Lotvox market story
ZIP 26178
Ritchie County, WV
What homes are worth, what they cost to carry, how fast they sell — one step at a time.
- Typical home value
- $124,816
- 12-month change
- −0.7%
- Payment share of income
- 23.6%
This week since 2026-10-08: Payment share of income 23.6% (was 23.3%) · Monthly P&I $691 (was $683)
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Who's going to sell in 26178 this year?
Lotvox Turnover Index
Ranking every home in 26178 by how likely it is to sell
The Lotvox Turnover Index isn't offered for 26178 yet.
Where
26178 in Ritchie County, WV
26178 is one of 10 ZIP codes that lie mostly in Ritchie County, WV.
Shaded by typical home value, it ranks 2 of the 5 with a value.
- Value rank in county
- 2 of 5
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, TIGER/Line boundaries; Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research
Local life
Schools in 26178
1 school location in 26178: 1 elementary.
In alphabetical order: SMITHVILLE ELEMENTARY. 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 26178
In February 2019 the typical home in 26178 was worth $82,714.
Values peaked at $134,329 in December 2024. The latest reading is −7.1% from that peak.
As of August 2026: $124,816, −0.7% over twelve months.
- Typical home value
- $124,816
- 12-month change
- −0.7%
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: $124,816. Put 20% down and borrow $99,853 at 7.40%, the 30-year fixed average as of October 8, 2026.
That is $691 a month in principal and interest.
The median household here earns $35,203 a year, $2,934 a month. So the payment takes 23.6% of income — rated “affordable” (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 15.6% in 2019.
- Payment share of income
- 23.6%
- Monthly P&I
- $691
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 2019 (4.37%) the payment was $330.
In December 2020, with rates at 2.68%, it was $330.
By August 2026, at 6.67%, it was $642 — +94% since December 2020, while the home's value moved +22%.
- Payment change since 2020
- +94%
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 +51% since February 2019.
General prices (CPI-U) rose +32% over the same span.
Divide one by the other: in August 2026 dollars, the 2019 home was worth $109,101. So the real change is +14%, not +51%.
- Real change since 2019
- +14%
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
26178 against its neighbors
26178: +51% since February 2019.
Ritchie County: +30% since February 2019.
West Virginia: +49% since February 2019 — 26178 ran ahead of it by 2 points.
- Change since 2019
- +51%
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research; Lotvox analysis (calculations on the sources above) · data as of 2026-08
Lotvox lens
Rent or own
Owning the typical home costs about $816 a month once taxes and insurance (estimated at 1.2% of price a year) are added. Renting runs about $579 a month.
Price divided by a year's rent: 18.0. Lotvox reads under 15 as favoring buying and 20 or more as favoring renting.
- Price-to-rent
- 18.0
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 Ritchie County, builders pulled permits for 32 new homes in 2025.
Of those, 100% were in 1-unit buildings (the Census Bureau's category for detached and attached single homes).
- Units permitted 2025
- 32
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 Ritchie County. IRS tax returns for 2022-2023: among the ten counties sending the most households, 26 moved in. Among the ten receiving the most, 36 moved out.
Net across those counties: −10 households. Beside it, homes for sale in this ZIP: 1 in June 2021.
Most arrivals came from Wood, WV (26 households); most departures went to Wood, WV (36).
- Net households (top-10 flows)
- −10
Source: IRS Statistics of Income, county-to-county migration data; Redfin Data Center (market tracker data) · data as of 2021-06-01
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What to do
