Serving Austin, Lake Travis and the Hill Country since the early 1990s
The broker who reads the builder's contract before you sign it.
Blain England has spent more than thirty years guiding Austin buyers through new construction and master-planned communities, from first walk-through to keys in hand. With partner Mary Fields, first-time buyers get the same patient attention.
(512) 769-1221
(512) 825-5065
- 30+ yearslicensed in Texas
- New constructionand builder sales, the focus of the practice
- Austin, Lake Travis, Hill Countrythe home market
- Two brokersone dedicated partnership
A steady hand in one of the country's fastest markets.
For more than three decades, Blain England has helped Austin families buy well, with the patience of someone who has watched this city grow from a college town into a national destination, and the discipline of a broker who has closed through every kind of market.
His focus is new construction and master-planned communities: the builder contracts, the phasing, the incentives and upgrades that most buyers never see coming. It is a corner of the market where experience quietly saves people money, and Blain has spent a career there.
The result is representation that feels less like a transaction and more like having a seasoned advisor in your corner from the first drive-through to closing day.
Curious where he has closed? The sales map plots a selection of Blain's publicly listed transactions across the Austin metro and Hill Country.
Built around how people actually buy homes here.
Austin buyers face builder contracts, competitive communities and fast timelines. This is where Blain and Mary's decades of local experience earn their keep.
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New-home and builder sales
Representation on new construction: reading builder contracts, timing incentives, and making sure upgrades and lot premiums work in the buyer's favor, not the builder's.
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Master-planned communities
Deep familiarity with the Hill Country and Lake Travis master-planned developments: which communities fit which families, and what each one is really like to live in.
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First-time buyers
Alongside partner Mary Fields, a patient, plain-spoken path for first-time buyers, from getting pre-approved to understanding every line of the closing.
The communities up north, plainly described.
Georgetown, Leander, Liberty Hill and Pflugerville are Blain's corner of the metro: newer homes, land that goes further, and trade-offs worth understanding before you fall for a model home. Each write-up covers schools, amenities, pricing, and the MUD or PID on the tax bill.
Schematic, not to scale. Pick a community to read the full write-up.
- Liberty Hill area
Santa Rita Ranch
Austin's top-selling master-planned community for five straight years: resort pools, two tall water slides, and schools built inside the neighborhood.
- Georgetown
Wolf Ranch
Georgetown's largest active master-plan, along the San Gabriel River, with architect-designed amenity centers and an on-site elementary.
- Georgetown
Sun City Texas
Del Webb's 55+ flagship: three golf courses and the largest active-adult community in the Austin metro.
- Leander
Travisso
Elevated Hill Country living with long-range views, an award-winning clubhouse, and Leander ISD schools.
- Leander
Bryson
A small-town, front-porch community with a signature events calendar and Johnson Development's first Austin project.
- Pflugerville
Blackhawk
An established golf-course community near the SH-130 and SH-45 tollways: mature, built out, and closer in than the northern ranches.
Two brokers. One standard of service.
Blain England Partners works hand in hand with Mary Fields Realty, a complementary pairing of new-construction depth and first-time-buyer care.
Blain England
Thirty-plus years in Austin real estate, specializing in new construction and master-planned communities across the Hill Country and Lake Travis.
(512) 769-1221
Mary Fields
Licensed since 1996, with a background in property management and builder new-home sales. Mary's niche is first-time homebuyers: meeting people where they are and getting them home.
(512) 825-5065Questions buyers actually ask.
Straight answers from the guide. General information, not legal, tax, or financial advice: for your situation, talk to Blain or Mary and the right licensed professional.
Do I need my own agent when buying new construction from a builder?
The friendly person in the model home works for the builder. Having your own broker costs you nothing extra in the typical deal and means someone is reading the contract, tracking the build, and negotiating upgrades and credits on your side of the table. This is exactly the kind of transaction where representation earns its keep.
How does a builder contract differ from a standard resale contract in Texas?
Most builders write on their own contract, not the standard TREC resale form, and those terms favor the builder: on earnest money, change orders, completion dates, and which inspections are allowed. Deposits are often larger and design-center selections can be non-refundable. Having your own representation review the builder's paperwork before you sign is the single most useful thing a buyer can do here.
Should I still get an inspection on a brand-new home?
Yes. New does not mean flawless. Independent inspections routinely find HVAC, roofing, grading, and trade-work issues a buyer would otherwise discover after move-in. Many buyers inspect twice: once before drywall (a pre-drywall inspection) and once at final walkthrough, so problems are documented while the builder is still obligated to fix them.
What do MUD, PID, and high property-tax rates mean for my monthly cost?
Many newer master-planned communities sit in a Municipal Utility District (MUD) or carry a Public Improvement District (PID) assessment that funded the water, roads, and amenities. Those add to your tax bill, so two homes at the same price can have very different monthly payments. Always look at the total tax rate for the specific address, not just the list price, and ask whether MUD rates are expected to decline as the district's debt is paid down.
Which master-planned communities should I look at around Austin?
It depends on commute, schools, budget, and lifestyle. The Hill Country west and southwest, the growth corridors north toward Georgetown and Leander, and the east side all offer very different trade-offs. Rather than chase a name, we start from how you actually live and narrow from there. That is what three decades in these communities is for. The community write-ups are a good place to begin.
New construction or resale: which makes more sense near Austin?
New construction gets you current codes, builder warranties, and energy efficiency, but base prices rarely include landscaping, blinds, or upgrades, and build timelines can slip. Resale gets you established trees, a negotiated price, and a known neighborhood, but you inherit the prior owner's systems and finishes. In many Austin-area master-planned communities both exist side by side, so the real question is your timeline, your tolerance for decisions, and how the all-in numbers compare once upgrades are added.
What makes Blain England Partners different?
More than three decades guiding buyers specifically through Austin new construction and Hill Country master-planned communities, and a two-broker partnership with Mary Fields so someone who knows your deal is always reachable. We work from how people actually buy homes here, not a script.
Twelve questions answered in full, including closing costs, appraisal gaps, and protesting your property taxes: read the Austin home-buying guide.
Talk to the people who know this market.
Touring your first community or your fifth home, a call to Blain or Mary is the best place to start. No pressure, just three decades of Austin know-how a phone call away.
Prefer to write? Use the form. A person reads these, and if someone else is better suited to help, they will say so.
Communities
Six master-planned communities north of Austin, each with schools, amenities, pricing and the fine print.
Guide
Twelve buyer questions about new construction, builder contracts, MUDs, closing costs and timelines.
Videos
Twelve hand-picked Austin real estate videos, ranked by view count with the clickbait filtered out.
Sales map
Where Blain has closed: a map of his publicly listed transactions across the metro and Hill Country.