Manor TX New Construction: North vs South of Highway 290 Cost Breakdown

Two new homes in Manor, both advertised around $392,000. One sits south of Highway 290 near Tesla. The other is up FM 973 with about 900 more square feet. The bigger one costs more to own every single year. That trade-off runs through every new community in Manor, so we priced all of them.

We live in Shadow Glen, a few minutes from every neighborhood on this map. Three of these communities are so new there's nothing to walk through yet, but we will be the first to tour them. By the end, you'll have two or three stops, not ten, and you'll know which side of 290 your budget belongs on. Our budget is north of 290. Follow us and we'll show you the Wilson Way.

Manor sits just east of Austin, wrapped around the Tesla Gigafactory. Highway 290 splits the city in two. South of 290 is the Tesla side. New homes there start higher. North of 290, most of the new builds line up along FM 973. Your money buys you more house up there. The catch shows up after closing.

South of 290, the tax rates are lower, so those homes cost less to own every year. There's one more line item most buyers miss. A lot of those neighborhoods have a PID, a Public Improvement District. It's an extra yearly assessment on your tax bill that pays for the neighborhood's roads, drainage, and utilities. And it never shows up in the builder's advertised price.

Tax rates in Manor aren't just one number. Each neighborhood sits in its own mix of county, school, city, and district taxes. Not everyone pays all of them. That mix is why two homes a few miles apart can carry very different tax bills at the same price. So we ran two tests. First, we took one $400,000 home and added up what it costs to own in each community in taxes and HOA dues. Your mortgage is the same at the same price, so we left it out. What changes is everything on top of that. Second, on a weekday morning, we drove to Giga Tesla and downtown Austin from both sides of 290, timing each drive to arrive at 8 AM. One morning per drive. That's a real sample, not a promise. Both boards fill in as we go, and we reveal the full picture at the end.

One more note: our numbers are before your homestead exemption, so your real bill should come in lower, but the exemption applies in every community, so the ranking should hold. Whether you're buying in ten days or ten months, the more you understand about taxes and HOA dues before you tour a model home, the better prepared you'll be. And remember, the person in the model home works for the builder, not for you. Bring your own representation from the start. We run these numbers because we like you, and we want you to know the real cost of owning before you fall for the price on the sign.

Table of Contents

• Pulte Lagos: Entry Point South of 290 with Markdowns
• Lagos Reserve: Design Pick with the Lowest Yearly Cost
• Whisper Valley: Geothermal and Low Tax Rates
• Mustang Valley: Best Value Per Square Foot in Manor
• New Haven: Most Builder Choice North of 290
• Carillon: Most Homes Available in One Afternoon
• Shadow Glen: Our Neighborhood Gets a Perry Expansion
• Eastwood: Taylor Morrison's 1,335-Home Plan
• First Look Communities: What's Opening Next
• Which Side of Highway 290 Fits You?

Pulte Lagos: Entry Point South of 290 with Markdowns

Let's start south of 290 on the Tesla side. The short version: you pay more to get in here and less each year to stay. Pulte Lagos is the entry point. Lagos Reserve is the design pick. Whisper Valley has the lowest tax rates we found. Eastwood's coming too, but that one is in our First Look section.

First, a quick clarification. Pulte Lagos and Lagos Reserve are two completely different communities with different builders. They sit side by side, but each one has its own improvement district. People mix them up all the time.

Right now, Pulte has eight homes ready or close to it, and every one of them has been marked down. The cuts range from $20,000 to $56,000. The Albany plan dropped from $510,000 to just over $453,000. That's real money on a home that you can move into right now. Seven of the eight are ready now. The eighth finishes in November.

The one we want you to remember is the Orchard plan: about 2,000 square feet, four bedrooms, and just over $392,000. That's our south side half of the comparison. Hold on to that number.

What you get there is a finished neighborhood. The streets, the sidewalks, and the trail access are already in. At $400,000, our estimate is about $9,800 a year in taxes and HOA dues. That's the first bar on our ladder.

