Starter house

A starter house is a house that can be bought and (if necessary) furnished for less than 20,000 Simoleons, as that's what newly created Create a Sim Sim families in The Sims and The Sims 2 have without cheating.

Even if it's not necessary to move a Sim into a lot in order to build on it, it may be helpful to do so when constructing a starter house, so that you won't be tempted to go over. Starting with The Sims 2: Nightlife, you can "View Lot Info" to see the total lot value.