Houston's biggest builders compete on price, community, and finish level, not on a single best answer. Here is how they actually compare, including the tax district cost most builder signs never mention.
Six builders account for most of the new construction activity across the Houston area, from national production builders to a family owned firm still headquartered in the city.
This is not a ranking of best to worst. It is a comparison by headquarters, scale, and price band, since the right builder depends on which community you want and how much customization actually matters to you.
The largest homebuilder in the United States by volume since 2002. In Houston, D.R. Horton pulled 227 building permits in August 2025 at an average value of about $217,500, the entry level price point among the builders on this page.
Good fit for: Buyers prioritizing price per square foot over a fully custom floor plan
Visit D.R. Horton →The second largest homebuilder in the country and, by permit count, the single busiest builder in Houston: 445 permits in August 2025 at an average value near $232,800. Lennar sells most homes under its Everything's Included program, where finish level features are bundled into the base price instead of sold as options.
Good fit for: Buyers who want a bundled, less negotiated features list
Visit Lennar →Family owned and Houston headquartered, the largest builder based in the city. As of October 2025 the average list price for a new Perry home in Houston ran $535,430, with most homes priced between $427,900 and $629,900.
Good fit for: Buyers who want a locally headquartered builder at a step up in price
Visit Perry Homes →The second largest Houston headquartered builder after Perry Homes, operating in 19 markets nationally. David Weekley pulled 132 Houston area permits in August 2025 at an average value of about $323,900.
Good fit for: Buyers who want a Houston founded builder with a national track record
Visit David Weekley Homes →Formed when Taylor Woodrow and Morrison Homes combined in 2007. Taylor Morrison pulled 84 Houston area permits in August 2025 at an average value near $251,500, and builds across several master planned communities on the west and north sides of the metro.
Good fit for: Buyers focused on specific master planned communities the builder is active in
Visit Taylor Morrison →An employee owned Texas builder active in Houston master planned communities including Bridgeland and Cross Creek Ranch. Base prices in the Houston area typically run $450,000 to $750,000 or higher in the estate sections of its top communities.
Good fit for: Buyers targeting a specific master planned community's estate section
Visit Highland Homes →| Builder | Headquarters | Houston Avg. Value | Customization |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.R. Horton | Arlington, TX | About $217,500 | Defined options catalog |
| Lennar | Miami, FL | About $232,800 | Bundled, Everything's Included |
| Taylor Morrison | Scottsdale, AZ | About $251,500 | Defined options catalog |
| David Weekley Homes | Houston, TX | About $323,900 | Expanded options, semi custom in some communities |
| Highland Homes | Dallas Fort Worth, TX | $450,000 to $750,000+ | Semi custom in estate sections |
| Perry Homes | Houston, TX | About $535,430 avg. list | Expanded options, semi custom in some communities |
Average values are August 2025 Houston area permit data (D.R. Horton, Lennar, Taylor Morrison, David Weekley) and October 2025 average list price (Perry Homes). New construction pricing changes by community and by month; confirm current pricing directly with the builder or your agent.
Every builder on this page has active communities inside a Municipal Utility District, and none of them, ours included, puts the effective tax rate on the sign next to the base price. That is worth saying plainly before you fall for the lowest number on a model home.
A MUD funds the water, sewer, and drainage a new community needs before the home even sells, and it is billed on top of the normal county and school district rate. In communities like Elyson, Bridgeland, and Towne Lake, the combined rate runs roughly 2.9 to 3.4 percent of assessed value. On a $400,000 home, the difference between a 2.1 percent rate outside a MUD district and a 3.3 percent rate inside one is over $4,000 a year, which changes the real monthly payment more than most feature upgrades do.
MUD rates do fall over time as the district's bonds get paid off, typically over 20 to 30 years, so an older phase of a community can carry a meaningfully lower rate than a brand new phase of the same community. Ask for the district's current rate and its bond payoff schedule before comparing base prices across builders or communities.
If price per square foot matters most and you can absorb a MUD district rate, a high volume production builder like D.R. Horton or Lennar fits, since scale keeps their base price lower.
If you want a builder headquartered in Houston with a longer local track record, Perry Homes and David Weekley Homes are both Houston founded, at different price points.
If a specific master planned community is the real priority, whichever builder is active in that community's estate section, commonly Highland Homes or Taylor Morrison, matters more than the builder's name recognition.
Whichever builder you choose, having your own buyer's agent review the contract costs you nothing extra since the builder pays that commission, and it puts someone on your side of a negotiation the builder's own sales rep is not on.
By building permits pulled, Lennar was the single busiest builder in the Houston area in August 2025 with 445 permits, followed by D.R. Horton at 227. By headquarters, Perry Homes is the largest builder based in Houston itself, family owned since 1967.
A Municipal Utility District tax funds the water, sewer, and drainage infrastructure a new master planned community needs before a city annexes it, and it is added on top of the normal county and school district tax rate. In communities like Elyson, Bridgeland, and Towne Lake, the combined rate runs roughly 2.9 to 3.4 percent of assessed value, which can add well over a thousand dollars a year to a payment a builder's advertised base price does not show.
Rarely, with production builders. Builders like Lennar and D.R. Horton sell from a defined set of floor plans and a structured options catalog, not open ended custom design. A buyer who wants to move walls or design a floor plan from scratch needs a true custom or semi custom home builder, which is a different category than the production builders most active in Houston.
Yes. Our agents tour Houston's active new construction communities weekly and represent buyers at no cost to them, since the seller, in this case the builder, pays the buyer's agent commission. Working with your own agent on a new construction purchase does not cost more and gets you someone reviewing the builder contract on your side of the table.
It depends on the specific community and its tax rate, not just the sticker price. A new construction home in a MUD district can carry a meaningfully higher effective monthly payment than an existing home of similar price inside Houston's core tax rate, once the district's rate is added in. Compare the full monthly payment, not the base price, before deciding.
Our agents tour Houston's active new construction communities every Thursday. The builder pays your agent's commission, so representation costs you nothing extra.