Suzy Swaney l North Texas Realtor

09/18/2026

🚨 BIG DEVELOPMENT NEWS IN PILOT POINT

Another major piece of land has changed hands in Pilot Point, and this one gives us another look at just how much development is moving north.

A 102-acre tract known as Pilot Point Town Center, located at the southeast corner of FM 1385 and G.A. Moore Parkway/FM 455, was purchased by two separate partnerships.

And this isn’t planned as just another residential neighborhood.

Pilot Point City Council has already approved zoning and a $15 million economic incentive for a proposed mixed-use development that could eventually include:

🏬 Retail + commercial
🍽️ Restaurants + fast-food options
🏢 Apartments
⛽ Gas station
🌳 Trails and other amenities

But zoom the map out, because that’s where this gets even more interesting.

The property sits approximately one mile north of Lantern, Hillwood’s massive 620+ acre, $1.2 BILLION master-planned community, which is expected to bring roughly 2,000 homes along with retail, apartments, parks and trails.

And nearby, there’s even more happening:

➡️ A 95-acre site owned by H-E-B along the FM 1385 corridor
➡️ Another 48 acres recently acquired across from that site
➡️ Thousands of new homes planned or under construction in this part of North Texas
➡️ The continued extension of the Dallas North Tollway helping reshape access throughout the area

This is exactly why I spend so much time watching what is happening outside of Gunter, too.

Growth doesn’t stop at a city-limit sign.

What happens along FM 1385, in Pilot Point, Celina and the surrounding communities can help us understand the bigger development picture around Gunter — where homes are being built, where commercial development may follow and how our major transportation corridors are changing.

I’ll keep following the development happening throughout our area and sharing the updates as we learn more.

Local insight. Local strategy.
Suzy Swaney | Local Insider Property Group
Gunter + North Texas Real Estate

09/17/2026

🚨 THE FED RAISED RATES — SO SHOULD HOMEBUYERS WAIT?

Not necessarily.

The Federal Reserve just raised its benchmark rate by 0.25%, but that does NOT mean 30-year mortgage rates automatically went up by 0.25%. (Federal Reserve)

Mortgage rates are influenced by a much bigger picture — including the bond market, inflation, Treasury yields and investor expectations.

And right now, 30-year mortgage rates have been running in the upper-6% range. (Freddie Mac)

I completely understand why that makes some buyers hesitate. Your interest rate absolutely affects affordability and your monthly payment.

But the RATE is only one part of the equation.

Your purchase price, down payment, loan program, property taxes, insurance, seller concessions, closing costs and negotiation strategy all affect what buying a home actually looks like for you.

And here’s the part buyers shouldn’t overlook:

🏡 In many situations, buyers have room to negotiate.

Depending on the home and the seller, that could mean negotiating:

➡️ Purchase price
➡️ Seller-paid closing costs
➡️ A rate buydown
➡️ Repairs
➡️ Other concessions

So instead of seeing a Fed headline and immediately deciding, “I need to wait,” look at the FULL picture.

Could waiting make sense for some buyers? Absolutely.

Could the right home + the right price + the right terms create an opportunity for someone else right now? Absolutely.

None of us can perfectly predict where mortgage rates will be six months from now.

What we CAN do is run the numbers with a lender, look at the market you’re actually buying in and determine where you may have negotiating leverage.

Make the decision based on YOUR numbers — not the headline.

— Suzy Swaney
North TX Realtor | Local Insider Property Group

09/14/2026

☀️ WHICH WAY DOES THE BACKYARD FACE?

It might sound like a small detail when you’re buying a home — until you’re sitting on your back patio at 5:00 PM in August. ☀️

One thing buyers ask me all the time is:

“Which way does the house face?”
“Where will the afternoon sun hit?”
“Will the pool get enough sunlight?”

There’s actually a really helpful tool called ShadeMap that lets you see how the sun and shadows move across a property throughout the day — and even during different seasons of the year.

And in North Texas, this can matter more than you might think.

☀️ Afternoon sun on the backyard
🏊‍♀️ Sunlight around a future or existing pool
🌳 Shade from mature trees
🌱 Garden placement
🪟 Natural light inside the home
🏡 Covered patio placement
🌅 Morning vs. evening sun

It can be especially helpful if you’re buying land or planning a custom home, because you can start thinking about the orientation of the home before it’s ever built.

There are a LOT of things I look at when helping someone evaluate a property in North Texas — not just the house itself.

Road plans. Utilities. Future development. Lot orientation. Surrounding land. And yes… even where the Texas sun is going to hit. 😉

Because where you buy matters — but understanding WHAT you’re buying matters too.

