Lotvox market story
ZIP 98068
Kittitas County, WA
What homes are worth, what they cost to carry, how fast they sell — one step at a time.
- Typical home value
- $857,153
- 12-month change
- −0.1%
- Payment share of income
- 85.3%
This week since 2026-10-08: Payment share of income 85.3% (was 84.3%) · Monthly P&I $4,748 (was $4,692)
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Who's going to sell in 98068 this year?
Lotvox Turnover Index
Ranking every home in 98068 by how likely it is to sell
The Lotvox Turnover Index isn't offered for 98068 yet.
Where
98068 in Kittitas County, WA
98068 is one of 10 ZIP codes that lie mostly in Kittitas County, WA — 55% of its own area is in the county.
Shaded by typical home value, it ranks 1 of the 9 with a value.
- Value rank in county
- 1 of 9
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, TIGER/Line boundaries; Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research
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What it costs
Home values
What homes are worth in 98068
In April 2009 the typical home in 98068 was worth $299,050.
Values peaked at $881,147 in June 2022. The latest reading is −2.7% from that peak.
As of August 2026: $857,153, −0.1% over twelve months.
- Typical home value
- $857,153
- 12-month change
- −0.1%
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: $857,153. Put 20% down and borrow $685,722 at 7.40%, the 30-year fixed average as of October 8, 2026.
That is $4,748 a month in principal and interest.
The median household here earns $66,800 a year, $5,567 a month. So the payment takes 85.3% of income — rated “severe” (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 29.8% in 2009.
- Payment share of income
- 85.3%
- Monthly P&I
- $4,748
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 April 2009 (4.81%) the payment was $1,257.
In December 2020, with rates at 2.68%, it was $1,802.
By August 2026, at 6.67%, it was $4,410 — +145% since December 2020, while the home's value moved +54%.
- Payment change since 2020
- +145%
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 +187% since April 2009.
General prices (CPI-U) rose +57% over the same span.
Divide one by the other: in August 2026 dollars, the 2009 home was worth $469,759. So the real change is +82%, not +187%.
- Real change since 2009
- +82%
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
98068 against its neighbors
98068: +187% since April 2009.
Kittitas County: +97% since April 2009.
Washington: +110% since April 2009 — 98068 ran ahead of it by 77 points.
- Change since 2009
- +187%
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research; Lotvox analysis (calculations on the sources above) · data as of 2026-08
Lotvox lens
98068 among Washington ZIPs
Against 581 Washington ZIP codes, 98068 sits at the 0th percentile for affordability (price vs local income).
54th for appreciation (recent value growth); 4th for rental yield (rent vs price).
- Affordability percentile
- 0th
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 $5,605 a month once taxes and insurance (estimated at 1.2% of price a year) are added. Renting runs about $1,150 a month.
Price divided by a year's rent: 62.1. Lotvox reads under 15 as favoring buying and 20 or more as favoring renting.
- Price-to-rent
- 62.1
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research; Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), 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)
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What's moving
Housing pulse
Sales pace vs. normal
Homes sold: about 1 a month in August 2026 (Redfin).
The 2015–2019 level for the same month was 3 — so sales ran at 33% of it, and below it in 15 of the last 24 months.
- Sales vs 2015–19 level
- 33%
Source: Redfin Data Center (market tracker data); Lotvox analysis (calculations on the sources above) · data as of 2026-08
New supply
Homes being permitted
Across Kittitas County, builders pulled permits for 288 new homes in 2025.
Of those, 83% were in 1-unit buildings (the Census Bureau's category for detached and attached single homes).
- Units permitted 2025
- 288
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 Kittitas County. IRS tax returns for 2022-2023: among the ten counties sending the most households, 1,069 moved in. Among the ten receiving the most, 836 moved out.
Net across those counties: +233 households. Beside it, homes for sale in this ZIP: 23 in June 2026.
Most arrivals came from King, WA (439 households); most departures went to King, WA (265).
- Net households (top-10 flows)
- +233
Source: IRS Statistics of Income, county-to-county migration data; Redfin Data Center (market tracker data) · data as of 2026-06-01
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What to do
