New Construction Guides
Buy your new build with your eyes open
Answer-first guides written by a licensed Austin buyer's agent, not a builder's marketing team. Start with the one that saves buyers the most money and stress.
Read these first
Guides
Do You Need a Buyer's Agent for New Construction in Austin?
The honest answer, from a licensed Austin buyer's agent: the builder's on-site agent works for the builder, buyer representation is built into the price, and it costs you nothing. Here is how it works and what your agent does.
Read the guideUpdated July 9, 2026
How to Negotiate Builder Incentives in Austin (2026)
Builders protect the base price and compete on the incentive stack: rate buydowns, closing-cost credits, and design-center allowances. Here is where the real leverage is on Austin new construction, and how a buyer's agent works it.
Read the guideUpdated July 9, 2026
MUD and PID Taxes on Austin New Homes, Explained
Many new Austin communities carry MUD or PID taxes that push the effective property-tax rate well above the norm. Here is how they work, what they cost, the Texas notice you are owed, and how to underwrite the true monthly payment.
Read the guideUpdated July 9, 2026
New Construction vs Resale in Austin: Which Should You Buy?
New construction or an existing home in Austin? An honest, buyer-side breakdown of the tradeoffs: warranty and efficiency and builder rate buydowns versus location and mature lots and a negotiable price, and how the 2026 market tilts the math.
Read the guideUpdated July 9, 2026
Are Builder Design-Center Upgrades Worth It?
The builder design center is engineered to make you overspend. Here is which upgrades hold their value (structural and hard-to-change options) and which to skip, plus the 30-year financing trap most buyers miss.
Read the guideUpdated July 9, 2026
Builder's Lender vs an Outside Lender on New Construction
Builders tie their best incentives to their in-house lender, which can be the better deal or can hide a higher rate and fees. Here is how to compare loan estimates the right way, net of the incentives, so you pick the genuinely cheaper loan.
Read the guideUpdated July 9, 2026
In the works
More guides coming
Have a question you want answered next? Ask Luke and it may become the next guide, and he will answer you personally in the meantime.
- The new-construction process and timeline
- The pre-drywall and final walkthrough inspection
- Understanding the builder's warranty
- Lot selection: what to avoid
Free buyer representation
Get a buyer's agent on your side, for free
The builder's on-site agent works for the builder. Luke Allen works for you, at no cost to you, because the builder pays buyer representation. Ask him which communities fit your budget, what the real incentives are this month, and what to watch for in a builder's contract before you sign.
Luke Allen
Licensed Texas REALTOR, TREC #788149
Austin Marketing + Development Group