Vida Costera is KB Home's entry-level play at Highway 3 and 25th Avenue North in Texas City, and for a first-time buyer in Galveston County it is one of the few places left where a new house starts in the low $200,000s. That price is real. So is the thing nobody at the model home leads with: the community is zoned to Dickinson ISD or Texas City ISD depending on which homesite you pick. Two buyers can close the same floor plan in the same month and send their kids to different districts. If you are searching for the best buyers agent for first-time buyers in Texas City, that sentence is the test. The right agent raises it before you fall in love with a lot.
What You Are Actually Choosing at Vida Costera
A first-time purchase at this price point is not a choice between floor plans. It is four decisions that each carry a dollar figure, and the sales office is only incentivized to help you with one of them.
| Decision | What it actually determines |
|---|---|
| Which homesite | Your school district, since the community spans Dickinson ISD and Texas City ISD by homesite |
| Which plan | Your price per square foot, which varies more than the sticker price suggests |
| Ready-to-build or move-in ready | Your timeline, rate lock, and how much incentive money is on the table |
| Builder lender or your own | Your actual monthly payment, the only number that matters |
The guidance that saves first-time buyers the most money has nothing to do with negotiating the base price, which at an entry-level builder barely moves. It is this: get the homesite's assigned schools confirmed in writing, by address, before you sign. School boundaries are an address-level fact, and a verbal answer at a sales desk is not a confirmation.
The Vida Costera Price Ladder
| Offering | Price | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Community starting price | from $202,995 | smallest plans |
| Ready-to-build plans | from $222,995 and $234,995 | mid-range |
| Plan 1234 (3 bed, 2 bath, 1 story) | from $215,995 | 1,234 sq ft |
| Available move-in ready homes | $254,995 and $303,995 | mid-range to larger |
| Full community range | $202,995 and up | 1,042 to 2,596 sq ft, 2 to 4 bedrooms |
Builder prices exclude options, upgrades, homesite premiums, and association fees. Those four exclusions are where an advertised $202,995 becomes a very different contract, and where a buyer's agent earns their keep.
Now run the math the brochure does not. Plan 1234 at $215,995 for 1,234 square feet is about $175 per square foot. Texas City's citywide median was $145 per square foot over the three months ending August 2026. A new build at this price point carries roughly a 20 percent per-foot premium over resale, which is normal and often worth paying for a warranty and current code. It is only a mistake if nobody told you it was happening.
| Measure | Texas City citywide (3 mo. ending Aug 2026) |
|---|---|
| Median sale price | about $290,000, down 1.8 percent year over year |
| Median price per square foot | $145, down 2.0 percent |
| Median days on market | 62, versus 63 a year ago |
| Homes sold (Aug 2026) | 240, down 12.7 percent |
A 62-day resale median and a 20 percent per-foot new-build premium tell the same story from two directions: in Texas City right now, buyers have time. A first-time buyer who feels rushed at a sales office is being rushed for the builder's reasons, not theirs.
What the Model Home Will Not Mention
| Item | Why it matters to a first-time buyer |
|---|---|
| The two-district split | Dickinson ISD and Texas City ISD carry different tax rates, campuses, and resale appeal. Redfin's school section for the community lists Dickinson ISD campuses, including Hughes Road Elementary and Dickinson High, but assignment follows the homesite. Verify by address. |
| Homesite premium | A premium lot adds thousands with no square footage attached. Decide whether you are buying a view, a cul-de-sac, or a line item. |
| Builder lender incentives | Incentive money is often tied to using the builder's lender. Get a competing quote and compare the all-in payment, not the rate. |
| Taxes on a brand-new house | Your first bill may be assessed on an unimproved lot. In year two, with the house on the roll, the escrow payment jumps. Have your lender model the fully assessed payment. |
| Amenity timing | The community lists a park, playground, and pond, plus a planned park. "Planned" is not "built." Ask for a written delivery expectation. |
| Resale pool at exit | A 1,042 square foot plan and a 2,596 square foot plan have very different buyer pools in five years. Buy the size you can carry, not the size you can qualify for. |
The single best habit for a first-time buyer at any builder: have your own representation walk the homesite before contract, and insist on a third-party inspection at both the pre-drywall and final stages. A new house is not an inspected house. It is a house that passed a municipal code inspection, a much lower bar than most buyers assume.
New Build or Texas City Resale
| Option | Upside | Trade-Off |
|---|---|---|
| New build at Vida Costera | Builder warranty, current code, incentive dollars, no deferred maintenance, and a payment you can model cleanly. | Roughly 20 percent more per square foot than the Texas City median, plus homesite premiums and young landscaping. |
| Established Texas City resale | More square footage and lot at about $145 per foot, mature neighborhoods, and a 62-day median that gives you room. | You own the roof, the HVAC, and the plumbing from day one, and inspection findings become your budget. |
Why the Mandie McMillan Team, Client for Life and Not Just "Best Agent"
Texas City is not a market The Mandie McMillan Team learned from a map. Mandie McMillan was born and raised in neighboring La Marque, has lived in this area for 50 years, and in 2026 serves as Chair of the Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce after four years on its executive board, focused on small business growth and the economic development of Texas City, La Marque, and the broader county. Ask what is coming to Highway 3 and you are asking someone who sits in those meetings.
In 2025 the team closed 75 sides and $22,127,458 in production volume with six producing agents, and Mandie personally closed 30 sides and $11,676,748. That is roughly 12.5 closings and $3.7 million per agent, which for a first-time buyer means an experienced agent answers your questions rather than a junior assistant. Mandie is a RE/MAX International Hall of Fame inductee, a repeat RE/MAX Chairman's Club and Platinum Club honoree, licensed since 2000, with the SRS and CLHS designations.
The standard is Client for Life, a permanent advisor in the tier of a trusted doctor or CPA. Considering Vida Costera? Call The Mandie McMillan Team at RE/MAX Coastal and let us confirm the schools, the premium, and the real payment before you pick a lot.
