Waller County vs. Fort Bend: What Does a $255K New Build Cost Per Month in Brookshire, TX?

TL;DR:

At $255,000 with 3.5% down and the October 8, 2026 Freddie Mac average rate of 7.40%, a La Segarra home in Brookshire (Waller County) runs about $2,664 a month all-in, and a Fulshear Lakes home in Fort Bend runs about $2,708. Waller County's tax stack costs about $27 more a month, but the higher Fulshear Lakes HOA flips the total. The county line is worth less than you think. The MUD and the HOA decide the bill.

A $255,000 new build in Brookshire's La Segarra community costs about $2,664 a month with FHA financing at 7.40%, including roughly $534 in property taxes after the school homestead exemption. The same price in Fulshear Lakes, Fort Bend County, costs about $2,708, because its lower tax rate is offset by higher HOA dues.

Buyers comparing Brookshire and Fulshear usually assume the county line decides the monthly payment. It barely does. At the same $255,000 price, the difference in total property tax between La Segarra in Waller County and Fulshear Lakes in Fort Bend County is about $27 a month. The two lines that move your payment more are the municipal utility district (MUD) rate and the HOA dues, and neither one shows up in a builder's starting price.

Who Is This Brookshire New Construction Cost Guide For?

• Buying a first new-construction home in the $250,000 to $300,000 range west of Katy

• Comparing a Waller County address against a Fort Bend County address before visiting a model home

• Using a builder rate buydown or FHA incentive and wanting the full monthly number, not just principal and interest

• Moving from renting to owning and budgeting for taxes, insurance, and HOA dues for the first time

Which Two Communities Does This Comparison Use?

Smith Douglas Homes builds in both counties, which makes a clean side-by-side possible. In Brookshire, its community is La Segarra, a 215-acre master-planned neighborhood off FM 362 and Gassner Lane near Pattison, with homes priced from $242,990 according to Smith Douglas. In Fort Bend County, its community is Fulshear Lakes, where plans start at $279,990. Fulshear Lakes does not currently list a home at $255,000, so this guide holds the price at $255,000 in both places on purpose. That isolates the one thing you came here to learn: what the county, school district, MUD, and HOA lines do to your payment.

What Is the Total Property Tax Rate in La Segarra vs. Fulshear Lakes?

La Segarra sits inside Waller County MUD 45, the district that owns the community's water, sewer, and drainage infrastructure, as confirmed by the National Finance Authority's bond announcement. According to the Waller County Appraisal District's 2025 tax rate table, the core La Segarra stack is:

• Waller County: 0.532596%

• Royal ISD: 1.069917%

• Waller County MUD 45: 1.50%

• Core total: about 3.10% (a recent HAR listing in La Segarra showed 3.0927%)

Fulshear Lakes sits in Fort Bend County MUD 216 and Lamar CISD. According to HAR's Fulshear Lakes tax table, the stack is:

• Fort Bend County: 0.412%

• Fort Bend Drainage: 0.01%

• Lamar CISD: 1.1469%

• Fort Bend ESD 4: 0.0966%

• Fort Bend MUD 216: 1.35%

• Total: about 3.02%

The gap is about 0.09 percentage points, and most of it comes from the MUD line: 1.50% in La Segarra against 1.35% in Fulshear Lakes. Waller County's general rate is higher than Fort Bend's, but Royal ISD's rate is lower than Lamar CISD's, so the two nearly cancel out. Tax rates are reset every fall, and an individual lot can carry an extra line such as an emergency services district, so confirm the exact rate on the tax certificate for the home you choose.

What Does Each Home Cost Per Month at $255,000?

This model uses an FHA loan with 3.5% down, because both Smith Douglas communities advertise FHA and VA incentives. It assumes the October 8, 2026 Freddie Mac average 30-year rate of 7.40%, the 1.75% upfront FHA premium financed into the loan, 0.55% annual FHA mortgage insurance, the $140,000 Texas school homestead exemption, and a $2,400-a-year insurance estimate for a new build. The Texas Department of Insurance reports a 2025 statewide average premium of $3,506, and new construction usually quotes lower, so get your own quote.

• Principal and interest: $1,734 in both

• FHA mortgage insurance: $113 in both

• Property taxes: $534 in La Segarra vs. $507 in Fulshear Lakes

• Homeowners insurance (estimate): $200 in both

• HOA dues: $83 in La Segarra ($1,000 a year) vs. $154 in Fulshear Lakes ($1,850 a year, front-yard maintenance included)

• Estimated total: $2,664 in La Segarra vs. $2,708 in Fulshear Lakes

Fort Bend wins the tax line by about $27 a month. Fulshear Lakes gives that back, plus about $44, through HOA dues that also cover front-yard maintenance. If you would pay for lawn care anyway, the two homes land within a few dollars of each other.

How Does the Builder's 4.99% Rate Change the Payment?

