New construction vs resale in Santa Clarita: builder incentives, supplemental taxes and the solar mandate

Every month I tour the new communities in Santa Clarita, and every week I show resale estates in Sand Canyon, Westridge and The Woodlands, so I hear this question constantly: should I buy new or buy a home that already has its trees, its landscaping and its tax bill settled? There is no single right answer. A new home gives you modern systems, current fire codes, solar and a warranty. A resale estate often gives you more land, a mature setting and a clear picture of the true monthly cost.

This guide walks through where Santa Clarita’s new homes are right now, how builder incentives and their strings work, why you need your agent at the first visit, how supplemental tax bills work, what the solar and fire codes mean, and how inspections, warranties and appraisals differ on new construction. All builder prices are as of October 2026 and change often, so I check them again for every client.

New construction or resale: which is right for you?

If you want a home you will not have to touch for years, new construction is hard to beat. If you want land, privacy or a particular setting, the resale market usually offers more.

Where are the new construction homes in Santa Clarita right now?

Here are the communities I am showing most often, from the luxury end down, with prices as of October 2026:

• Toll Brothers at Tesoro Highlands, Valencia. A gated hillside community with a clubhouse, pool and planned trails. The Bella Terra collection, with homes from about 3,400 square feet, has been listed from about $1.6 million (as of October 2026), and the final Alta Monte home, at about 4,700 square feet, has been priced from about $1.75 million to $1.9 million (as of October 2026).
• Toll Brothers at Valencia, Skylar II. Single-family homes in Valencia by FivePoint, listed from about $1.35 million (as of October 2026).
• Lennar’s Hillcrest, Stevenson Ranch. Homes of about 3,800 to 4,700 square feet with three-car garages and a plan with a separate suite, listed from the upper $1.2 millions (as of October 2026).
• Lennar’s Sutton and Hollis, Valencia. Two collections that opened in August 2026, with homes of about 2,700 to 3,600 square feet starting in the low $1 millions (as of October 2026).
• Williams Ranch, Castaic. A mostly gated community by Williams Homes with lots of about 7,000 to 23,000 square feet, homes from about $900,000 (as of October 2026), and select plans with an ADU or an RV garage. The builder estimates HOA dues of about $384 a month at build-out and a total tax rate of about 1.51 percent including Mello-Roos.
• Skyline Ranch, Canyon Country. Tri Pointe’s Luna collection is priced from the $900,000s, and its Altis collection for buyers 55 and older from the low $700,000s (as of October 2026). Tri Pointe publishes its HOA dues and annual special assessments for each, which I appreciate.
• Sand Canyon area. Intracorp’s Pelona Hills, which advertises no Mello-Roos, and Lennar’s Sage at Sand Canyon offer newer homes from the upper $600,000s to the $800,000s (as of October 2026) near Soledad Canyon Road.

Valencia by FivePoint is the largest new master plan in the valley, with collections from several builders and a wide range of prices. For buyers who want acreage, custom building lots in Sand Canyon and Placerita Canyon come up occasionally, and I review those with clients individually because no two parcels are alike. You can compare these areas in my guide to where to live in Santa Clarita for luxury and estate homes.

What builder incentives are available, and what strings come with them?

Incentives are widespread right now. In its October 2026 survey, the National Association of Home Builders reported that 65 percent of builders were using sales incentives and 43 percent had cut prices. At the luxury end the picture is a little different. Toll Brothers reported that incentives on its contracts averaged about 7.5 percent of the sales price last quarter and noted that the percentage tends to be lower on higher-priced homes. Lennar, which builds across a wider range of prices, reported incentives of about 12 percent on homes delivered in its most recent quarter. The largest incentives usually appear on finished, move-in-ready homes, because builders prefer to sell homes early in construction.

Incentives come in three common forms: a price reduction, a credit toward closing costs or upgrades, and a mortgage rate buydown. A buydown can be temporary, lowering the rate for the first one to three years, or permanent for the life of the loan, so always ask which one you are being offered. A price reduction can also lower the purchase price your property taxes are based on.

Here is the part buyers often miss. A builder cannot require you to use its affiliated lender as a condition of buying the home. It can, however, offer an optional credit or buydown that only applies if you do. Williams Homes, for example, states that outside lenders are allowed while its seller credit requires its preferred lender. That is a fair choice to have, and the way to make it is to get a Loan Estimate from the builder’s lender and at least one outside lender on the same day, for the same loan type and lock period. If you are putting less than 25 percent down, keep in mind that conventional loans cap how much a seller or builder can contribute, at 3, 6 or 9 percent depending on your down payment.

Do I need a Realtor for new construction?

The builder’s sales team works for the builder, and you deserve someone working for you. The timing matters, because most builders only pay a buyer’s agent who is registered at your first contact. Lennar’s policy asks agents to register their clients during the initial contact and join them on the first visit. Toll Brothers requires registration at the client’s first visit and protects that registration for 90 days. Tri Pointe asks agents to register their clients in person on the first visit to each community. So call your agent before you visit a model home or fill out an online form.

Since January 1, 2025, California also requires a written buyer representation agreement before you sign an offer, which spells out the services and compensation. On a new build, I review the purchase contract and deposit terms, compare incentive options and Loan Estimates, help you choose a homesite and weigh the lot premium, arrange inspections, and give you an honest view of resale value down the road.

What is a supplemental tax bill, and why can it be bigger on a new build?

In California, a home is reassessed as of the first day of the month after a change in ownership or the completion of new construction. Los Angeles County then sends a supplemental tax bill for the difference between the new value and the old value, prorated for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30. If you buy or your home is completed between January 1 and May 31, you will receive two supplemental bills, one for the current fiscal year and one for the next. These bills generally arrive three months to a year after closing, they are mailed directly to you, and they are not paid from your mortgage impound account.