The trade-off at Pulte is style. The plans are practical and the finishes are simpler than what you would see next door. For a lot of buyers, that's fine. You can put the savings toward blinds, furniture, or a smaller loan. If you work at Tesla and want the lowest price of entry on this side, start here.

Just ask one question before you sign: why was this home marked down? The answer is usually the market, but ask anyway. And also ask what the builder's offering on closing costs or your rate. Sometimes that's worth more than just a simple price cut. And get the public improvement district disclosure for the exact home before you get attached to it. That's something agents can help you out with. And one more thing before you walk into the sales office: the person behind the desk works for the builder, not for you. We work for you. Bring us in before you write an offer, not after.

Lagos Reserve: Design Pick with the Lowest Yearly Cost

Right next door is Lagos Reserve, and this is the one that we get most excited about. It is the design pick south of 290. Tri Pointe has homes available from about $440,000 all the way up to $547,000, and this first section that's about to be complete does not have the PID tax. So that's a huge deal because your tax rate is going to be the lowest that you're going to see in Manor.

These plans have lofts, media rooms, and studies. They feel bigger than what the square footage says. If you work from home, the study and the loft give you an office that's not in the middle of the house.

On the smaller lots, walk the actual home site before you pick a plan. Look at what the back of the lot faces, where the drainage runs, and how much of a yard you can actually use. And if you're backed up to a greenbelt or a field, there may be something built later, so make sure you ask. And sometimes we don't always know. Landowners can sell land later, and next thing you know, you're going to have commercial property behind it, other residential houses. And as agents, we just don't know. But that's why you always ask the questions. Yes, that walk takes ten minutes and it can save you from years of looking at a sound wall.

Here's the surprise. At $400,000, Lagos Reserve comes out at the top of our ladder with the lowest yearly cost we found in Manor: about $7,800 a year. That's about $2,000 less than Pulte Lagos right next door. So this is the clearest version of the south side trade. You pay more to buy in and less every year after.

You're waiting on a couple of things. The pool, the courts, and amenity centers are still coming. And Ashton Woods is building here too, but it hasn't started selling yet. When it does, you'll have two builders to compare.

Now, the drive. We left the Lagos area around 7:35 on a weekday morning. To Giga Texas, it took around 22 minutes. And to downtown Austin, it took just over 40 minutes. That's one morning, so treat it as a sample, but that's the Tesla side advantage in real time. If you have a higher budget, commute to Tesla, and plan to stay, Lagos Reserve is where we'd start.

Whisper Valley: Geothermal and Low Tax Rates

We already did a full tour of Whisper Valley. It also has really low tax rates and ten homes available from five different builders. Whisper Valley is also known for geothermal heating and cooling, with solar options. Ask about any monthly service fees for those systems because they're separated out from the HOA dues. Our tour covers how all that works.

Its bar lands at about $8,300 a year. If you want the lowest tax bill in a finished neighborhood, start here.

Mustang Valley: Best Value Per Square Foot in Manor

Now let's cross over 290 and see what the same money buys up north. North of 290, most of the new communities run along FM 973. Heading north, we pass Ochre Creek, Monarch Ranch, Mustang Valley, and New Haven. And the change up in this area has been just explosive. Up here, the homes get bigger for the money, and the drive gets longer the farther north you go. We're lucky because we live in Shadow Glen, which is the closest community off of Highway 290 and the closest to downtown Austin. Yeah, the west side.

FM 973 backs up at rush hour, and TxDOT is studying a realignment. That's a plan for later, not a lane you can use today, unfortunately. Ochre Creek is so new, there are no homes yet, so we'll come back to it. However, we drive through Ochre Creek to get home. It is incredible how fast they're building there.

You'll drive right past Monarch Ranch, so let's cover that one first. D.R. Horton has 16 homes available right now in Monarch Ranch. It's not on our shortlist and we don't score it. If it's on yours, call us before you sign. We'll walk you through exactly what we check on that specific home.

