New construction is a large share of what sells in this corridor, and it is a genuinely good option. It also runs on rules that are different from a resale purchase in ways that catch people.
Bring your own agent, on the first visit
The friendly person in the model home works for the builder. They are not deceiving you — they are simply not representing you, and they will tell you that if you ask.
Most builders will pay a buyer agent, but nearly all of them require that your agent be with you or registered on your first visit. Walk in alone, come back with representation later, and you may have given up your ability to be represented at no cost to you. This is the single most common avoidable mistake in new construction.
What that representation is actually for.
The contract is the builder's contract
You are not on the standard Texas promulgated forms. You are on the builder's paper, drafted by the builder's lawyers, and it is meaningfully less buyer-friendly.
Things to read closely: what happens to your earnest money and deposits if you cannot close, how much of it is non-refundable, what the completion date actually obligates them to, what the builder can substitute in materials, and what the dispute resolution clause requires of you.
Some terms are negotiable and some are not, and it varies enormously by builder and by how the market is moving. You will not know which is which unless someone asks.
Incentives and the preferred lender
Builder incentives in this market are frequently large, and they are usually tied to using the builder's preferred lender or title company.
That is not a trap by itself — the incentive is often worth more than what you would save shopping the loan. But run the comparison rather than assuming. Get a competing loan estimate and compare total cost, not just rate.
Also understand what form the incentive takes. Rate buydowns, closing cost credits and design center allowances are not equivalent, and a temporary buydown that expires in two years is a different product than a permanent one. What a builder incentive is actually worth.
The model home is not what you are buying
Model homes are built with upgrade packages that are not standard. Ask for the standard specification list in writing, then walk the model and identify what is an upgrade.
Design center appointments are where budgets die. Go in with a number and a priority list. Structural options — anything that changes the footprint or framing — have to be decided early and cannot be added later. Finishes can be changed later, usually for less than the builder charges.
Yes, get an independent inspection
People skip this because the house is new and comes with a warranty. Do not skip it.
Ideally inspect twice: once before drywall goes up, when framing, plumbing, electrical and mechanical are still visible, and once before closing. Then use the builder's warranty period — get a punch list documented before the one-year mark. What an inspection covers.
The tax surprise
This one hits new construction buyers specifically. If the parcel was taxed as raw land or as a partial improvement in the prior year, your first escrow estimate can be badly low. When the property is reassessed as a completed home, your payment jumps and your escrow account may be short.
Ask your lender to estimate escrow on the completed value, not the current assessment. And check whether the subdivision sits in a MUD or a PID, because new communities frequently carry one or both. Here is the difference.
The short list
Register your agent on visit one. Read the contract, especially the deposit terms. Compare the incentive against an outside loan. Get the standard spec in writing. Inspect before drywall and before closing. Model the tax bill on the finished house.
Do those six things and new construction is a very good way to buy in this corridor. If you want me with you on the first model home visit, just ask.
