Free Resource · McKinney, Texas
The Painted Tree Buyer Guide
1,100 acres, eleven builders and homes from the $300s to the $800s. Here's how the community actually works — the land, the homes, the monthly cost and the process.
01 · The communityBuilt around the land, not around the lots.
Painted Tree is 1,100 acres in north McKinney, and roughly a fifth of it will never be built on. The trail network is the organising idea — every home is meant to sit near a trailhead, and in practice that holds up.
Three districtsEach one has its own character.
Woodland
The largest — nine of the eleven builders, and the widest range of prices and homesite widths.
Lakeside
Around the 20-acre lake and the Lakeside Trailhead pool. The luxury end.
Village
The smallest, with two builders and the Village Trailhead pool.
02 · AmenitiesA morning on the trails or an afternoon by the pool.
Amenity access is the same across all three districts. Walking distance is not. Walk from your homesite to the nearest pool before you sign — five minutes and fifteen are very different.
03 · The homesHomes for every chapter.
Townhomes start in the $300s. Detached starts in the high $300s. Semi-custom and luxury run into the $800s — half a million dollars of spread inside one community.
Why that range matters
Few DFW master-planned communities span this much. Your budget can move — now, or years from now — without your neighbourhood having to move with it.
Homesites at a glanceFound a plan you like? Check what's underneath it.
Most people find a model they love and work backwards. That's the right way round — the homesite just quietly sets your yard, your garage and a good part of your price.
From $365,990. Attached, low-maintenance, full amenity access.
1,606–2,491 sq ft · 3–5 bed. Rear-entry garages — a porch on the street instead of a garage door, but the driveway takes the back yard.
1,853–3,327 sq ft · 3–6 bed. Four builders compete here, the widest spread. A third garage bay is not a given.
2,437–4,392 sq ft · up to 6 bed. Three-car garages become normal. The step most move-up buyers want.
2,762–4,065+ sq ft. Side yard and plan flexibility as much as square footage. Lot premiums matter most here.
The ranges overlap — that's where the decisions get made. Choosing between the top of one width and the bottom of the next? Price both. Stepping up often beats optioning the smaller home upward.
04 · Monthly costThe number most buyers never check.
Two homes at the same price don't cost the same to own. Painted Tree has no MUD and no PID — in Collin County, that is not the norm.
≈ $10,482 / year
≈ $16,716 / year
Purchase price alone doesn't tell you what a home costs to own.
Why this is illustrative
Based on $600,000 of taxable value at the rates shown. Real bills depend on appraised value — not purchase price — and on exemptions; the Texas homestead exemption is $140,000. Rates change annually. Collin County has 29 MUDs and three management districts, and most new communities in Celina and Prosper carry one. Verify before you rely on it.
05 · The buildersEleven builders, one community.
Use this to shortlist three or four — not to pick one.
| Builder | Type | Homesite | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| CB JENI Homes | Townhomes | Townhome | $365,990 |
| Tri Pointe Homes | Single family | 40′ 50′ 60′ 70′ | High $300s |
| David Weekley Homes | Single family | 40′ 50′ | $487,990 |
| Centre Living Homes | Single family | — | $499,900 |
| Trophy Signature Homes | Single family | 50′ | $514,990 |
| Normandy Homes | Single family | 50′ | $517,990 |
| Bloomfield Homes | Single family | 50′ 60′ 70′ | $559,990 |
| Coventry Homes | Single family | 50′ 60′ | Mid $500s |
| Southgate Homes | Luxury | 50′ | $693,990 |
| Drees Custom Homes | Semi-custom | — | $849,990 |
| Cyrene at Painted Tree | For lease | — | Leasing |
Cyrene is for lease, not for sale — worth knowing before you spend a Saturday there. And Tri Pointe is the only builder in all three districts, which is why you'll see the name at very different prices.
Starting prices from each builder's own site, Q4 2026. They move with releases, incentives and lot premiums — ask me what's available the week you're looking.
