Starter homes are scarce, so Utah set a target to build more. Here's how it's going

Jennifer Ludden / NPR

PLAIN CITY, Utah — Miranda and Cole Potokar, who are 23 and 24, have talked a lot with friends about their terrible timing in the housing market.

"We would make jokes like, 'What was I doing in third grade? I should have been buying a house instead of learning, you know, multiplication!' " says Miranda.

The young couple came of age in northern Utah as housing prices across much of the country marched upward steadily, then sharply. Utah is now one of the priciest markets . That's fueled by growing demand from family sizes that are bigger than those elsewhere in the U.S., plus more people moving to the state .

Marisa Peñaloza / NPR / NPR

After getting married two years ago, the Potokars decided to live in Miranda's grandparents' basement to save