Lotvox market story
ZIP 20838
Montgomery County, MD
What homes are worth, what they cost to carry, how fast they sell — one step at a time.
- Typical home value
- $723,687
- 12-month change
- +0.9%
- Payment share of income
- 21.5%
This week since 2026-10-08: Payment share of income 21.5% (was 21.3%) · Monthly P&I $4,009 (was $3,961)
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Who's going to sell in 20838 this year?
Lotvox Turnover Index
Ranking every home in 20838 by how likely it is to sell
The Lotvox Turnover Index isn't offered for 20838 yet.
Where
20838 in Montgomery County, MD
20838 is one of 48 ZIP codes that lie mostly in Montgomery County, MD.
Shaded by typical home value, it ranks 18 of the 36 nearby ZIPs shown.
- Value rank among nearby ZIPs
- 18 of 36
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 20838
In February 2022 the typical home in 20838 was worth $689,075.
Values peaked at $723,687 in August 2026. The latest reading is the peak.
As of August 2026: $723,687, +0.9% over twelve months.
- Typical home value
- $723,687
- 12-month change
- +0.9%
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: $723,687. Put 20% down and borrow $578,950 at 7.40%, the 30-year fixed average as of October 8, 2026.
That is $4,009 a month in principal and interest.
The median household here earns $223,571 a year, $18,631 a month. So the payment takes 21.5% 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 20.5% in 2022.
- Payment share of income
- 21.5%
- Monthly P&I
- $4,009
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 $2,557.
In February 2022, with rates at 3.76%, it was $2,557.
By August 2026, at 6.67%, it was $3,723 — +46% since February 2022, while the home's value moved +5%.
- Payment change since 2022
- +46%
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 +5% 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 $809,284. So the real change is −11%, not +5%.
- Real change since 2022
- −11%
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
20838 against its neighbors
20838: +5% since February 2022.
Montgomery County: +8% since February 2022.
Maryland: +11% since February 2022 — 20838 ran behind it by 6 points.
- Change since 2022
- +5%
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 $4,732 a month once taxes and insurance (estimated at 1.2% of price a year) are added. Renting runs about $2,068 a month.
Price divided by a year's rent: 29.2. Lotvox reads under 15 as favoring buying and 20 or more as favoring renting.
- Price-to-rent
- 29.2
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
Housing pulse
Sales pace vs. normal
Homes sold: about 0 a month in August 2026 (Redfin).
The 2015–2019 level for the same month was 0 — so sales ran at NaN% of it, and below it in 13 of the last 24 months.
- Sales vs 2015–19 level
- NaN%
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 Montgomery County, builders pulled permits for 1,411 new homes in 2025.
Of those, 57% were in 1-unit buildings (the Census Bureau's category for detached and attached single homes).
- Units permitted 2025
- 1,411
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 Montgomery County. IRS tax returns for 2022-2023: among the ten counties sending the most households, 12,327 moved in. Among the ten receiving the most, 15,047 moved out.
Net across those counties: −2,720 households. Beside it, homes for sale in this ZIP: 1 in April 2026.
Most arrivals came from Prince George's, MD (3,735 households); most departures went to Prince George's, MD (3,823).
- Net households (top-10 flows)
- −2,720
Source: IRS Statistics of Income, county-to-county migration data; Redfin Data Center (market tracker data) · data as of 2026-04-01
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What to do
