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    Welcome Home

    Tropical new-home community outside Houston is building your best life

    CultureMap Create
    Mar 25, 2024 | 12:00 pm

    The sun is shining, there's sand between your toes, and the water is a sparkling turquoise — you're not on a tropical vacation, you're at home. Yes, really, if you live at Lago Mar.

    The master-planned community is located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, in Texas City, and is home to Texas' largest crystal lagoon. That 12-acre exotic escape is only one of the neighborhood's incredible amenities, which also span dining, parks, walking trails, and more.

    Can't wait to live here now? The community's homes range from the high $200s into the $500s, and are the product of some of the nation's best homebuilders. Take a closer look at the big names helping to create Lago Mar:

    Adams Homes
    Delivering value to homebuyers is at the core of the Adams Homes’ philosophy. Adams Homes believes a builder should offer homes that buyers can purchase for the advertised price without the need to add upgrades. Whether buyers are hunting for their very first home, looking for the perfect place to retire, or somewhere in between, Adams has the perfect home.

    Anglia Homes
    With homes in such prestigious communities as Sterling Lakes and Miramesa, Houston-based Anglia Homes strives to provide homebuyers with the best locations, designs, quality, affordability, and value. Anglia Homes’ simple messages “Look for Yourself” and “Come Home to Value” are backed by the company’s management team, which boasts more than 100 years combined experience of creating homes people love to live in.

    Ashton Woods
    Positioned for the future, Ashton Woods offers a more personal, collaborative, and empowering homebuying experience. Pushing the boundaries of what is possible, the builder excels at providing high design and high quality, reflecting the people that live in them.

    CastleRock Communities
    Through their commitment to superior service and flexible design, CastleRock Communities is passionate about creating beautifully appointed homes reflective of homebuyers’ personalities without sacrificing quality for convenience. CastleRock boasts highly energy-efficient home designs and an impressive list of upscale features that are standard in every home.

    Chesmar Homes
    At Chesmar Homes, building dream homes in vibrant communities is their passion. It’s in their DNA. The heart and soul of all their neighborhoods are the wonderful people who live in it. They consider all homeowners members of their extended family and treat everyone like family. From the first handshake to the day you walk into your new home, Chesmar is there for you every step of the way.

    Colina Homes
    Colina Homes was founded on the principle that homeowners should not have to sacrifice a home they desire for a price they can afford. The builder offers energy-efficient, high quality, flexible products to meet customer needs and superior customer service. Every Colina Home is built with attention to detail and craftsmanship. Most importantly, the homes are built to offer lasting value. From the moment you step into a Colina Home, you’ll feel right at home.

    Davidson Homes
    From quality construction and materials to an unprecedented level of personalization, Davidson Homes is committed to building gorgeous homes at an affordable price. Their customer-focused approach keeps you in mind every step of the way, from your first model home visit to the day you receive the keys.

    HistoryMaker Homes
    For 75 years, HistoryMaker Homes has made it easy for customers to make a smart choice in homeownership. Each HistoryMaker home includes intelligent construction, energy-efficient features, flexible home technology, and functional floorplans built to enhance everyday life. As a fourth-generation, family-owned business, HistoryMaker Homes builds homes throughout Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Their legacy is building homes for families based on trust, excellence, and Texas traditions since 1949.

    Lennar
    Lennar is passionately dedicated to creating high-quality homes and communities that cater to every lifestyle. Their commitment to quality and focus on customer satisfaction helps them build homes that are not just structures, but cherished living spaces, bringing dreams to life. Discover a home you’ll love through the Lennar experience.

    LGI Homes
    LGI Homes constructs quality homes to fit your family’s needs and lifestyle. Each move-in-ready home is elegantly designed with modern fits and finishes that you’ll love. With a host of included upgrades and a knowledgeable on-site sales team, the home buying process has never been easier.

    Pulte Homes
    Pulte Homes builds consumer-inspired homes that provide homeowners with the best quality of life. When you choose Pulte Homes to build your new home, you get the benefit of more than 65 years of homebuilding experience. Their dedication to quality means that they strive to exceed homeowner expectations every step of the way. And with years of experience under their belt, they’ve streamlined the process to make it easy for you to build the home you’ve always wanted.

