Part of the county supply problem shows up starkly in the decline of starter homes, the smaller, more affordable houses that once served as the first rung on the home ownership ladder. In the early 1980s, roughly 40% of new homes built in the United States were starter homes. By 2023, that share had dropped to around 9% of new construction. This collapse in entry-level housing limits access for first-time buyers, effectively shutting many families out of home ownership altogether.
Without these entry points, the traditional pattern, starter home → larger family home → downsizing later in life, begins to break down, reinforcing inequality and intergenerational housing insecurity.
The Kane County Housing Readiness Market Analysis undertaken in collaboration with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) offered a broad data set on the needs for housing in the county. With the passage of the federal 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a number of provisions potentially factor into the Kane County housing market.
Among the federal provisions that affect local conditions, the Housing Act restricts institutional investment in single-family homes to prevent concentration of housing in the hands of investors.
Section 301 of the Act eliminates a long-standing requirement for a permanent chassis on manufactured homes. This opens up possibilities in design while also potentially lowering costs for smaller manufactured homes.
Together, the new law opens up possibilities for more homes meeting the needs of home buyers in search of smaller one- and two-bedroom homes.
