Mortgage rates eased a little this week. Freddie Mac’s 30-year fixed average was 7.24% on Oct. 29, 2026, down from 7.32% the week before. Locally, 62 homes sold in the Bastrop and Cedar Creek ZIP codes in September, with prices moving in different directions by ZIP.

Where are mortgage rates this week?

Source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey. These are national averages. Your rate depends on your credit, down payment and loan type, so compare a few lenders.

What happened in Bastrop home sales in September?

According to Unlock MLS data reported by Community Impact:

Across both ZIP codes:

• 62 homes sold in September
• New listings fell from 125 to 107 compared with a year ago
• Homes under contract rose from 62 to 66
• Average price per square foot dropped from $210 to $193
• Homes spent longer on the market

Most sales, 37 of 62, were between $300,000 and $499,999. Fifteen sold under $300,000.

What does this mean for buyers and sellers?

Buyers: Fewer new listings means less to choose from, but more time on the market can give you room to negotiate. With rates above 7%, ask about seller-paid closing costs or a rate buydown.

Sellers: Pricing matters more when homes sit longer. Compare your home to recent sales in your own ZIP code, since 78602 and 78612 are moving differently.

Thinking about making a move?

See what your home might sell for on our Sell Your Home page, or contact us for a free look at recent sales near you. Not ready to buy yet? Our Renting in Bastrop guide is a good place to start.

If you are buying a home in Bastrop with solar panels, or thinking about adding them, the rules changed on Oct. 1, 2026. Bastrop Power and Light (BP&L) customers now earn bill credits for extra electricity they send to the city grid, and they will pay a monthly fee based on system size once the city sets the amount.

What changed on Oct. 1?

City Council unanimously approved the new solar ordinance on Sept. 8, Community Impact reported. Under it:

• Credits: You get a credit for excess power your panels send back to the BP&L grid. The credit is based on the city’s “avoided cost of generation,” which is what the city saves by not buying that power from its wholesale provider.
• Monthly fee: Solar customers pay a monthly fee based on the size of their system.
• Connection rules: New systems must be inspected, meet code and go through the city’s application process before they connect.
• Fines: Unauthorized or noncompliant connections can be fined up to $1,000 per violation.

How much is the monthly fee?

It has not been set yet. City officials said in August that the amount was not finalized, and a separate ordinance setting it is expected to come back to council before the city updates its Master Fee Schedule. As of an Oct. 25 report, the amount was still pending.

Does this apply to my home?

These rules cover Bastrop Power and Light customers. Not every Bastrop address is on BP&L, so check your utility first. The easiest way is to look at a recent electric bill for the home or ask the seller.

What should buyers ask about a home with solar?

• Which electric provider serves the home?
• Are the panels owned or leased? A lease or loan may need to transfer to you.
• Was the system permitted and approved to connect to the grid?
• How old are the panels and the roof under them?
• Can the seller share the last 12 months of electric bills?

These questions help you compare monthly costs with a home that does not have solar.

Where can I learn more about utilities in Bastrop?

Our Moving to Bastrop guide covers setting up utilities and other first steps. If you are looking at a home with panels, reach out and we will help you get the right paperwork from the seller.

The love locks are coming back to the Old Iron Bridge area. Bastrop is building a new BTX Love Locks sculpture to hold the locks taken off the bridge during its rehabilitation, and it is set to be unveiled at the bridge’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 4, 2026, Community Impact reported.

What are the Old Iron Bridge love locks?

Before the bridge closed to foot traffic in 2018, people clipped padlocks to its chain-link fence as a symbol of love. Over the years it became one of downtown’s small traditions. Rehabilitation work began in mid-2025, and the locks were removed from the bridge as part of it.

What will the new sculpture look like?

The BTX Love Locks sculpture is a 3D-modeled design of the letters “BTX” on a platform, with a mesh grid texture. It will hold the original locks, and residents and visitors will be able to add new ones there instead of on the bridge.

City Council approved the sculpture’s site on Oct. 13, and city staff can now start the required TxDOT approval process. Fabrication and installation are paid for with the city’s 2025 Quality of Life bond funds.

What is the history of the Old Iron Bridge?

The steel truss bridge over the Colorado River was completed in 1923 and opened in January 1924. It is about 1,285 feet long and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It is one of the earliest surviving uses of the Parker truss design in Texas.

The rehabilitation adds a concrete deck, new steel truss pieces, railings and decorative lights so the bridge can be used for walking again. In June 2026, council approved a $300,000 change order for color-changing lights, which moved the construction completion date to Oct. 30.

When can I see it?

Mark Dec. 4 for the ribbon cutting. Confirm the time and details with the City of Bastrop as the date gets closer. A walk across the bridge, dinner downtown and a stop at the love locks should make a pretty good Bastrop evening.

Planning that evening? Our Where to Eat guide and Things to Do guide have ideas for downtown and the riverfront.

Three big SH 71 projects are moving forward in Bastrop County. Work is underway at Tucker Hill Lane, Pope Bend Road is close to bidding, and FM 1209 is in final design, Community Impact reported on Oct. 21, 2026. All three add overpasses, frontage roads and bike and pedestrian improvements.

What is happening at Tucker Hill Lane?

This is the project you can see today. TxDOT is building an overpass at Tucker Hill Lane with one-way frontage roads and bike and pedestrian improvements.

