New Homes in Lancaster & PalmdaleThe model home has an agent. It isn't yours.
New homes in Lancaster and Palmdale are sold by the builder's agents, who work for the builder. You can bring your own agent, but most builders here that publish an agent policy pay your agent only if the agent registers you at, or before, your first visit. Before signing, get Mello-Roos, HOA dues and the full tax rate in writing.
A new build can be the cleanest way into a house in the Antelope Valley: nothing to fix, a builder's warranty, finishes you pick. The catch is that every number in the model home comes from the builder's side of the table, and the sign leaves off what a new home costs besides the loan.
Who works for whom in the model home
"Do I really need my own realtor?" a buyer asked online, while messaging the seller's agent. In a model home, that question comes up the minute someone hands you a guest card. The sales agent there knows every floor plan, lot and incentive, and that knowledge is real. Their job is selling the builder's homes. That's not a knock; it's who they work for.
Don't take my word for any number on this page. Each one is written down somewhere you can read it yourself, and this page tells you where.
Then there's the guest card. Most builders here that publish an agent policy only pay a buyer's agent who registers you at, or before, your first visit. Fill it out alone, and at those builders you may have given up an agent the builder pays for: you'd pay for help yourself, or read the builder's contract with no one on your side. Before you go, ask the builder in writing whether the price changes if you bring an agent. The two jobs, side by side:
- The builder's sales agent knows the plans, lots, schedule and incentives, writes your deal on the builder's own contract, and works for the builder.
- Your own agent compares this house with others, resales included, goes through the builder's contract with you before you sign, asks for credits and incentives on your side, lines up your own inspections, and works for you.
Mello-Roos, HOA dues and taxes: what a new home costs besides the loan
The sign tells you the price. The county tax bill tells you the rest. On a new home, several costs come on top of the loan. They aren't hidden. Most land on the county tax bill, one comes from the HOA, and a supplemental tax bill can arrive on its own after you close. By law the paperwork has to reach you before you sign, and that can be the same day.
Here are the lines to fill in before you sign, and the paper each one comes from:
- Mello-Roos special tax: $____ a year, or none. Ask whether it rises each year and when it ends; the district's rate formula says. Comes from: the Notice of Special Tax and the county tax bill.
- HOA dues: $____, and what they cover. Dues are set by the association's budget and can change, so ask whether a special assessment is planned. Comes from: the DRE Public Report and the HOA budget.
- Full property-tax rate: ____%. California's base is 1% of assessed value under Proposition 13; voter-approved bonds and district charges sit on top, and the total depends on the tax-rate area, so a rate quoted for "the city" may not be yours. Comes from: the county tax bill for that tract.
- Supplemental tax bill: $____, after you close. When a new home is finished and sold, the county reassesses it and can bill the difference separately, and the first regular bill may reflect the value from before the home was finished. Your lender may adjust the tax part of your payment later. Comes from: the county assessor, so ask for an estimate before you sign.
- Homeowners insurance: $____ a year. Get a quote before you sign, not after.
- Where to read most of it: the DRE Public Report. For most new subdivisions, California's Department of Real Estate issues one, the builder has to give you a copy, and you sign a receipt for it before you're bound. It covers HOA dues and special taxes. Ask for it on your first visit, before any deposit.
What to negotiate on a new build, and whose lender to use
The base price is one number in a new-home deal. The others can matter as much, so compare the whole offer, not the sticker.
"Didn't know I could choose my own loaners and my own realtors," a first-time buyer wrote. You can choose your own lender. The builder's preferred lender may be right there in the sales office, and its incentive is sometimes a good one; using that lender may also be the condition for getting it. Get the full offer in writing from that lender and from one you pick, and compare the totals.
To be clear, I'm not a lender, and no builder has to say yes to anything. I can ask; the builder decides. What to ask about, in writing, before you sign:
- Closing-cost credits.
- Options and upgrades: what's included in the price, and what the design center charges extra.
- The lot premium, if the lot you want carries one.
- Quick-move-in homes: ones already built or nearly finished.
- Any financing incentive, such as a rate buydown, and whether it depends on using the builder's lender.
- Whether the price changes if you bring your own agent.
Inspections on a brand-new house
The city inspected it. Nobody inspected it for you. That's the short version. The city checks a new home at stages while it's built, to see that the work meets the building code. That's the code minimum for the city, not an inspection on your behalf.
Your own inspector can walk the house at the stages the builder's contract allows. Read that part of the contract before you sign; it decides whether anyone on your side sees inside the walls at all.