Smith Douglas is advertising a 4.99% starting rate on a 5/1 FHA or VA adjustable-rate loan through its preferred lender on select homes in both communities. At 4.99%, principal and interest drops to about $1,343, and the estimated totals fall to about $2,273 in La Segarra and $2,317 in Fulshear Lakes. That is roughly $390 a month less than the 7.40% fixed-rate scenario. The catch is in the name: the rate is fixed for 60 months and can adjust after that. Before you count on that payment, ask what the loan resets to in year six and whether the same dollars could buy down a fixed rate instead. If you want help pricing those two options against each other, our new construction buyer representation covers that comparison before you sign the builder's contract.

The question I push buyers to ask the builder's lender is simple: what is my payment in month 61? If nobody can answer it, the incentive is not finished yet.

Why Do First-Year Taxes on a New Build Look Lower Than They Really Are?

Texas appraisal districts value property as of January 1. A home finished during the year is usually taxed that first year on the lot, or on a partially built house, so the first tax bill and the lender's first escrow estimate can look far lower than what you will pay once the full home is on the roll. Without the homestead exemption, full taxes on a $255,000 value run about $659 a month in La Segarra and $641 in Fulshear Lakes. File your homestead exemption as soon as you qualify, and plan for a year-two escrow increase so it does not arrive as a surprise.

Why This Matters

County comparisons are usually framed as Waller County versus Fort Bend County, but the county general rate is only one of three to five lines on a new-construction tax bill. In these two Smith Douglas communities, the MUD rate alone is 1.35% to 1.50% of the home's value, which is more than the county and drainage lines combined. At $255,000, the MUD costs about $287 to $319 a month by itself. A buyer who compares only list prices or county names misses the lines that decide the payment: MUD rate, HOA dues, and what the rate incentive turns into after the introductory period.

What Am I Seeing in the Brookshire, TX Market Right Now?

Most of the new-construction buyers I talk with west of Katy start with a price ceiling, not a payment ceiling, and that is where the comparison goes sideways. Two homes at the same price can carry different MUD rates, different HOA dues, and different incentive structures, and buyers usually see those numbers only after they have picked a favorite floor plan. I would rather put the full monthly number for both communities side by side before the first model-home visit, so the decision is made on the payment you will actually make.

Niky Barker is the Team Leader of The Barker Group at Keller Williams Signature, serving buyers in Brookshire, TX, Waller County, Fulshear and Fort Bend County across the Greater Houston Area in Texas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brookshire, TX in Waller County or Fort Bend County?

The City of Brookshire is in Waller County. La Segarra, the Smith Douglas community with a Brookshire address, is also in Waller County, within Royal ISD and Waller County MUD 45.

What is the property tax rate in La Segarra in Brookshire, TX?

The core 2025 rate is about 3.10%: Waller County at 0.532596%, Royal ISD at 1.069917%, and Waller County MUD 45 at 1.50%, according to the Waller County Appraisal District. Confirm the final rate on the tax certificate for your lot.

Are property taxes lower in Fort Bend County than in Waller County?

For these two communities, slightly. Fulshear Lakes totals about 3.02% against about 3.10% in La Segarra, which is about $27 a month on a $255,000 home after the school homestead exemption. The difference comes mainly from the MUD rate, not the county rate.

How much is the HOA in La Segarra and Fulshear Lakes?

Recent MLS listings show $1,000 a year in La Segarra and $1,850 a year in Fulshear Lakes, where front-yard maintenance is included. HOA dues can change, so confirm them in the builder's disclosures.

Does a builder rate buydown change which community costs less?

No. The 4.99% incentive lowers principal and interest by the same amount in both communities, so the roughly $44 monthly difference stays the same. It changes how much house the payment buys, not which community is cheaper.

Related Resources

Work with us: New construction buyer representation in West Houston

Community guides: Fulshear Lakes new homes by Smith Douglas · Fulshear new construction tax rates by community

Keep reading: What Smith Douglas incentives are worth in dollars at Fulshear Lakes · How to tell if your Brookshire agent is negotiating the builder's incentives

People Also Ask

• What is the MUD tax rate in Brookshire, TX new construction?

• How much are closing costs on a new build in Waller County?

• Can I use my own agent to buy a Smith Douglas home in Brookshire?

• What school district serves La Segarra in Brookshire, TX?

Ready to Compare the Real Monthly Number?

Niky Barker and The Barker Group at Keller Williams Signature help buyers in Brookshire, Fulshear, and across West Houston compare new-construction communities on the payment, not the sticker price. If you are weighing La Segarra against Fulshear Lakes, start with our new construction home buying help and we will run both numbers on the homes you are considering.

About the author: Niky Barker, REALTOR®, MRP, AI-Certified, is Team Leader of The Barker Group at Keller Williams Signature, 920 S Fry Rd, Katy, TX 77450. TREC #706537. Call 917-399-7099 or email niky@barkergrp.com. Contact Niky.

Estimates are for illustration, use rates published as of October 2026, and are not a loan offer. Tax rates, HOA dues, insurance premiums, and builder incentives change; confirm every figure with your lender, the builder, and the appraisal district.