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Van Alstyne, Texas

Custom home builder in Van Alstyne

Van Alstyne is the fastest-growing town in this county by a distance. Its population has roughly doubled since the 2020 census, it is growing at about 8.6% a year, and the city itself expects to be above 30,000 people by 2030. A 667-acre development was approved on the southern edge of town toward the Collin County line.

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A custom home built by O'Brien Custom Homes near Van Alstyne, Texas
Population
~8,700
Growth since 2020
~95%
Annual growth
~8.6%
Projected by 2030
30,000+

The queue

In Van Alstyne your schedule is partly set by everyone else’s permits.

Van Alstyne is the fastest-growing town in the county and the permit desk carries it. The city asks for five to seven business days on the initial plan review, and if the examiner needs more information they come back to you directly. That is the queue you are joining, alongside the subdivisions going up along the US-75 corridor.

Inspections are not done by city staff. Van Alstyne uses Bureau Veritas, and an inspection requested by three in the afternoon on a weekday gets performed the next business day. That is quick for a town this size, and it only works if somebody calls it in on time.

The application needs a verified address with lot, block, subdivision and phase, filled in legibly, dated, and signed by the builder and by the mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors. Fees run off the value of the work, with some charged by square footage or by trade.

None of that is difficult. It is simply a town where being organized is worth more than being early, because the review clock does not start until the paperwork is right.

The ground

The trade-off if you build in Van Alstyne

Van Alstyne sits directly on the US-75 corridor, which is exactly why it is growing. You are commutable to the metroplex in a way that Denison and Pottsboro are not, and land is still cheaper than it is a few exits south in Collin County.

The thing to watch is that a town growing this fast is putting up a lot of subdivision product at once. If you want a house that is not the same as the four either side of it, building on your own lot here is worth more than it is anywhere else in the county.

  • Closest Grayson County town to the metroplex, and the one people commute from
  • Land still available at a price that has already gone in Collin County
  • A lot of new build here is subdivision product, which makes a custom house stand out
The Wester House, a custom home in Sherman, Texas

Nearest finished house

The Wester House

Sherman, Texas · 3 bed · 2.5 bath · 2,000 sq ft

Dark board-and-batten, cedar posts, 8-foot interior doors and custom casings throughout.

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Van Alstyne questions

What people building here ask.

How long does plan review take in Van Alstyne?
The city asks for five to seven business days on the initial review. If the plans examiner needs anything else, they contact you directly.
Who carries out the inspections?
Bureau Veritas rather than city staff. An inspection requested by 3pm on a weekday is performed the next business day.
What does the permit application have to include?
A verified address with lot, block, subdivision and phase, legible and dated, signed by the builder and by the MEP contractors. Fees are based on the value of the work, and some are by square footage or trade.
Will the town’s growth slow my build down?
It is the honest risk here. A lot of houses are being permitted at once, which is exactly why calling inspections in on time matters more in Van Alstyne than it does somewhere quieter.

From his clients

We never had to chase him. If we called, he answered — and if he said he’d be there Tuesday, he was there Tuesday.

Hamid & Lisa S.O’Brien homeowner
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Randy O’Brien Start with the paperwork rightIt is the difference between five days and five weeks here 903.821.2482