Lotvox market story
ZIP 78661
Caldwell County, TX
What homes are worth, what they cost to carry, how fast they sell — one step at a time.
- Typical home value
- $205,540
- 12-month change
- −3.3%
- Payment share of income
- 28.5%
This week since 2026-10-08: Payment share of income 28.5% (was 28.2%) · Monthly P&I $1,138 (was $1,125)
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Who's going to sell in 78661 this year?
Lotvox Turnover Index
Ranking every home in 78661 by how likely it is to sell
The Lotvox Turnover Index isn't offered for 78661 yet.
Where
78661 in Caldwell County, TX
78661 is one of 7 ZIP codes that lie mostly in Caldwell County, TX.
Shaded by typical home value, it ranks 7 of the 7 with a value.
- Value rank in county
- 7 of 7
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, TIGER/Line boundaries; Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research
Local life
Schools in 78661
1 school location in 78661: 1 high.
In alphabetical order: PRAIRIE LEA SCHOOL. Locations only — no ratings are shown here.
- School locations
- 1
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (school locations)
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What it costs
Home values
What homes are worth in 78661
In February 2022 the typical home in 78661 was worth $260,995.
Values peaked at $272,461 in July 2022. The latest reading is −24.6% from that peak.
As of August 2026: $205,540, −3.3% over twelve months.
- Typical home value
- $205,540
- 12-month change
- −3.3%
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research · data as of 2026-08-31
Housing pulse
Monthly cost vs. price
Start with the typical home: $205,540. Put 20% down and borrow $164,432 at 7.40%, the 30-year fixed average as of October 8, 2026.
That is $1,138 a month in principal and interest.
The median household here earns $47,917 a year, $3,993 a month. So the payment takes 28.5% of income — rated “stretched” (Lotvox ZIP bands: under 28% affordable · 28–36% stretched · 36%+ severe).
The line holds today's rate fixed and moves only the price: at that rate, the same share was 36.2% in 2022.
- Payment share of income
- 28.5%
- Monthly P&I
- $1,138
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research; Freddie Mac, 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States (MORTGAGE30US), retrieved from FRED®, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Lotvox analysis (calculations on the sources above) · data as of 2026-08-31
Lotvox lens
The payment, at each month's rate
Take the typical home's price each month, borrow 80% at that month's actual 30-year average rate: in February 2022 (3.76%) the payment was $969.
In February 2022, with rates at 3.76%, it was $969.
By August 2026, at 6.67%, it was $1,057 — +9% since February 2022, while the home's value moved −21%.
- Payment change since 2022
- +9%
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research; Freddie Mac, 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States (MORTGAGE30US), retrieved from FRED®, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Lotvox analysis (calculations on the sources above) · data as of 2026-08
Lotvox lens
Home value after inflation
Deflated with CPI-U (seasonally adjusted, FRED CPIAUCSL) to August 2026; the site's Housing pulse chart uses its own CPI series, so older months can differ slightly.
Reported values rose −21% since February 2022.
General prices (CPI-U) rose +17% over the same span.
Divide one by the other: in August 2026 dollars, the 2022 home was worth $306,526. So the real change is −33%, not −21%.
- Real change since 2022
- −33%
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), via FRED®, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Lotvox analysis (calculations on the sources above) · data as of 2026-08
Deflated with CPI-U (seasonally adjusted, FRED CPIAUCSL) to August 2026; the site's Housing pulse chart uses its own CPI series, so older months can differ slightly.
Home values
78661 against its neighbors
78661: −21% since February 2022.
Caldwell County: −10% since February 2022.
Texas: +3% since February 2022 — 78661 ran behind it by 24 points.
- Change since 2022
- −21%
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research; Lotvox analysis (calculations on the sources above) · data as of 2026-08
Lotvox lens
78661 among Texas ZIPs
Against 1,763 Texas ZIP codes, 78661 sits at the 28th percentile for affordability (price vs local income).
14th for appreciation (recent value growth).
- Affordability percentile
- 28th
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Lotvox analysis (calculations on the sources above)
Lotvox lens
Rent or own
Owning the typical home costs about $1,344 a month once taxes and insurance (estimated at 1.2% of price a year) are added. Renting runs about $1,173 a month.
Price divided by a year's rent: 14.6. Lotvox reads under 15 as favoring buying and 20 or more as favoring renting.
- Price-to-rent
- 14.6
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates; Freddie Mac, 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States (MORTGAGE30US), retrieved from FRED®, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Lotvox analysis (calculations on the sources above)
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What's moving
New supply
Homes being permitted
Across Caldwell County, builders pulled permits for 443 new homes in 2025.
Of those, 99% were in 1-unit buildings (the Census Bureau's category for detached and attached single homes).
- Units permitted 2025
- 443
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey · data as of 2025
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Who's holding, who's leaving
Housing pulse
Migration and inventory
This ZIP sits in Caldwell County. IRS tax returns for 2022-2023: among the ten counties sending the most households, 1,607 moved in. Among the ten receiving the most, 990 moved out.
Net across those counties: +617 households. Beside it, homes for sale in this ZIP: 1 in May 2026.
Most arrivals came from Travis, TX (681 households); most departures went to Hays, TX (315).
- Net households (top-10 flows)
- +617
Source: IRS Statistics of Income, county-to-county migration data; Redfin Data Center (market tracker data) · data as of 2026-05-01
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What to do
