Great job though. Persistence really pays off. My wife and I bought a house in an ok neighborhood and struggled to pay it off for almost ten years. When covid hit and they were offering 2% loans we had about $20k left to pay on it. By the time we found the next place we wanted and saved a down payment, prices had shot up, interest rates were higher, but we ended up buying points instead of using all of our money for down payment and got our current interest rate below 3%. Our old house, which was paid off, sat on the market for almost 3 months before we sold it, put all the money toward our current home, and did a refinance for the same interest rate for six figures less.
Starter homes are especially great when you know it's a starter home. You don't dump a ton of money into it, everything becomes "will this decision add value when we sell it" and you don't get emotionally tied to it. It's a stepping stone to get you where you want to be.