Star · Ada County
The Treasure Valley's growth corridor.
Where new construction is remaking what used to be the western edge. Entry-level flip opportunities, infill potential, and a growth rate that has outpaced forecast for three consecutive years.
Population & Growth
Population · 2025 est.
21,800
Ada County · COMPASS 2025
10-year growth
+174.6%
Fastest in the Treasure Valley · COMPASS
Median sale price · Mar 2026
$585,000
-8.6% YoY · Redfin
Days on market · Mar 2026
152 days
Highest in the Valley · Redfin
Buyer's-market context
Star's 152-day average DOM is the highest among the nine Treasure Valley cities, reflecting a buyer's market at this price point. Sellers are negotiating from a weaker position than in previous years. Model conservative absorption timelines on flip and new-build dispositions.
Star is the fastest-growing small city on the Valley's west side. New-construction velocity has outpaced forecast three years running. The growth pattern is suburbanization of Middleton/Eagle spillover combined with price-sensitive buyer relocation from Meridian.
Flips
Flip ARV range
$480K–$620K
When product appears
Star flip product is limited. Most stock is either new or under 15 years old. Basis is meaningfully above Nampa/Caldwell but below Meridian.
SFH Rentals
Star SFH rental product is thin but demand is strong. 3BR averages track Meridian's. Vacancy is tight.
Infill & New Construction
Star's infill opportunity is the parcels that were overlooked in the first growth wave. We track lot-split-viable corners and strategic corridor-adjacent parcels.
Land & Annexation
Most of Star's near-term pipeline is annexation-adjacent parcels. We've represented acquisitions in the 24-to-36-month pre-annexation window where basis clears at 55–70% of post-annexation comparable.
Lot Splits, ADUs & Duplexes
Star's displayed code is current through Ordinance 428-2025, but Ordinance 437-2026 and a pending UDC rewrite postdate it. Exact ADU standards remain held until the later signed actions and effective dates are reconciled.
Star spans Ada and Canyon Counties, and the public zoning map is materially stale. Confirm city jurisdiction and obtain a current property-specific zoning record before permitting.
Data
Star in context. Ada County, ten years.
Population series 2015 through 2025 from the corrected COMPASS 2025 historic city-limit file. Price figures from Redfin and Zillow as of March 2026.
Renew take
Star printed +174.6% over the decade, the steepest in the Valley peer set. Most of that came 2018-22. The 2024-25 deceleration is real: 152-day DOM and -8.6% YoY say Star moved into a buyer's market faster than the comp cities.
Inventory pipeline: Star's developer-owned platted lots are the leading indicator; when sell-through stalls, resale comps follow.
Source: COMPASS corrected 2025 historic city-limit population series.
Renew take
Star's median compresses against Eagle and N. Meridian even though geographically it's between them. That's the supply story: Star is mostly new-build product, and new-build oversupply is dragging the Q1 2026 comp set.
Days-on-market resale vs. new-build: when resale DOM diverges from new-build by 30+ days, the flip arbitrage opens.
Source: Redfin and Zillow, March 2026. Point-in-time figures, not annualized.
Last updated: April 2026.
Asset classes
4 plays, one city. Underwriting-grade briefs.
Each asset class has its own brief for Star: market snapshot, Renew take, relevant ordinance, and named risks.
Flips
Star flip product is scarce — most stock is new or under 15 years old. South Star river-frontage and select North Star resales are the highest-volume targets when product appears. 152-day DOM signals buyer's market: model conservative disposition timelines.
Read brief →Raw + entitledLand
Land is the dominant Star play. Pre-annexation parcels in the Area of Impact clear at 55-70% of post-annexation comparable on 24-36 month horizons. Water rights, jurisdiction (Star vs. Ada County R-RP), and Highway 44 access drive valuation.
Read brief →Small-format new buildInfill Development
Star's infill opportunity is the parcels overlooked in the first growth wave — lot-split-viable corners and corridor-adjacent parcels along Highway 44 / State Street. Title 8 Unified Development Code (2022 update) governs density and setbacks.
Read brief →Buy-and-hold single-familySFH Rentals
Star SFH rental product is thin but demand is strong; 3BR averages track Meridian's. North Star master-planned subdivisions anchor the buy-and-hold playbook. Vacancy is tight and tenant quality is stable.
Read brief →See deals matching your criteria in Star.
Document your buy-box once. We call when something fits: flips, SFH rentals, infill lots, or multifamily.
Neighborhoods
4 Star neighborhoods. Each with its own read.
Primary and secondary investment neighborhoods with stat cards, Renew takes, risks, and ordinance-level code references.
Downtown Star
Historic Highway 44 frontage between State Street and the Boise River. Mixed-use redevelopment and small-format infill candidates concentrate here; the legacy commercial stock is thin but increasingly active. Investor pipeline targets corner lots and parcels near the planned downtown plaza redevelopment.
Neighborhood brief →Master-planned · family rentalsNorth Star
Newer master-planned subdivisions north of Highway 44. Family-rental demand is strong and vacancy is tight; 3BR rents track Meridian's. Predictable comps and production-builder activity make this the lowest-friction Star submarket for first-time investors. 2025 saw 496 new residential subdivision lots platted citywide; the bulk landed here.
Neighborhood brief →River frontage · view premiumsSouth Star
Boise River frontage and floodplain-adjacent land south of the city. View-lot premiums are material on river-front parcels; floodplain mapping is the dominant diligence item. Higher-value SFH territory than North Star; flip product is scarce but high-margin when sourced.
Neighborhood brief →Long-horizon land · pre-annexationStar Area of Impact
Unincorporated Ada County land within Star's annexation pipeline (governed by Ada County Code Chapter 6 — Star Area of City Impact). Long-horizon land entitlement plays in the 24-36 month pre-annexation window where basis clears at 55-70% of post-annexation comparable. Confirm jurisdiction (Star city limits vs. Ada County R-RP zone) before permitting.
Neighborhood brief →Research
Briefs and methodology. Timestamped, sourced.
Short-form research on Star market movement, ordinance updates, and neighborhood dynamics.
Star Area of Impact Annexation Pipeline and Entitlement Timing
Star's Area of Impact annexation process requires 2-3 month minimum timelines from application to City Council approval, with entitlement risk concentrated in rezoning compatibility and infrastructure
Star growth trajectory and thin-inventory absorption dynamics 2026
Star's 19% population growth since 2020 collides with 86 active listings and 49-day median absorption, creating a supply-constrained market where new construction at $534K median undercuts resale inve
Star Real Estate Research: Methodology and Data Sources
Page type: Methodology
Related markets
Adjacent Treasure Valley cities. Same investor lens.
Most investors compare two or three of these cities side-by-side. Each hub carries the same depth of population, price, asset-class, and ordinance data.
Ada County
Eagle
Premium market
The Treasure Valley's premium investor market. Scarce product, executive-tier rentals, and large-lot land plays sourced through our investor network.
See EagleCanyon County
Middleton
Rural-residential
Rural-residential Canyon County, +97.0% over a decade. Long-horizon land plays, stable SFH rentals, and narrow-but-high-margin flip opportunities.
See MiddletonAda County
Meridian
Fastest growing
147,340 residents, +61.3% over a decade. 848 apartments and 35 townhomes under development near The Village. Old Town Opportunity Zone in play.
See MeridianLooking for a different play?
Run the math on a Star deal
All toolsReady to look at Star?
Growth corridor, new construction, annexation upside.