The New Construction Squeeze: Why Selling in Anna Is Different Than Selling in Plano

Homes in Van Alstyne, Anna, Howe, and Gunter are competing directly with new construction, while resale homes in Plano, Richardson, and Carrollton mostly aren't. That's because the exurb cities still have open land for large subdivisions, while the inner suburbs are largely built out. Builders in the growth corridor are using rate buydowns and closing-cost incentives to make new homes competitive on monthly payment, which pushes resale sellers there to price more carefully than sellers closer to Dallas.

Why are sellers in Van Alstyne and Anna competing with new construction more than sellers in Plano?

It comes down to available land. Van Alstyne, Anna, Howe, and Gunter sit in one of the most active new-construction corridors in North Texas right now. Builders including Gehan Homes, Pulte, Highland Homes, and Starlight Homes are actively building in Anna, and Centurion American has a roughly 2,200-home community underway in Van Alstyne near the Collin-Grayson county line. Part of what's driving that growth: Texas Instruments and GlobiTech are both building new semiconductor plants in nearby Sherman, bringing thousands of new jobs — and new households — into the corridor along US-75.

Plano tells the opposite story. Plano is essentially built out — recent local market analysis found new single-family construction made up less than 1% of Plano's single-family home sales in 2025. There simply isn't enough raw land left for large subdivisions, so a resale home in Plano isn't competing against a builder's model home the way one in Anna often is.

What builder incentives are resale sellers actually competing against?

The list price isn't the full comparison — the monthly payment is. Builders across DFW are currently offering temporary 2-1 rate buydowns (a lower rate in year one, a smaller reduction in year two, then the full rate), permanent rate buydowns through their in-house lenders, and closing-cost credits that in some cases run $10,000 to $30,000 on a single home. Because many production builders have their own affiliated mortgage companies, they can fund part of that rate reduction themselves — something an individual resale seller generally can't match without a real cost.

That's the real reason existing homes in these growth-corridor cities are seeing more price reductions right now: it's not that the homes themselves are worth less, it's that buyers are comparing total monthly cost, and a subsidized new-construction payment can look meaningfully lower than a resale home priced purely on square footage and condition.

Why don't Plano, Richardson, and Carrollton have this same problem?

These cities largely stopped growing outward years ago. What little new construction exists there now is mostly infill — townhomes, small luxury lots, or teardown-rebuilds on individual sites — not the subdivision-scale building happening farther north. With no builder undercutting the payment on a comparable home nearby, well-priced resale homes in Plano, Richardson, and Carrollton tend to move faster and hold their asking price more consistently.

McKinney sits in between. Its older, established neighborhoods behave more like Plano's — built out, little new construction nearby. But McKinney's newer northern sections are still an active builder market alongside Frisco, Prosper, and Celina. So the answer for a McKinney seller genuinely depends on which part of the city the home is in.

What should a seller in Van Alstyne, Anna, Howe, or Gunter do differently?

• Compare monthly payment, not just price. Know what a comparable new-construction payment looks like with current builder incentives before setting your list price.
• Consider offering a rate buydown or closing-cost credit instead of only cutting price. This can match a buyer's true monthly-cost comparison without leaving as much on the table as a flat price reduction.
• Time around builder incentive cycles. Builders typically push their strongest incentives at quarter-end and year-end to hit sales targets — those windows are when resale competition from new construction is toughest.
• Work with an agent who tracks builder inventory in your specific corridor. Knowing which nearby communities are actively pushing incentives changes how you price and negotiate.

Frequently asked questions

Is new construction actually cheaper than resale in North Texas right now?

Nationally, the traditional new-construction price premium has largely disappeared, according to National Association of Home Builders analysis of Census Bureau and NAR data. Locally it varies by corridor — but in growth areas like Van Alstyne and Anna, builder incentives frequently make the effective monthly cost of a new home competitive with, or lower than, a comparable resale home.

Why don't Plano and Richardson have this problem?

Both cities are largely built out, with very little vacant land left for large subdivisions. New construction there is mostly small-scale infill, not enough to meaningfully compete with the existing home inventory.

Does McKinney have this same new-construction competition?

Partly. McKinney's older core is largely built out like Plano, but its newer northern sections are still an active builder market. Whether a McKinney resale home faces new-construction competition depends heavily on which part of the city it's in.

Should I offer a rate buydown instead of dropping my price?

It depends on the numbers for your specific sale, and it's worth running both scenarios before deciding. A lender can model what a buydown would actually cost you versus a price reduction, and compare that against what a nearby new-construction competitor is offering.

What's driving so much growth in Van Alstyne and Anna specifically?

New semiconductor plants from Texas Instruments and GlobiTech in nearby Sherman are bringing thousands of new jobs to the US-75 corridor, and large-scale residential developers have responded with major new communities in both cities to house that incoming workforce.

If you're weighing whether to sell now, price against a rate buydown, or wait out the current builder incentive cycle, a Rise Realty Texas agent can walk through what's actually happening in your specific neighborhood right now. Contact Broker of Record Kelly Bishop at kellysellstx.com, or start at riserealtytexas.com. If comparing your payment against a builder's financing offer would help you decide, Tried & True Home Loans (NMLS 2034819) can run that comparison for you.

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This article reflects general North Texas market conditions as of September 2026 and is not real estate, tax, or lending advice. Builder incentives, inventory, and pricing change frequently — confirm current terms directly with a builder, a licensed North Texas real estate agent, or a mortgage professional before making a decision. Rise Realty Texas LLC, TREC #9016637-BB. Tried & True Home Loans, NMLS 2034819. Rise Realty Texas does not originate mortgages and does not manage property or collect rent.