Don’t live in Massachusetts.
You can find very nice starter homes in Texas for less than 200k.
I'm in PA. You can find a very nice starter home here for less than $30k. If you want to roll up your sleeves, you can get a starter for under $10k. I've gotten a few of them for FREE (needing a roof or other major needs). And these aren't bad places in bad neighborhoods. Solid older homes that have been neglected or abandoned to the tax office; places where owners have gone to nursing homes or to relatives who don't know or care about cleaning out and selling the house; landlords fed up with tenants. I'm working on one now, 22 rooms, in good shape except for tenant trash and a wrecked kitchen -- bought it for $7500. I've been doing this since I turned 18 and have yet to burn my fingers on an investment. Never had a mortgage either. But if you NEED to live in or near a big city, go for it!