On a new build, the supplemental bill can be larger than buyers expect. The value on the County’s roll as of January 1 often reflects only the land or partially finished construction, so the supplemental bill catches up from that lower value to your full purchase price. Your first regular annual bill may also be based on the old value. I suggest setting aside money at closing for the supplemental bill so it is a planned expense rather than a surprise, and the County Assessor offers a supplemental tax estimator to help.

Mello-Roos is separate from the supplemental bill and appears on your regular annual tax bill. Many of the newer communities have it, so read my guide to Mello-Roos in Santa Clarita before you compare monthly costs.

Does every new home come with solar, and what about solar on a resale?

California’s energy code has required solar panels on most new single-family homes and low-rise residential buildings permitted since January 1, 2020. When it adopted the rule, the California Energy Commission estimated it would add about $9,500 to the cost of a new home while saving about $19,000 on energy over 30 years. The 2022 energy code, effective in 2023, added battery-ready electrical panels and wiring, electric-ready circuits for future appliances, and a heat pump baseline for heating or hot water. The newest code, effective in 2026, leans even further toward heat pumps.

On a new build, ask whether the solar system is included in the price, available as a purchase option or provided through a lease. One buyer in a local forum described being offered either a lease of about $115 a month or a purchase of about $28,350, so the difference is worth understanding.

On a resale, solar can be owned, financed or leased. It matters because Fannie Mae does not allow an appraiser to count leased panels in the home’s value, and a financed system may have a filing on title that needs to be handled in escrow. I ask for the contract, the remaining term, the monthly payment and any increases, the transfer process, and who handles removing and reinstalling panels if the roof ever needs work.

How are new homes in fire zones built, and what does that mean for insurance?

Many Santa Clarita neighborhoods are mapped as fire hazard severity zones, and Cal Fire released updated maps for Los Angeles County in March 2025. Homes built in these zones must meet California’s wildfire building standards, which require features such as ember-resistant vents, protected eaves and fire-resistant roofing, and the state’s new wildland-urban interface code took effect on January 1, 2026. Many of these same features appear on the California Department of Insurance’s Safer from Wildfires list, which insurers must recognize with discounts, so a newer home can be easier to insure. An older resale home can earn the same discounts by adding upgrades such as a Class A roof, ember-resistant vents and enclosed eaves.

Either way, get insurance quotes before you remove your contingencies. You can check any address on the State Fire Marshal’s fire hazard map, and I cover insurance in more detail in my guide to wildfire insurance in Santa Clarita.

Do I need a home inspection on new construction?

Yes. The city or county building inspector confirms that a home meets code minimums, but your own inspector is looking out for you. I recommend three inspections on a new build:

1. Pre-drywall, after framing and rough plumbing, electrical and HVAC are in but before insulation and drywall cover them.
2. Final, before closing, with a written punch list that you and the builder both sign.
3. Eleven months, shortly before the first-year warranty ends, so any issues are documented in time.

Some builders require your inspector to carry insurance or sign an access agreement, and some limit roof or attic access, so ask about the builder’s inspection policy before you sign the contract.

What warranty comes with a new home in California?

California’s Right to Repair Act, often called SB 800, sets minimum standards for new homes. The builder must provide at least a one-year written warranty for fit and finish, and the law sets longer performance periods for many systems, including four years for plumbing, sewer and electrical systems and five years for exterior paint. Claims are generally limited to ten years after the home is completed, and the law requires a written notice to the builder first, which starts a process for inspection and repair. Builders usually add their own warranty on top, so ask for the warranty booklet before you sign and keep it with your closing documents.

When does a resale estate make more sense?

A resale home often makes more sense when the land matters as much as the house. In Sand Canyon and Placerita Canyon, you will find acreage, horse property and privacy that new communities rarely offer. In Westridge, The Woodlands, MacMillan Ranch and Robinson Ranch, you get mature trees, an established gated setting and a settled HOA and tax picture, and Westridge is commonly marketed without Mello-Roos. Resale homes also give you room to customize on your own timeline. The trade-off is that older systems, roofs and fire features may need updates, which we factor into your offer. You can read more in my Sand Canyon and Westridge guides.

Buying new construction: my checklist

• Call your agent before your first model visit or online inquiry
• Read the Department of Real Estate public report and ask for the builder’s tax rate sheet
• Compare Loan Estimates from the builder’s lender and an outside lender on the same day
• Ask whether a rate buydown is temporary or permanent, and compare it with a price reduction
• Ask which part of your deposit is refundable, how design-studio deposits work and what the lot premium covers
• Confirm whether solar is included, purchased or leased
• Set aside money for the supplemental tax bill
• Schedule pre-drywall, final and eleven-month inspections
• Get insurance quotes early
• Keep the warranty booklet and maintenance guide together

Whether you are leaning toward a brand-new home or a resale estate, I would be glad to tour both with you and compare the true monthly cost side by side. Reach out here or call me directly, ideally before your first model visit.

Where to check these details yourself

• Los Angeles County supplemental property tax
• California Energy Commission 2019 standards FAQ
• California Energy Commission 2022 single-family solar and battery fact sheet
• California Department of Insurance, Safer from Wildfires
• State Fire Marshal Fire Hazard Severity Zones
• California Civil Code 896, SB 800 performance standards
• California Civil Code 900, one-year warranty minimum
• California Civil Code 1670.50, buyer representation agreements
• Fannie Mae comparable sales guidance for new subdivisions
• Fannie Mae interested party contribution limits
• National Association of Home Builders, October 2026 builder survey
• Lennar broker policy
• Toll Brothers agent program