06 · Schools & locationClose to more than you'd expect.
Costco
4 minutes
Baylor Scott & White McKinney
6 minutes
Walmart Supercenter, Redbud Blvd
8 minutes
Historic downtown McKinney
13 minutes
Plano
26 minutes
Off-peak driving times. US-75 and the 380 corridor are the two routes that matter.
Schools
Painted Tree is in McKinney ISD. All three district high schools are rated A by the Texas Education Agency — 93, 94 and 94. The district composite is a B, and has been for four years. Both are true; one quoted without the other is half the picture. Zones change as new campuses open, so check the campuses your address feeds.
07 · Life in McKinneyA city building faster than its reputation.
Commercial flights
McKinney National begins commercial service — a short drive instead of DFW or Love Field.
A $1.3 billion district
A mixed-use district at U.S. 75 and the 380 bypass.
A 20,000-seat amphitheater
Sunset Amphitheater at McKinney.
A $200 million surf park
Built around a four-acre surf lagoon.
Announced is not open, and timelines move. These tell you the direction the city is committing money to — worth weighing, not worth paying a premium for today.
08 · Before you buyTwelve questions, and one rule about timing.
The registration rule nobody explains
Bring your agent on your first visit, before you register. Builder policies vary, and sorting representation out afterwards gets complicated. It's the most common avoidable mistake I see.
- Base price vs this model as shown? Routinely a six-figure gap.
- Which structural options lock before permit?
- Lot premiums on what's still available? The list, not an example.
- Third garage bay — standard or option?
- Current incentive, conditions and expiry? In writing.
- Does the incentive require their lender? Compare rate and fees.
- Design centre allowance — and the typical overage?
- Build timeline — and what happens if it slips?
- Warranty at one, two and ten years — and who services it?
- HOA dues — what they cover, and when they change?
- What's planned behind and beside this homesite?
- What have comparable homes closed for? Closed, not listed.
09 · The buildFrom contract to keys.
Seven to nine months from contract. Here's where the decisions fall.
Contract and earnest money. Terms, homesite, plan and elevation locked.
Structural options deadline. The hard one — anything affecting the frame is decided here and not again.
Design centre. Go in with a number and a list — this is where budgets move most.
Permits and groundbreak. The city sets the pace.
Framing and exterior. Walk it at frame stage — the last time you'll see inside the walls.
Interior build-out.
Punch list and close. Independent inspection before closing, not after.
Warranty period. Diary the one- and two-year dates the week you move in.
10 · Stay connectedI walk these homes every week — and film it.
Nothing in this guide is anything I haven't stood in myself.
Community tours
Model walkthroughs
Builder comparisons
11 · How I workYou don't need to figure out eleven builders on your own.
My job is to narrow it down before you spend your Saturdays touring everything.
- A 15-minute call. What's driving the move, what you want the home to do, what you'll spend. I listen first.
- A shortlist. The builders, plans and available homes actually worth a closer look.
- We tour. I'm not there to sell you a model — I'm looking at the homesite, plan tradeoffs, lot premiums, options, incentives and contract terms.
- Through to closing. Design decisions, construction milestones, inspections and the final walk-through. My read at every step, not a pitch.
That's useful information too. I won't try to make it work just because it's where we started — I'll help you compare the rest of North Texas instead.
Let's narrow Painted Tree down to the homes and builders actually worth your time.
Tell me what you're looking for and I'll pull the homesites, builders and available homes that fit — and what I'd check before you sign.
Book a 15-minute call →or visit bookacall.everkinrealtygroup.comI've lived in 7 states across 20+ homes — as a renter, an owner and an investor. I've signed my share of these from the buyer's chair.
Equal Housing Opportunity. Prices, tax rates, drive times and builder details are approximate as of Q4 2026 and change without notice. Community map and photography courtesy of Painted Tree. Verify all figures with the relevant builder, McKinney ISD and the applicable taxing authorities before relying on them.