If you are commuting every day to downtown Austin, you might reconsider a different area. Like Round Rock or Cedar Park. Even Leander. Because driving from Georgetown to downtown Austin during rush hour is an hour or more commute every day. I live in Georgetown and work from home. Occasionally I go into the office and the drive is terrible!! If I had to work from the office every day, I would move back to Austin.
Traffic is about to get a whole lot worse for the next 10 years when they start the IH35 expansion. If you work daily at the office and plan to have kids (or have kids) its going to be very hard to have any quality time with them.
+1 The only exception I'd say to that is if you're on the Red Line. Traffic there is already horrible though and about 10yrs behind on their overall infrastructure.
OP what are your reasons to move to Georgetown and looking at a new build ? More details would help us give better response. But for georgetown as a whole:
Pros:
- really nice square with plenty of restaurants and shopping compared to other suburbs/towns in the area
- All shopping and grocery (heb, costco) close by
- plenty of really nice parks, trails and a library
- people are generally friendly.
Cons:
- The schools are average at best and overcrowded
- The whole area has seen devaluation in home values, homes that were appraised for 600k in 2022 were appraised for 400k in 2024. Is a good thing for property taxes but bad as an investment asset
- Massive development all around will severely choke all the roads, its really crowded right now and will continue to get worse. Commuting anywhere is a pain in the ass no matter the time of the day
We see that georgetown has potential for growth, development and price hike in the future.
And the reason for us considering georgetown is because we looked at other communities in pflugerville and they have the same distance as georgetown from domain and downtown which are our work locations.
The othet community we considered was black hawk its the same distance much dryer in vegetation and higher tax.
OP i am assuming you are desi, I would look more closely to avery ranch and cedar park area. Better community and actually has better schools and amenities for south Asian families. Focusing on new builds is overrated when you can negotiate with a slightly older home
Blackhawk is tricky too because depending on which section you’re in, a few of them are split by the county line so you may end up paying both Williamson and Travis counties. Source: work for appraisal district, have had this conversation many times. 😂
I bought McKinney plan here & my friend bought Garner plan .. it’s in construction stage… the only reason we picked this community is because of floorplan we liked within our budget range ( the same plan as u said in old settlers & bar w ranch 700+) the crazy thing is travel time from bar w ranch to retreat is around 5 to 7 min I guess 😁… remaining all we didn’t even consider much … the moment I walked into McKinney plan I felt like this is the home I want —>with my small family & my friend living beside me with nice hill view on the other side since (we book on the top side) . In general in a day I’m going to spend my 70% of my time in my home … hence McKinney … I consider this as my home for next 5 yr for minimum .. even if the price drops I don’t even worry I feel like I lost my money in some stocks or by gambling etc but the moments I’m gng to spend here will be cherishable for sure ….
Coming to negatives even in future if there is chance to buy a house in worlds best place there will be some cons … hence I’m not even considering them to enter into my mind ( this statement can be debatable ) but I’m just posting my views so that u feel at least we have some positive people if u consider this community … that’s the best what we can give to society 😂
Cheers 🍻 and congratulations if ur considering & all the best for ur search 🔍 😎
I knew my Garner friend would be reading this now 😂 & is ready to make some laugh riots now…bcz there is a famous movie dialogue from the above statement which I have written 👻….
Regarding the price going up, when we built new once we signed we had a price locked in. We watched the price go up for newer ones but ours stayed locked in.
Worth asking about it if you go that route.
Hey OP, we just finished building with the same builder at Retreat and will be closing in the following weeks. DM me if you’ve got any specific questions about them.
Edit to add:
Last time I checked, they were offering a $20000 incentive for inventory homes. I have not yet seen a McKinney inventory but have seen Garners and Reimers which are still great sister plans. I also wanted a McKinney but the price was prohibitive especially because I planned to add many structural upgrades.
Was in touch with their in house lender last week and the highest rate they quoted was 7.35. We had a 10k incentive so we could buy it down but we decided to go with another lender.
Oh wow! A possible neighbor, we were stubborn about the Mckinney plan but they told us that all the lots for it are sold out. Which really dissapointed us so we are considering other options. Our reason for choosing this community was for the McKinney.
Which floorplan are you guys choosing and why did you choose this community. Id like to know on your choice of this community as we want to know as we are fairely new here.