    Tricoast
    Tricoast understands that the purchase of a new home is a big decision. It’s why they see more than a house with floors, walls, and ceilings — they see you, the homeowner and your family. That is why it is important to them to build a quality home for you, one that you will be proud to call your own.

    Westin Homes
    Building elegant homes is Westin Homes’ expertise, but making people delighted is its true passion. The builder has a strong reputation for delivering sophisticated luxury homes to the Houston community, and leads the market in providing the best product and interior design of any new homes. Westin’s high level of customer service means the builder is with its clients from the first home tour to the day they receive the keys to their new homes. Westin won’t start building until it understands what will make one of its houses the perfect new home.

    Village Builders
    Since its inception over 40 years ago in Houston, Village Builders has redefined what it means to build a quality home. From pioneering architectural trends to raising the bar on attention to detail, they pride themselves on crafting extraordinary homes for distinguished buyers. Best of all, being a part of the largest homebuilder in the United States allows them to create a home that is a true reflection of your style and desires. More than just a place to live, a Village Builders home is a symbol of fine living.

    Lago Mar

    Photo courtesy of Lago Mar

    CastleRock Communities.

    There's so much to explore about living at Lago Mar — head here to learn more and to schedule a tour today.

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    THE AMERICAN DREAM

    How long it takes to save for a home down payment in Houston

    Brandon Watson
    Dec 30, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Home for sale sold sign
    iStock
    Houstonians don't have to save long to afford a down payment.

    Saving for a down payment remains one of the biggest barriers to homeownership nationwide, but a new report from Realtor.com shows San Antonio area buyers face a far shorter wait than most Americans.

    According to the real estate site’s 2025 analysis, the typical U.S. household needs seven years to save for a standard down payment, a notable improvement from the 12-year peak in 2022. Still, the timeline remains roughly double the pre-pandemic norm, reflecting higher home prices, larger down payments, and lower household savings rates.

    Houston, however, stood out as one of the most accessible major metros in the nation. The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro boasted one of the shortest time sto save for a down payment among the nation’s 50 largest markets, with households needing just 3.5 years to reach a typical down payment, according to the study.

    The report found that Houston’s median down payment from January through November was $14,927. A median household income of $83,452 was estimated to produce an annual savings of $4,228. Notably, San Antonio, the only other Texas city included in the report, had the shortest time to save for a down payment at just 1.3 years.

    Nationally, the time needed to save has shortened as home price growth cooled and affordability modestly improved. Still, saving for a down payment takes significantly longer than it did before the pandemic.

    “Higher home prices and intensified competition have pushed typical down payments higher, at the same time that inflation and rising household expenses have reduced savings rates,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com, in a release. “Although conditions have improved since 2022, today’s timeline shows that saving for a home takes meaningfully longer than it did before the pandemic, especially in high-cost markets.”

    Lower savings rates have played a key role. The U.S. personal savings rate has averaged 5.1 percent of income so far in 2025, down from the pre-pandemic norm of 6.5 percent, limiting how quickly households can build funds for upfront housing costs. Meanwhile, the typical down payment has more than doubled over the past six years — rising from about $13,900 in the third quarter of 2019 to $30,400 in the third quarter of 2025.

    In high-cost coastal metros, the impact is far more severe. Saving for a down payment can take 20 to more than 35 years in California cities like San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego, effectively sidelining many first-time and moderate-income buyers.

    “In high-cost markets, the typical down payment alone exceeds a full year of household income,” said Hannah Jones, Realtor.com senior economic research analyst. “That reality makes homeownership feel unattainable for many buyers, particularly younger households trying to enter the market for the first time.”

    Despite those challenges, the report notes that roughly three-quarters of Americans still consider homeownership part of the American dream. Realtor.com says easing rents could help first-time buyers save more, while repeat buyers may use accumulated savings to reduce loan balances and manage higher monthly payments.

    “Saving consistently, even in small amounts, is a meaningful first step toward homeownership,” Jones said. “In today’s market, building that financial cushion can make a real difference when buyers are ready to act.”

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