Buying a New Construction Home in Houston

Your own agent for new homes, from master-planned communities to inner-loop infill

A builder's on-site sales team represents the builder. Compean Group represents you. We help you compare builders and communities, review the builder's contract, negotiate incentives and upgrades, schedule independent inspections and stay with you through closing. We also list and sell new homes for builders, so we know how builders price, what they will negotiate and where the extra costs hide.

Tip: call us before you tour a model home, or bring us to your first visit. Most builders require your agent to register you at that first visit.

Pros and cons of buying a new home

Houston's 10 top-selling master-planned communities

The Houston area placed more communities in RCLCO's national Top 50 for 2025 than any other metro. These ten led local new-home sales:

#	Community	Area	2025 sales
1	Sunterra	Katy area	1,024
2	Tamarron	Fulshear / Katy area	974
3	Bridgeland	Cypress	812
4	Anniston	Katy area	775
5	The Grand Prairie	Hockley	639
6	Meridiana	Iowa Colony / Rosharon	527
7	Sienna	Missouri City	432
8	Elyson	Katy	413
9	Lago Mar	Texas City	380
10	Jordan Ranch	Fulshear	361

Source: RCLCO, The Top-Selling Master-Planned Communities of 2025. Sales are calendar-year 2025 totals as reported by RCLCO.

New construction questions buyers ask

Do I need my own agent to buy a new construction home?

The builder's salesperson works for the builder. Your own agent compares the home with other builders and resales, negotiates for you and keeps the contract, inspections and closing on track. Many builders offer to pay buyer-agent compensation, and we explain how our fee works before you sign anything.

Why do builders want my agent at the first visit?

Most builders require your agent to register you at, or before, your first visit to a community. If you tour alone first, the builder may not recognize your agent later. Call us before you go, and we'll register you or meet you there.

Can I negotiate with a builder?

Builders protect their base prices, but there is often room on incentives: rate buydowns, closing-cost help, upgrade credits and lot premiums. Finished spec homes, and homes near quarter-end or year-end, usually have the most room.

Should I use the builder's preferred lender?

The biggest incentives are often tied to the builder's lender. Compare that lender's Loan Estimate with at least one outside lender. The incentive is only worth it if your total cost over the years you expect to own the home is lower.

Do I need an inspection if the home is brand new?

Yes. City inspections check minimum code, not workmanship. We recommend a pre-drywall inspection, a final inspection before closing and an 11-month inspection before the first-year warranty runs out.

What are MUD and PID taxes?

Many new Houston-area communities sit in a Municipal Utility District (MUD) or Public Improvement District (PID) that repays the bonds used to build roads, water and sewer lines. They add to your property tax rate, so compare total tax rates, not just prices, when you shop communities.

What warranty comes with a new home?

Most production builders include a limited warranty, often 1 year for workmanship, 2 years for mechanical systems and 10 years for major structural defects. Read what's excluded and how claims are handled before you sign.

Should I buy a finished spec home or build from the ground up?

A spec (inventory) home is finished or nearly finished, so you can often close within weeks and may get larger incentives. Building from scratch lets you choose the lot, plan and finishes, but production builders typically take six to twelve months.

Which upgrades are worth paying for?

Put your budget into things that are hard to change later: structural options, ceiling height, extra outlets and data lines, plumbing rough-ins, insulation and windows. Flooring, light fixtures and paint are often cheaper to change after closing.

How is a builder's contract different from a resale contract?

Many builders use their own contract instead of the standard Texas resale form, with their own deadlines, earnest money rules and dispute terms. We review it with you before you sign and point out what's negotiable and what isn't.

New construction homes in the $500s

The homes below are new construction listed from $500,000 to $599,999 across the Houston area, updated automatically from the MLS. Ask us about builder incentives on any of them.