New Construction
Your guide to buying a brand-new home in Greater Houston.
Build New
Buying New Construction in Greater Houston
Houston is one of the country’s busiest new-home markets, and buying new is very different from buying resale, different contracts, a design-center stage, builder incentives, and its own inspection playbook. This guide covers how it works and how to protect yourself, so you get the home you want on the best possible terms.
The New-Construction Guide
What to Know
Bring your own agent, it’s free to you+
The friendly rep in the builder’s model home works for the builder, not for you. Having your own agent costs you nothing, the builder pays the commission, and it means someone is protecting yourinterests on price, contract terms, upgrades, and timeline.
Important: most builders require your agent to accompany or register you on your first visit. Reach out before you tour a model home so you keep your representation.
The new-build process, step by step+
- Choose builder & community, schools, location, floor plans, HOA/MUD.
- Contract & earnest/builder deposit, builder contracts differ from resale; we review terms and contingencies.
- Design center, select structural options and finishes (and understand what raises price vs. resale value).
- Construction, a typical build runs several months, with milestone updates.
- Walkthroughs & closing, pre-drywall and final walkthroughs, punch list, then close.
Yes, inspect a new home (and use the warranty)+
New doesn’t mean flawless. I recommend independent third-party inspections, ideally at pre-drywall and again before closing, to catch issues while they’re easy to fix.
Most builders include a warranty (commonly 1 year workmanship, 2 years systems, up to 10 years structural). Keep the documents, and do a walkthrough near the end of year one to submit any warranty items.
Incentives & negotiation+
Builders often prefer to offer incentives rather than cut the base price (to protect neighborhood comps). Depending on the market you may negotiate:
- Interest-rate buydowns or lender credits (often via the builder’s lender)
- Closing-cost assistance
- Design-center allowances or included upgrades
- Inventory/spec-home discounts on already-built homes
Financing through the builder’s lender isn’t required, always compare.
Considering a new build?
Talk to me before you visit a model home so your representation is protected, then I’ll help you compare builders, communities, and incentives.