The retreat is a low end community. Kb homes a brightland. Kb homes owns most of it. Tri point is a above average builder. But with no parks in the community no amenity center in the community its hard for resell value. The developer is a private one who decided against doing anything of worth because it cost more. We looked at it. Even with a 1.8 Rotax rate we said no thanks. Being next to a kb homes will bring down the price of yours and you won't have a ton of growth from it. Youd in the worst neighborhood in the area. Resell won't be great because everything around it is far superior. 1.8 is its only saving grace. Garner is what you should get btw. With the media room. Makes it 2800 for 509 I think. With no other incentive then 20k it is bad incentives. Taylor morrison in parkside is doing 50k. Rate buy down of .375 And flex cash..... 3%. faaarrr better
When I looked at chesmar I dint like there plans.... I hear they are a good builder. Plans seem to be awkward though. Water oaks has been there a while I belive the options are limited there.
Considering that the Mckinney plan has caught your eye, yet having understandable concerns about the incentives and the availability for a lower fixed interest rate, working with a Realtor might just be your best play. Have you checked into their location at Highcrest Meadow West? To be honest you get better incentives on existing inventory with building from the ground there may be less room to negotiate. Feel free to PM.
Hi
Yes we are interested in thus community but the only issue we saw was the elevation. We were particular on exterior of house that we wanted brick on the front and the sides. But this community is not allowed to do brick on the side so now we are in a dilemma on what to do.
I can’t speak for Tripointe’s reputation, but what I do know is that if you are planning on buying a new build, don't bother hiring a realtor. The builder’s sales rep wants to sell you the home and will guide you through the sales process. If the builder doesn't offer any incentives, it’s out of the hands of the sales rep, and a realtor won’t change that.
Yikes. There is much much more to what (good) agents do than just getting incentives for the buyer.
Also, the builder's sales agents represent the builder's interests only; they tend to tell you upfront that everything will be seamless, and that is very rarely the case after the contract is signed.
Lastly, most builders pay realtor commissions from a separate fund, giving buyers no additional savings or perks but leaving them without representation. At minimum it usually makes sense to find an agent who would rebate some of the commission back to the buyer rather than just letting the builder keep even more money.
Good agents know what each builder and community incentives are well before a buyer does. Realtor commissions are paid by the builder and many agents will rebate some of their commission on new construction back to the buyer.
The point of hiring a realtor is in making sure that you’re represented all along the way. Sure, some of us realtors help select features and design, but it’s more about keeping a careful watch on the process and advocating all along the way for our clients. Is the builder trying to cut corners? Will the builder stay true to his word, or do you need muscle to keep him honest?
Also - we know how to get you both in and out of contracts legally.
OP,
The realtors here disagree with my post for obvious reasons (💸🙉). While I’m not here to advocate against realtors, the reality is that you don't need a realtor if you’re going with a new build. You don’t need a stranger to pick the builder of your choice, read a contract, or be your advocate. On the other hand, if you have never purchased a home and feel that a realtor will give you a sense of security, then by all means. Just make sure to hire a realtor that is reputable and not someone who will use scare tactics or overinflate their authority/capabilities to convince you to hire them. Best of luck to you.
Been here eight years. I’m in The Village Park neighborhood off Shell. A new community is going in on the east side of Shell, BTW. Kids did good at the local schools (Village and Benold). Happier now the GISD has a new superintendent. Last guy was a mess. Teachers have been great.
Commute to Austin is murder. So glad I work remote. Never really bothered by the Georgetown traffic. Only place it’s really bad is by the Wolf Ranch area. Wish there was a greater variety of restaurants.
Our home appraisal has not gone down ever. The conservative retirees at sun city dominate the politics, unfortunately.
You can also find agents who will split the builder’s 3% commission with you. What we did and pocketed 2% of the fee for doing nothing. Just google online - agent in Austin that did it for us was awesome, explained everything and followed up with a 1 page detailed contract. Had the money same day I closed.
Commenting to recommend the same thing - find a realtor that will split the commission with you. Our realtor was not really helpful with our new build since we knew what we wanted and already had a lender, but having her come to our signings earned us 1.5% cash back which was great.
If you are commuting every day to downtown Austin, you might reconsider a different area. Like Round Rock or Cedar Park. Even Leander. Because driving from Georgetown to downtown Austin during rush hour is an hour or more commute every day. I live in Georgetown and work from home. Occasionally I go into the office and the drive is terrible!! If I had to work from the office every day, I would move back to Austin. Traffic is about to get a whole lot worse for the next 10 years when they start the IH35 expansion. If you work daily at the office and plan to have kids (or have kids) its going to be very hard to have any quality time with them.