Next up is Mustang Valley, and this is the other half of our comparison. KB has a move-in-ready home here for just over $391,000, and it has 2,880 square feet. Remember the Orchard plan south of 290? Around $392,000 for about 2,000 square feet. Almost the same price. And this one is about 900 square feet bigger. That works out to about $136 per square foot for the best value that we found in Manor.

And if you want to build, KB is starting its second section. The first section is about two-thirds sold. So early buyers in the new section are getting their first pick of the home sites.

We also know the builder firsthand. We represented two clients here already. Both got weekly updates, fast answers from the sales team, and a construction manager who followed through. Shout out to Garrett. Shout out to Garrett and shout out to Shannon. Shannon's been fantastic. That's two experiences, so not a guarantee. Every buyer still needs their own inspection.

Mustang Valley also has a dog park and walking trails that are already open. If you have a dog, walk them while you're there. It really tells you a lot about the neighborhood.

One thing to watch if you build: KB starts around $303,000, but homesite premiums may apply. So price the exact lot you want, not just the plan.

Now for the other side of the trade. At $400,000, Mustang Valley comes out to about $11,100 a year. On the two homes we compared, the Mustang Valley home costs about $1,150 more a year to own. That's roughly $100 a month.

And then there's the drive from Mustang Valley. We timed the commute to get to work about 8 AM. To Giga Texas, it took about 32 minutes. To downtown, it took about 46 minutes.

So the real question is simple: is 900 square feet worth about $100 a month and that drive? For a lot of buyers, the answer is yes, especially if you work from home and need an office, or you've got a dog that needs a yard. Over five years, that's about $5,750 spread across 900 square feet. It buys a lot of extra room. But if you commute to Tesla every day, add up the extra drive time too, not just the dollars.

New Haven: Most Builder Choice North of 290

The last stop on FM 973 is New Haven. New Haven has the most builder choice up here. DRB has three homes available and Chesmar has six. And as soon as DRB Model Home opened, we were the first agents to take you on a tour. Weston is coming soon, which will make three builders.

Prices run from about $375,000 to $545,000, and the DRB Model Home made a strong impression on both of us. Oh yeah. It's a beautiful home.

With two builders selling at once, you can compare what each one includes at the same price. Ask both for their standard features list and their current incentives and lay them side by side.

Here's the trade-off: New Haven has the highest tax rate that we found in Manor. At $400,000, our estimate is about $12,600 a year. That's the bottom of our ladder.

It's also the north end of our test drive. We left New Haven to get to work about 8 AM. To Giga Texas, it took nearly 35 minutes. To downtown, it took 48 minutes.

If builder choice matters most and the drive works for you, New Haven belongs on your list. Just price the exact home first because the yearly cost here adds up.

Carillon: Most Homes Available in One Afternoon

One more before we move on. Farther east on 290 is Carillon. It has the most homes available in Manor right now: 28 from three builders, and most are under $435,000. We toured Carillon already.

On our ladder, it lands at about $11,500 a year, close to Mustang Valley. With three builders on the same map, included features and finishes will vary a lot from lot to lot. So compare spec sheets line by line, not just the price.

It's also the easiest way to see a lot of homes in one afternoon. If the Carillon price range fits you better than anything else here, start with that tour.

Shadow Glen: Our Neighborhood Gets a Perry Expansion

North of 290, Perry Homes is adding a new section inside Shadow Glen, our neighborhood. Shadow Glen is the closest community north of 290 to Austin. And the pool and clubhouse are already open. We've got a water slide. Yes, we got two water slides.

Perry hasn't released plans or pricing just yet, but we will keep a lookout. These are 60-foot home sites, so expect larger homes than most of Manor. The real question is whether the pricing will still fit a Manor budget.

