Real estate in Allen, without the guesswork.

Allen is a mostly built-out Collin County city of 113,447 people (Census estimate, July 2025), bordered by SH 121 on the west and split by US 75. U.S. News and World Report ranked it No. 23 on its 2026-2027 list of the 250 Best Places to Live in the U.S. In September 2026, 76 homes sold with a median sale price of $474,330 and an average of 56 days on market, according to Community Impact.

For tax year 2025, Allen homes pay the city (0.4154), Collin County (0.149343), Collin College (0.08122) and their school district. That is about 1.77% combined with Allen ISD (1.1258), ranging from about 1.69% in Plano ISD to about 1.90% in Lovejoy ISD. On a $500,000 home in Allen ISD that is roughly $738 a month before exemptions, and the city also offers a 5% homestead exemption on its portion. For 2026-27 the city lowered its rate to 0.4147 and Allen ISD lowered its rate to 1.1037.

If you might ever rent the home out, know that Allen now requires single-family rentals to register with the city for $150 a year starting with a Jan. 31 deadline. If you plan to live in it, file your homestead exemption right away: the school exemption is now $140,000 and the city adds 5% on its share.

Because Allen has little raw land left, most of what you will buy here is resale, and that changes the game. You are paying for location, mature trees and finished amenities, but also for 10, 20 or 30 year old roofs, HVAC and windows. Budget for those systems up front and negotiate with real repair numbers, not guesses.

Allen moves fast in spring: HAR.com showed a median of 13 days on market in April 2026 and 15.5 in May, versus 39 in September. Most Allen homes are resale, so buyers' inspectors will flag aging roofs, HVAC and water heaters. From my construction years, replacing a failing item or pricing it in up front almost always nets more than giving a bigger credit after the inspection report lands.