Houston new construction incentives shifted over Labor Day. The summer sales events that were supposed to expire August 31 mostly got renamed “year-end” events and extended, and a few got bigger. That tells you where builders’ heads are: they still have finished homes to move before 2026 closes, and they’d rather pay you to take one than lower the price on the sign out front. Here’s what’s verified as of September 8, 2026, drawn from the builders’ own flyers and the incentive pages of the master-planned communities where I work most.
What changed from August
Perry Homes rolled its summer event into a year-end event with the same 4.99% rate and $55,000 ceiling, but the closing deadline moved from September 30 to December 31, which leaves room to build rather than only buy inventory. David Weekley launched an anniversary offer that also runs through December 31. And the rate structures got more creative: Drees and Ravenna are both running stepped buydowns, where your payment starts low and climbs each year to a locked rate. Those deserve a calculator, and I’ll get to why.
Houston new construction incentives available in September 2026
Verified September 8, 2026. Contract and closing deadlines are listed where the builder published them. These change without notice, so confirm terms in writing before you plan around any of them.
Rate buydowns and financing
- Perry Homes: up to $55,000 in flex cash, or a 4.99% rate (5.178% APR) on a 30-year fixed. The Year End Sales Event covers select homes, must close by December 31, 2026, and requires financing through Parkstone or Crestmark, both Perry affiliates. Bridgeland builder incentives
- Chesmar Homes: 4.999% FHA (5.737% APR), 5.375% conventional (5.508% APR), or 4.999% VA (5.287% APR), all 30-year fixed. Contracts must be signed by September 15, 2026 and close by February 26, 2027, with HomeAmerican Mortgage. The conventional rate needs a 780 score and 10% down, and this one expires a week from today. Chesmar special financing details
- Drees Homes: a 3-2-1 buydown starting at 3.625% (6.713% APR) on quick move-in homes. Contract September 1 through 30, close by October 31, financed through First Equity Mortgage. The flyer’s own example runs 3.625% in year one, 4.625% in year two, 5.625% in year three, then 6.625% for the remaining 27 years. Builder promotions at The Highlands
- Ravenna Homes: a 2-1 buydown at 3.5% in year one and 4.5% in year two on quick move-in homes purchased August 7 through September 30, 2026, before the loan settles into its standard rate.
- David Weekley Homes: up to $25,000 in financing incentives and closing-cost credits on Houston-area homes purchased between August 21 and December 31, 2026, financed with Grace Home Lending, in which Weekley holds a 75% ownership interest.
Design-center money, options, and extras
- Drees Homes, build-to-order: 50% off Design Center finishes and structural options, up to $150,000 in options for a maximum $75,000 discount, plus up to $10,000 toward closing costs with First Equity. Non-contingent contracts only, September 1 through 30.
- Highland Homes, Bridgeland Central: included home features valued up to $26,300, plus up to $10,000 toward closing costs on new builds through September 30. Note that Highland’s summer generator-or-$15,000 promotion on Stage 0–4 homes ended August 31; the Bridgeland Central offer is what replaced it there.
- Ravenna Homes, custom builds: a whole-home generator with two years of service, plus an outdoor kitchen patio upgrade, for design-and-build contracts signed August 7 through September 30.
- Drees Homes: $2,500 design credits for military, veterans, teachers, healthcare workers, first responders, and Texas energy, transportation, and manufacturing workers.
A note on Lennar
Lennar runs its Houston promotions in week-long windows. The latest, contract September 2 through 7, paired a 3.375% FHA 5/1 ARM (6.835% APR) with up to $6,000 in closing costs, up to $20,000 off the price, and an appliance package through Lennar Mortgage. It closed yesterday, so I won’t list it as current. Ask for this week’s flyer, and remember the 5/1 ARM adjusts annually starting in year six.
How to use these, and why you still want your own real estate agent
The sales counselor in the model home is good at their job, and their job is to sell that builder’s homes on that builder’s terms. Nobody in that room represents you unless you brought them. In Texas, your own real estate agent’s compensation is negotiated up front and put in writing in a buyer representation agreement before you tour; it’s never free, and I explain the three ways it usually gets paid in my post on who pays the real estate agent on a new-construction home. Register me on your first visit; most builders won’t recognize a buyer’s agent who shows up after the registration card is signed.
What I do with a list like this: I read the builder’s purchase agreement, which is drafted by the builder’s lawyers and looks nothing like the TREC promulgated forms used on resale homes. I get a competing loan quote so you know what the affiliated lender’s rate is really worth. And I watch the appraisal, because a full-price contract padded with $55,000 in credits still has to appraise.
The fine print I’d read first this month
The stepped buydowns are the new wrinkle. A 3-2-1 or 2-1 buydown is the builder prepaying part of your interest for the first two or three years; the rate you’re locked into is the one at the end of the ladder. Budget for the year-four payment on day one. If that payment doesn’t work, the first-year payment shouldn’t sell you the house. My breakdown of discount points versus temporary buydowns walks through the math.
Every dollar figure above is a ceiling. Seller contributions are capped by the loan program, typically 3% to 6% of the price on conventional and FHA loans, and the flyers say so in the footnotes. On a $400,000 FHA purchase, a “$55,000” incentive tops out around $24,000 no matter what the banner says.
Design-center dollars buy upgrades at the builder’s retail price; a builder can discount options by half, as Drees is doing, and still make money on them. Cash at the closing table usually goes further per dollar. And watch the two-date structure: a signed contract by one date, a closing by another. If your loan or the build slips past the closing deadline, the incentive can vanish at the table.
Questions I’m getting about builder incentives this month
Can I combine a builder incentive with a price negotiation?
Sometimes. A completed inventory home that has sat 90 days or more is the best candidate. On a to-be-built home the published incentive is usually the whole offer, though lot premiums and structural options are often still open.
Do I have to use the builder’s lender?
Not to buy the home; every flyer above says so in the footnotes. You do have to use the affiliated lender to receive the promotional rate or credit. Get an outside quote anyway.
Want help running the numbers?
If you’re deciding between a builder’s rate offer and a lower price with an ordinary loan, or between a stepped buydown and a fixed rate, I’m glad to run the comparison with you. Start with the fundamentals on the buying a home page, browse current communities on my new homes page, or search every active listing in the region on HAR.com.
Call or text me at (281) 500-7077, or email kevan@houstonprimerealty.com. If I’m with clients, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Kevan Pewitt · REALTOR® & Broker
Houston Prime Realty
Incentives above were published by the builders and verified September 8, 2026. Offers change or end without notice, and figures vary by home and buyer qualification, so confirm current terms with the builder. This is general information, not legal, tax, or lending advice.
Last updated: September 2026
