Walk into any model home in Prosper or Celina and the price on the sign looks almost reasonable. Then the real numbers show up, one at a time, long after you have fallen in love with the kitchen. We watch buyers get surprised by the same three costs over and over, so here they are up front, with real ranges, before you sign anything.
Why the Base Price Is Not Your Real Price
The base price buys you the floor plan with the builder’s most basic finishes on a standard lot. No upgrades, no premium lot, no extras. Almost nobody buys that house. The model home you toured is loaded with options. The lot you want costs extra. And the tax bill in year two looks nothing like year one. Budget for the real price from day one and the whole process stays fun.
Cost 1: Design Center Upgrades
The model home is the bait. Every beautiful finish you touched, the flooring, the counters, the light fixtures, the appliances, is an upgrade with a price tag. Luke’s new construction cost guides put the average buyer spend at $50K to $100K or more in design center upgrades.
The fix is simple. Ask for the complete option price sheet before you write an offer. Decide your upgrade ceiling in advance. Every upgrade either raises your loan amount or your cash to close, so pick the upgrades you will touch every day and skip the ones you will never notice.
Cost 2: Lot Premiums
Love the cul de sac lot backing to greenbelt? That lot has its own price. Lot premiums in North Dallas new communities typically run $10K to $50K or more depending on location, and the premium is added straight to the base price. Corner lots, larger lots, and lots with a view all carry one. Ask to see the lot premium map for the community so you can compare what each homesite really costs before you pick.
Cost 3: The Year 2 Tax Trap
This is the one that wrecks budgets. In year one, your tax bill is based on the land or a partially completed home, because the appraisal district values the property as it stood on January 1. In year two, the district appraises the finished home at full market value and your tax bill jumps. Your escrow was set from year one numbers, so the lender recalculates and your escrow jumps with it.
You cannot avoid the jump, but you can blunt it. File your homestead exemption with the county appraisal district by April 30 of your first year in the home. Texas now gives every homeowner a $140,000 school district exemption, raised by voters in November 2025, and once the exemption is on record your taxable value cannot rise more than 10 percent a year. If the appraised value looks high, protest it by the May 15 deadline. We covered special districts in our MUD and PID guide, so check whether your community adds one of those on top.
What the Base Price Usually Leaves Out
Even after upgrades and lot premiums, the base price skips a list of things resale homes include. Typical ranges from Luke’s cost guides: fencing $3K to $8K, window treatments $2K to $5K, landscaping $5K to $15K. None of it is in the base price.
Then there are the recurring costs. HOA dues commonly run $50 to $300 a month in master planned communities, and a MUD or PID assessment can add to your tax bill every year the bonds are outstanding. Learn how new construction financing and costs work before you fall in love with a floor plan.
How to Budget for All Three Before You Sign
- Get the full option sheet and the lot premium map in writing before you sign. Add upgrades, premium, and base together. That total is your real price.
- Price fencing, window treatments, and landscaping into your cash plan now, not after move in.
- Ask for the complete tax picture on the exact lot: base rate, any MUD or PID, and HOA dues. Look the address up at the county appraisal district.
- File your homestead exemption by April 30 and calendar the protest deadline every spring.
- Bring your own agent on your first visit to the model home, and get an independent inspection even on a new build. In an upcoming post we will break down exactly what you can negotiate with Texas builders.
Book a Call
Buying new construction in North Dallas? Book a free strategy call and we will walk through the real numbers on the community you are considering. Touring new construction communities is more fun when you know the full price before you go.
Arlicia Jones, NMLS 1550570, Elite Lending Solutions, Inc., Company NMLS 1829246
Luke Jones, REALTOR, eXp Realty, Texas license #793146
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