I was driving through the Perry site yesterday. They already have a home site sold in Manor, Texas, in Shadow Glen, actually in our neighborhood. I can almost see my house from here. And this is a new section for Perry. There's already one been sold before they even have the model open. I was like, this is incredible. And it is literally a dog walk away. So if you're interested in Perry and Shadow Glen, we can literally walk to your home site. Being a local agent's one thing. Being a dog walk away agent is completely different.

Eastwood: Taylor Morrison's 1,335-Home Plan

Now for the three communities on the map that have nothing to tour yet. We live a few miles from all three, and we drive past them every week, every day sometimes. Being the first matters in a new community. The first buyers usually get the best choices of lots and the launching price, and that pricing tends to move once the first section starts selling.

Let's start with Eastwood, south of 290. The builder, which is one of our top-rated builders, is Taylor Morrison. Taylor Morrison says early 2027 with homes from the mid-$400,000s. Building hasn't started yet. Right now they're just preparing the ground and putting in the infrastructure.

The larger plan calls for an enormous 1,335 home sites, so this one is going to be big. It also sets aside about 97 acres for shopping and dining. Which Manor could really use. Can we use a suggestion box and let them know what we want? Chiropractor, massage center, we're getting sushi, Costco, Target, maybe even a Whole Foods. A bunch of stuff. Yes.

If Taylor Morrison's already on your list, this is the one to watch.

First Look Communities: What's Opening Next

Closest to 290 on FM 973 is Ochre Creek, which is also a dog walk away from our home. The model home is just finishing up and no homes have been built just yet. Two builders are marketing it. First America Homes, which is new to this market, and Braun Homes, which is a beautiful builder. Yeah, and this is the first time Braun Homes is going to be building in Manor. Yes. So this will be exciting. You'll have to check out where we rank Braun Homes on our builder ranking video too.

When lots release, we will ask for the soil reports and the foundation plans. And we'll share what we learn. When each one opens its model, we'll be the first there, and the tour will be on our channel. And we'd definitely be the first one there because we can walk right to it.

Get on our First Look list and we'll send you pricing, lot releases, and model dates the day we get them.

Which Side of Highway 290 Fits You?

So here's the full picture. This is our $400,000 cost ladder sorted from lowest yearly cost to highest. Notice the colors. Every south side community lands on the top. From Lagos Reserve at about $7,800 to New Haven at about $12,600. That's a gap of about $4,800 a year on the same price. That's about $400 a month. And over five years, it's about $24,000.

Now the drive board. From the Lagos area, the drive to Giga Tesla took 22 minutes. From New Haven, it took 35 minutes. That's the morning version of the same trade. South of 290, you save time and money every year. North, you get more house for the same price. Neither one's wrong. It depends on what you use every day: the drive, or the square footage.

So which side of Highway 290 fits you? Here's how we'd start people off:

• Choose Lagos Reserve if you're set on the Tesla side and budget isn't a constraint. It's already at the top of the ladder.
• Choose Pulte Lagos if you need a tighter budget on the same side. The discounted homes get you in for less. Just ask why they dropped the price.
• Choose Whisper Valley if you want the lowest tax bill in a finished neighborhood.
• Choose Mustang Valley if you're chasing square footage. Cross over to the new section.
• Choose New Haven if you need more than one builder to compare side by side. It's got three.
• Choose Carillon if you want to see the most homes in one afternoon. Start with our tour.
• Get on our First Look list if you can wait to be the first through the door somewhere brand new.

Pick two or three. That's your weekend. When you go, bring this ladder with you. Ask each builder for the tax rate, the improvement district figure, and the HOA dues on the exact home. If their numbers look different from ours, send them to us and we'll sort out why. Or call us before you go in the first place. Exactly.

Whether you're buying in ten days or ten months, reach out before you start touring so we can help you put the right strategy in place. We'll send you the full cost ladder and run the numbers on the exact home you like because we like you, and that's kind of the point. Call, text, or email us.