Melissa Realtor, planned with real numbers.

Melissa sits on US 75 and SH 121 in north Collin County, just north of McKinney. The Census Bureau counted 13,901 residents in 2020 and estimated 29,969 by July 2025. Most homes are owner occupied (88.7%), the median owner-occupied value is $454,000 and the median household income is $138,763 (ACS 2020-2024). Zillow's typical home value was about $422,000 in September 2026, down 5.4% from a year earlier.

For tax year 2025 a Melissa home paid about 1.91% combined (city 0.454116, Melissa ISD 1.2245, Collin County 0.149343, Collin College 0.08122 per $100). On a $430,000 home that is about $8,200 a year, or roughly $684 a month, before exemptions. Owner-occupants get the state's $140,000 school homestead exemption and the city's 6% homestead exemption, and some subdivisions add a PID or MUD assessment, so ask for the exact taxing units before you write an offer.

Compare a new build and a resale on total monthly cost, not price. Ask for the PID or MUD status, the HOA dues and the builder's incentive in writing, and check whether a resale in an older section like Liberty gives you a bigger lot and mature trees for the same payment. Then confirm the elementary campus on Melissa ISD's zoning map, because zones are moving.

Here is the lesson in Melissa right now: builders are your competition. Ashton Woods lists Meadow Park homes from $403,990 and Wilbow plans 652 more homesites at Riverstone Estates, so a resale has to compete with new homes that often come with incentives. Homes were taking a median of 63 days to go under contract in September 2026 (Zillow), so buyers have time to compare, negotiate and ask a builder or seller for help with closing costs.

Price against the new homes down the road, not last year's sales: Zillow's typical value fell 5.4% in the year to September 2026 and homes are taking about two months to go pending. Builders sell clean and new, so fix what an inspector will flag first (roof, HVAC, water heater, foundation movement on our clay soil) and keep the receipts to hand buyers. A pre-listing inspection costs a few hundred dollars and keeps you from renegotiating after the buyer's inspection.