In this episode of Open Floor, Shane Hall breaks down why the traditional American starter home has effectively disappeared — especially for Gen Z and young buyers across Maryland. What used to be the first rung on the ladder of upward mobility is now out of reach for many. And the reasons run far deeper than “high prices.”

This conversation was sparked by Shane’s recent talk at NewDay USA with forty young professionals asking what their path to homeownership should look like — and why it feels impossible.

Shane explains:

• How renting is romanticized because it’s easy, flexible, and maintenance-free

• Why renting builds someone else’s wealth (not yours)

• The emotional strain and decision fatigue first-time buyers experience

• How financial literacy is not taught in school — leaving 20-somethings to figure out adulthood by trial and error

• Why most buyers drastically underestimate the real hurdles ahead

Then he zooms out to the systemic forces:

• 4.9 million homes missing from the U.S. market

• Maryland’s need for nearly 600,000 new units by 2045

• Zoning laws that block multi-family housing in 70% of major metro areas

• Developers restricted from adding supply

• Institutional investors targeting the bottom tier — the very homes first-timers need most

• How “waiting for rates to drop” backfires when prices keep rising

Shane breaks down why:

• The median Maryland home now costs $420,000+

• Down payments have soared

• The average first-time homebuyer is now 38–40 years old

• The “starter home” has been priced out of existence

He also lays out real solutions:

• House hacking

• Buying with friends/family

• State and federal grants

• Community land trusts

• Land value tax reform

• Zoning modernization

• Political will to boost supply

But the core message is this:
Freedom doesn’t come from renting. It comes from assets. The longer young buyers wait, the further behind they fall.

This is a blunt, honest, empathetic breakdown of the most pressing economic issue facing today’s young Americans.

The floor is open.