction, send us a note

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40:35

Policy That Helps Us Evolve: Conversation with Natali...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/06/06

I continued speaking with inspiring and brilliant millennials in this week’s episode.Natali Fani-Gonzalez is a first-term council member in Montgomery County, Maryland. With her love of numbers and community-centered leadership, she has already passed a well-balanced (yet controversial) rent control bill and an office-to-residential conversion law. She’s faced plenty of setbacks along the way, but that has not stopped her: a missing middle housing bill is next in the works. We would like to

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25:47

Land Value Tax - Conversation with Daryl Fairweather

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/05/30

In this episode, I spoke with Daryl Fairweather. Dr. Fairweather is the chief economist at Redfin as well as a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Academic Advisory Council. She explained the idea of Land Value Tax and how taxing land differently can help us incentivize denser and more sustainable development.

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35:59

Stop building Future Stranded Assets. Conversation...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/05/23

Continuing my conversations with brilliant millennials, I sat down with Joseph Hendershot, Principal Analyst for Middlesex County, New Jersey.In his work with demographic and economic data, Joseph has uncovered some fascinating trends: Why is family size increasing even as the number of children declines? Why are we building things that will be obsolete in just two decades? We also discussed his personal hopes and dreams as a young professional navigating the housing landscape. We would like

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42:21

What is your American Dream? Conversation with...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/05/16

In this episode, I spoke with Christian Calderon. Unlike our other guests, he isn’t working to build starter homes—he’s trying to buy one. Christian shares a powerful immigrant story and an unwavering belief in the American Dream. We were also joined by Chris Costa from Stevens & Lee, who helped shed light on the technical challenges Christian faced in the process of purchasing his home.

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44:46

Is Sustainable Affordable? Conversation with Matt Kaplan

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/05/09

In this episode, I spoke with Matthew Kaplan, Cofounder and CEO of ReVireo, an energy efficiency and green building services company based in New Jersey. Matt and his team live and breathe sustainability as it relates to buildings. As a leader in the field, he shed light on how sustainable projects are approved and delivered—what’s not working, and what could be improved.We would like to hear what you think about this conversation or if you have any ideas for how to bring the starter homes back

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01:24:52

Legalizing Cities: Conversation with Burhan Azeem

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/05/02

This is one of the most inspiring conversations I have had. In this episode, I spoke with Burhan Azeem. He is the youngest city councilor in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Burhan worked tirelessly to remove costly parking minimums and expand zoning for 100% affordable housing projects. He is laser focused on legalizing multifamily housing up to six stories throughout the city, ensuring that Cambridge remains an affordable and accessible place to live for all its residents. For those who are

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33:51

Gentrification: Hopeful and Practical Solutions

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/04/25

I’m thrilled to continue the conversations with brilliant millennials about housing and homeownership.In this episode, I spoke with Iziah Thompson, a Senior Policy Analyst at the Community Service Society of New York, where he researches and advocates for housing policies aimed at improving the lives of low-income New Yorkers and strengthening urban communities. We discussed Community Land Trusts, and I learned about Land Acquisition Revolving Funds. We also didn’t shy away from addressing the

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54:46

Theory and Practice of Changing People's Minds,...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/04/18

As we continue in our series of conversations with brilliant Millennials, I spoke with Matt Mleczko. Dr. Mleczko received his Ph.D. in Population Studies and Social Policy from Princeton University where he conducted research as part of the The Eviction Lab. Matt also practices what he preaches - he can be found educating people about housing policy, attending public hearings supporting local projects and helping build coalitions. Check out his organization PrincetonGrows.comDo let us know what you

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50:50

Caught between Institutional Investors and NIMBYs,...

Who Killed the Starter Home? ·

2025/04/11

This episode kicks off a series of conversations with millennials about housing and homeownership.I spoke with Katie Brennan, a graduate of Rutgers University’s Master of Urban Planning program. She has worked for both nonprofit and governmental organizations—for example, she served as the Chief of Staff at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. She is also running for public office. I was interested in hearing both the personal stories and professional perspectives of these talented

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