Overview
- After the Federal Reserve lowered rates this week, Gov. Spencer Cox said he is more optimistic about financing and development for entry-level houses.
- Utah has 5,801 starter homes built and sold toward the 35,000 goal as of September, up from 5,100 in May, according to the state dashboard.
- State leaders and developers cite high costs, restrictive land-use rules and slow permitting as the primary obstacles to faster building.
- Cox signaled openness to state preemption of minimum-lot-size zoning but said he prefers cities to make changes voluntarily.
- Utah's market remains strained, with a $590,000 median listing price in September and a long-range estimate of a 200,000-home shortfall without policy shifts.