• Cost: $58.5 million
• Progress: On July 21, crews began setting bridge beams on westbound SH 71 at Dry Creek. They are also building culverts at the intersection and working on the westbound frontage road.
• Timeline: November 2025 through fall 2028

When does Pope Bend Road start?

• Cost: $61.65 million
• Next step: Bids open Jan. 6, 2027
• Completion: To be determined

What about FM 1209?

FM 1209 is the largest of the three. TxDOT plans an overpass at FM 1209, new frontage roads and expanded bike and pedestrian space.

• Cost: $102 million, paid with TxDOT Category 12 Strategic Priority funds
• Progress: Updated preliminary plans went to contractors for review on Sept. 30. The project is in final design, right-of-way purchase and utility moves.
• Bids: Expected in 2030

Why it matters

SH 71 is the main route between Bastrop and Austin, so it shapes most commutes here. Overpasses let through traffic keep moving while local drivers use the frontage roads. During construction, give yourself a few extra minutes near Tucker Hill Lane, and check TxDOT’s Austin District for lane closures.

If you are comparing commutes, our Moving to Bastrop guide covers drive times to Austin and the airport, and the neighborhood guide shows where each area sits along SH 71.

Bastrop is considering new zoning rules meant to keep historic downtown full of places people actually walk into. The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on the proposal Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, and City Council could take it up in November.

What would change?

According to Community Impact, the proposal for the Downtown Historic District would:

• Require at least 60% of ground-floor storefronts to be used by customer-facing businesses, such as shops and restaurants
• Allow exceptions through a Conditional Use Permit or an administrative exception for qualifying vacancies or hardships
• Require special city approval for a business earning 75% or more of its revenue from alcohol to open within 300 feet of a similar business
• Look more closely at hours, noise, parking and security for some alcohol-related businesses and specialty cigar shops

Does this affect businesses already downtown?

No. Discover Bastrop Director Michaela Joyce told Community Impact that existing businesses, and those already in planning or permitting, would be exempt.

Why is the city doing this?

The goal is to protect downtown’s historic storefront feel and keep foot traffic up by avoiding long stretches of storefronts that get little walk-in activity. A city survey this summer drew several hundred responses, and most asked for more retail and restaurants downtown.

What happens next?

What it means if you are moving here

Main Street is a big reason people choose Bastrop. Rules that keep it lively help support the value of homes within walking distance of downtown. If walkability matters to you, start with the historic downtown section of our neighborhood guide.

November is one of the best months to be in Bastrop. The heat finally breaks, downtown fills up on weekends and the holiday season starts with the lights going up over the river. Here is the month at a glance.

Heroes and Hot Rods, Saturday, Nov. 14

The 20th annual Heroes and Hot Rods Veterans Day Car Show fills downtown on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., as part of Veterans Weekend. It is one of the biggest downtown days of the year, so plan on parking a few blocks out.

Bastrop Art Fest and Wildlife Habitat Day, Saturday, Nov. 7

Start at the Lost Pines Art Center for Bastrop Art Fest, then head to Bastrop State Park for Lost Pines Wildlife Habitat Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is a good way to see how the forest has come back since the 2011 fire.

Baron’s Birthday Bash, Saturday, Nov. 21

The town is named for the Baron de Bastrop, and the Bastrop County Historical Society celebrates him every November at the Museum & Visitor Center, 904 Main St., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

River of Lights and Wassail Fest

The holiday season starts Friday, Nov. 27, with the annual tree lighting at Fisherman’s Park at 6 p.m. That night also opens River of Lights, which runs through Jan. 4, 2027. The next evening, Wassail Fest brings the downtown merchants’ wassail tasting from 4 to 8 p.m.

Times come from the Explore Bastrop County calendar. Confirm with organizers before you go.

Visiting before you move?

A November weekend is a great time to tour Bastrop. Pair a downtown event with a drive through a few neighborhoods. Our neighborhood guide can help you plan the route, or ask us to set up showings.

A regional hospital and a large hotel and convention center are a step closer to Bastrop. City Council has signed a letter supporting state legislation that would help a proposed development called Bastrop West move forward, Community Impact reported on Sept. 30, 2026.

What is proposed?

• A regional hospital. A first-phase feasibility study looked at a 37-ZIP-code service area and found about a 97% gap between local health care demand and what is available nearby, according to the city.
• A 300-room hotel and a 40,000-square-foot convention center on a 33-acre site, as recommended by a separate feasibility study.

Bastrop West sits in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, just outside city limits.

What did City Council support?

The council backed legislation that would let property owners leave Emergency Services District 2 and be served by the city instead, if the city can provide service as good or better and has a lower property tax rate. The city says it meets both tests. Officials said the change would open a path for the hospital and other master-planned development, with property tax relief and city fire protection.

“It is important that we can have a regional hospital that serves so many people,” Mayor Ishmael Harris said.

When would it be built?

No construction date has been announced. The legislation still needs to pass, and the project would go through planning and permitting after that. We will keep following it on the blog.

Why it matters for newcomers

Healthcare is one of the first things people moving to Bastrop ask us about. Today the closest hospital is Ascension Seton Bastrop, a 16-bed hospital on Highway 71, and the larger Austin hospitals are 35 to 45 minutes away. A regional hospital would be a big change. See what else is nearby in our Moving to Bastrop guide.