"Inspections came back clear," wrote a first-time buyer who learned a year and a half later that the wiring wasn't up to code. On a new build, the time to look is while the walls are still open.
- Pre-drywall: framing, wiring, plumbing and ducts, while they can still be seen.
- Final: before your walkthrough, so you go in with a written list of what to fix before closing.
- Before the first year is up: a second look, so anything that's shown up gets reported while the builder's warranty still covers it.
- The warranty itself: read the builder's written warranty before you sign. California's Right to Repair Act, known as SB 800, also sets building standards for new homes and a claim process, with deadlines, for defects.
Home prices in Palmdale and Lancaster, and new homes in Rosamond
How much do houses cost in Palmdale? About $520,000 at the median sale price in June 2026, and about $464,500 in Lancaster (Houzeo, June 2026). Both were down from a year earlier, about 0.3% in Palmdale and 4.2% in Lancaster. Nobody can tell you where they go next. New-home prices are posted on each builder's site, change from phase to phase, and don't include the special tax or HOA dues.
New homes in Rosamond come with a different county. Rosamond is in Kern County, not LA County, so its assessor, tax collector, special districts and permit office all differ from Palmdale's and Lancaster's. Comparing a new home there with one in Lancaster? Compare the tax bills, not just the prices.
What's coming to Palmdale? For a buyer, the useful part is housing: the City of Palmdale's Housing Development page lists projects under review and under construction, and builders post upcoming phases on their own sites. For any new phase, ask the first question early: is it inside a Community Facilities District?
Who I am, and how to check me
My name's Sal Bermudez. On a new build, the first thing you'll hear from me is how that builder handles a buyer's agent and what it takes to register you.
Why do any of this for free? Because the agent who shows you the real number first earns the conversation. Already toured a model on your own? Text me anyway, and I'll tell you what that changes.
Check me before you send anything:
- My license: DRE# 01850625, public on the California DRE's license lookup at dre.ca.gov.
- My broker: Real Brokerage Technologies (DRE# 02022092).
- Based in Palmdale, working the whole Antelope Valley in English and Spanish. I've guided 47 families into their own home, and Google shows 5.0 stars from 7 reviews.
What people ask before they tour a model home
Do I need my own real estate agent to buy a new home in Lancaster or Palmdale?
You're not required to have one, but the builder's sales agent works for the builder, not for you. Your own agent can compare the house with others, go through the builder's contract with you, and ask for credits and incentives on your side. When the builder pays the buyer's agent, it pays a fee it sets, so ask in writing whether you'd owe anything on top. Most builders here that publish an agent policy want your agent to register you at, or before, your first visit, so line one up before you go.
What is Mello-Roos, and do new homes in Palmdale and Lancaster have it?
Mello-Roos is a special tax charged by a Community Facilities District to pay for public facilities and services in that area. Some neighborhoods in Palmdale and Lancaster are inside one and some aren't. Where there is one, it's a separate line on the county property-tax bill, it's usually figured by home or lot size rather than price, and in some districts it rises each year until a set end date. It's disclosed in a Notice of Special Tax. Get it in writing before you sign.
How much do houses cost in Palmdale and Lancaster?
About $520,000 at the median sale price in Palmdale and about $464,500 in Lancaster (Houzeo, June 2026). New-home prices are posted on each builder's site and change by phase, and they don't include the special tax, HOA dues or the supplemental tax bill. Rosamond is in Kern County, so compare its tax bill separately.
Are home prices dropping in Lancaster, and will they drop in 2026?
Yes, so far. In June 2026, Lancaster's median sale price was down about 4.2% from a year earlier and Palmdale's about 0.3% (Houzeo, June 2026). Nobody can tell you what the rest of 2026 brings. On a new home, watch the incentives as well as the price. If waiting is right for you, Sal will say so.
Do I need a home inspection on a brand-new house?
You're not required to, but it's worth it. The city's inspections check that the work meets code at each stage; they aren't an inspection for you. Your own inspector can look at the stages the builder's contract allows, and again before the first-year warranty window closes. Read the contract's inspection terms before you sign.
How do I check out a builder, KB Home or any other, before I sign?
The same way for every builder. Look up its contractor license with the CSLB, which shows the license status and certain complaints and discipline. Read the DRE Public Report for that community and the builder's written warranty, and read owner reviews yourself. California's Right to Repair Act (SB 800) also sets a claim process for new-home defects. Then hire your own inspector at the stages the contract allows.
Before you sign the guest card
Text me the community or builder you're looking at, and whether you've toured it yet. I'll tell you how that builder handles a buyer's agent. Talking is free, and there's nothing to sign to see any of it.
Text: (833) 977-2202