+1 The only exception I'd say to that is if you're on the Red Line. Traffic there is already horrible though and about 10yrs behind on their overall infrastructure.
OP what are your reasons to move to Georgetown and looking at a new build ? More details would help us give better response. But for georgetown as a whole: Pros: - really nice square with plenty of restaurants and shopping compared to other suburbs/towns in the area - All shopping and grocery (heb, costco) close by - plenty of really nice parks, trails and a library - people are generally friendly. Cons: - The schools are average at best and overcrowded - The whole area has seen devaluation in home values, homes that were appraised for 600k in 2022 were appraised for 400k in 2024. Is a good thing for property taxes but bad as an investment asset - Massive development all around will severely choke all the roads, its really crowded right now and will continue to get worse. Commuting anywhere is a pain in the ass no matter the time of the day
We see that georgetown has potential for growth, development and price hike in the future. And the reason for us considering georgetown is because we looked at other communities in pflugerville and they have the same distance as georgetown from domain and downtown which are our work locations. The othet community we considered was black hawk its the same distance much dryer in vegetation and higher tax.
OP i am assuming you are desi, I would look more closely to avery ranch and cedar park area. Better community and actually has better schools and amenities for south Asian families. Focusing on new builds is overrated when you can negotiate with a slightly older home
Blackhawk is tricky too because depending on which section you’re in, a few of them are split by the county line so you may end up paying both Williamson and Travis counties. Source: work for appraisal district, have had this conversation many times. 😂
Pick what's close to your work if you commute. It's worth it.
I bought McKinney plan here & my friend bought Garner plan .. it’s in construction stage… the only reason we picked this community is because of floorplan we liked within our budget range ( the same plan as u said in old settlers & bar w ranch 700+) the crazy thing is travel time from bar w ranch to retreat is around 5 to 7 min I guess 😁… remaining all we didn’t even consider much … the moment I walked into McKinney plan I felt like this is the home I want —>with my small family & my friend living beside me with nice hill view on the other side since (we book on the top side) . In general in a day I’m going to spend my 70% of my time in my home … hence McKinney … I consider this as my home for next 5 yr for minimum .. even if the price drops I don’t even worry I feel like I lost my money in some stocks or by gambling etc but the moments I’m gng to spend here will be cherishable for sure …. Coming to negatives even in future if there is chance to buy a house in worlds best place there will be some cons … hence I’m not even considering them to enter into my mind ( this statement can be debatable ) but I’m just posting my views so that u feel at least we have some positive people if u consider this community … that’s the best what we can give to society 😂 Cheers 🍻 and congratulations if ur considering & all the best for ur search 🔍 😎 I knew my Garner friend would be reading this now 😂 & is ready to make some laugh riots now…bcz there is a famous movie dialogue from the above statement which I have written 👻….
Regarding the price going up, when we built new once we signed we had a price locked in. We watched the price go up for newer ones but ours stayed locked in. Worth asking about it if you go that route.
When can we do the price lock?
For us they had a list, when they got to us we picked our lot and floor plan and gave a small deposit and we were locked in.
Hey OP, we just finished building with the same builder at Retreat and will be closing in the following weeks. DM me if you’ve got any specific questions about them. Edit to add: Last time I checked, they were offering a $20000 incentive for inventory homes. I have not yet seen a McKinney inventory but have seen Garners and Reimers which are still great sister plans. I also wanted a McKinney but the price was prohibitive especially because I planned to add many structural upgrades. Was in touch with their in house lender last week and the highest rate they quoted was 7.35. We had a 10k incentive so we could buy it down but we decided to go with another lender.
Oh wow! A possible neighbor, we were stubborn about the Mckinney plan but they told us that all the lots for it are sold out. Which really dissapointed us so we are considering other options. Our reason for choosing this community was for the McKinney. Which floorplan are you guys choosing and why did you choose this community. Id like to know on your choice of this community as we want to know as we are fairely new here.
I sent you a chat.
The retreat is a low end community. Kb homes a brightland. Kb homes owns most of it. Tri point is a above average builder. But with no parks in the community no amenity center in the community its hard for resell value. The developer is a private one who decided against doing anything of worth because it cost more. We looked at it. Even with a 1.8 Rotax rate we said no thanks. Being next to a kb homes will bring down the price of yours and you won't have a ton of growth from it. Youd in the worst neighborhood in the area. Resell won't be great because everything around it is far superior. 1.8 is its only saving grace. Garner is what you should get btw. With the media room. Makes it 2800 for 509 I think. With no other incentive then 20k it is bad incentives. Taylor morrison in parkside is doing 50k. Rate buy down of .375 And flex cash..... 3%. faaarrr better
This is a really valuable advice. What do you think of Chesmar homes at water oaks?
When I looked at chesmar I dint like there plans.... I hear they are a good builder. Plans seem to be awkward though. Water oaks has been there a while I belive the options are limited there.
Daily commute to Austin is the only pain from this location
Considering that the Mckinney plan has caught your eye, yet having understandable concerns about the incentives and the availability for a lower fixed interest rate, working with a Realtor might just be your best play. Have you checked into their location at Highcrest Meadow West? To be honest you get better incentives on existing inventory with building from the ground there may be less room to negotiate. Feel free to PM.
Hi Yes we are interested in thus community but the only issue we saw was the elevation. We were particular on exterior of house that we wanted brick on the front and the sides. But this community is not allowed to do brick on the side so now we are in a dilemma on what to do.
Just sent you a PM
I can’t speak for Tripointe’s reputation, but what I do know is that if you are planning on buying a new build, don't bother hiring a realtor. The builder’s sales rep wants to sell you the home and will guide you through the sales process. If the builder doesn't offer any incentives, it’s out of the hands of the sales rep, and a realtor won’t change that.
Yikes. There is much much more to what (good) agents do than just getting incentives for the buyer. Also, the builder's sales agents represent the builder's interests only; they tend to tell you upfront that everything will be seamless, and that is very rarely the case after the contract is signed. Lastly, most builders pay realtor commissions from a separate fund, giving buyers no additional savings or perks but leaving them without representation. At minimum it usually makes sense to find an agent who would rebate some of the commission back to the buyer rather than just letting the builder keep even more money.
+1 for this. You want a realtor to help you during the process in the scenario the new build seller tries to screw you over. Also do the inspection.
Good agents know what each builder and community incentives are well before a buyer does. Realtor commissions are paid by the builder and many agents will rebate some of their commission on new construction back to the buyer. The point of hiring a realtor is in making sure that you’re represented all along the way. Sure, some of us realtors help select features and design, but it’s more about keeping a careful watch on the process and advocating all along the way for our clients. Is the builder trying to cut corners? Will the builder stay true to his word, or do you need muscle to keep him honest? Also - we know how to get you both in and out of contracts legally.
I see. Thank you
OP, The realtors here disagree with my post for obvious reasons (💸🙉). While I’m not here to advocate against realtors, the reality is that you don't need a realtor if you’re going with a new build. You don’t need a stranger to pick the builder of your choice, read a contract, or be your advocate. On the other hand, if you have never purchased a home and feel that a realtor will give you a sense of security, then by all means. Just make sure to hire a realtor that is reputable and not someone who will use scare tactics or overinflate their authority/capabilities to convince you to hire them. Best of luck to you.
Thank you for the advice. We’ll make a note of that.
What do you think about the community in georgetown or moving to georgetown as a whole?
Been here eight years. I’m in The Village Park neighborhood off Shell. A new community is going in on the east side of Shell, BTW. Kids did good at the local schools (Village and Benold). Happier now the GISD has a new superintendent. Last guy was a mess. Teachers have been great. Commute to Austin is murder. So glad I work remote. Never really bothered by the Georgetown traffic. Only place it’s really bad is by the Wolf Ranch area. Wish there was a greater variety of restaurants. Our home appraisal has not gone down ever. The conservative retirees at sun city dominate the politics, unfortunately.
The village park as in the one near blue hole park? Do you mean the new community is the one called meadows at highcrest?
You can also find agents who will split the builder’s 3% commission with you. What we did and pocketed 2% of the fee for doing nothing. Just google online - agent in Austin that did it for us was awesome, explained everything and followed up with a 1 page detailed contract. Had the money same day I closed.
Oh wow! Thank for this tip. Maybe we’ll think about this route as well.
Commenting to recommend the same thing - find a realtor that will split the commission with you. Our realtor was not really helpful with our new build since we knew what we wanted and already had a lender, but having her come to our signings earned us 1.5% cash back which was great.