👇🏻 I’ll drop the ShadeMap link in the comments if you want to try it on your own home or a property you’re considering!

Suzy Swaney | North Texas Realtor
✨Local Insider Property Group
Local insight. Local strategy.

09/13/2026

09/12/2026

🏡 CELINA, TX REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE | AUGUST 2026

What’s happening with the housing market in Celina? August brought an interesting combination: lower prices and fewer active listings, but more homes actually closing.

Here are the numbers 👇🏻

🏡 Median Sales Price: $535,000
⬇️ 18.3% compared to August 2025

📍 Active Listings: 124
⬇️ 7.5% year over year

🔑 Closed Sales: 13
⬆️ 18.2% compared to August 2025

⏰ 81 Days on Market
➕ 28 days from contract to close
➡️ 109 total days from listing to closing
That’s 8 days longer than August 2025.

📊 Months of Inventory: 6.6 months
Compared with 9.9 months in August 2025.

💰 Where are homes selling?
The largest share of August sales—46.2%—fell between $500,000 and $749,999, while another 23.1% were between $750,000 and $999,999.

So what does this mean for Celina?

The headline here isn’t simply that prices are down. Sales activity increased while available inventory decreased significantly from last year. At the same time, homes are still taking time to sell, which means pricing and positioning matter.

For buyers, there may be opportunities—especially when it comes to homes that have been sitting on the market.

For sellers, this is a market where simply putting a home in MLS isn’t enough. The right price, presentation, exposure and strategy from day one are important.

Thinking about buying or selling in Celina, TX? I’d be happy to break down what these numbers mean for your specific neighborhood or price point.

Suzy Swaney | Local Insider Property Group
Century 21 Crew Real Estate
📞 214-334-8492

09/10/2026

🚨 WHAT’S HAPPENING ALONG MARILEE ROAD?

If you’ve driven Marilee Road lately and wondered about all the land, construction and development happening around it… there is a LOT to unpack.

But here’s the easiest way to understand this area:

📍 Imagine drawing a line right down Marilee Road.

⬆️ NORTH = GRAYSON COUNTY / GUNTER
⬇️ SOUTH = COLLIN COUNTY / CELINA

And there are major projects taking shape on both sides of that line.

So let’s break it down. 👇

⬆️ NORTH OF MARILEE — GUNTER / GRAYSON COUNTY

One of the biggest pieces is PLATINUM RANCH.

Platinum Ranch encompasses a massive area west of Preston Road, with approximately 1,715 acres included in the current PID north of Marilee Road. The larger Platinum Ranch zoning area is approximately 1,998 acres.

This is the development planned for 4,200+ homes, along with significant commercial and mixed-use development.

And here’s something particularly interesting: commercial/mixed-use land within Platinum Ranch is already being marketed directly along Marilee Road.

Then, right around Preston + Marilee, there’s another property to watch:

🏡 MARILEE RESERVE

Approximately 229 acres at the northwest corner of Preston and Marilee is currently being marketed as a development opportunity. A concept plan has been prepared showing 578 residential lots.

Important distinction: this is a concept/development opportunity, so I wouldn’t call those 578 homes “coming” just yet. But it’s absolutely an area I’m watching.

There’s also a smaller residential area around Marilee + Fox Lane, where approximately 62 acres are being marketed for 1-acre minimum homesites with septic, and a new 12-inch water line has reportedly been brought to the site.

⬇️ SOUTH OF MARILEE — CELINA / COLLIN COUNTY

Cross Marilee and the growth story changes.

🏡 MARILEE / FORMER RASOR RANCH

This is part of the large area south of Marilee being developed on the Celina side. M/I Homes is already selling in the Marilee community, with additional residential, commercial and infrastructure growth planned throughout this corridor.

And then farther east…

🎶 SERENADE

This is another huge master-planned community being developed south of Marilee in Celina.

Serenade stretches across hundreds of acres and includes multiple residential villages, a large central water feature, trails, amenities and hundreds of future homes.

Site work is already underway — so some of the dirt moving you see in this area isn’t something planned for someday. It’s happening now.

AND THEN THERE’S MARILEE ROAD ITSELF. 🚧

That’s another piece of this story.

As thousands of homes and new commercial areas are planned around this corridor, Marilee isn’t going to remain the quiet country road many of us have known.

It’s becoming an increasingly important connection between Gunter, Celina, Grayson County and Collin County.

So next time you’re driving Marilee, picture that line:

⬆️ GUNTER | GRAYSON COUNTY
———————— MARILEE ROAD ————————
⬇️ CELINA | COLLIN COUNTY

Two counties.
Two cities.
Multiple major developments.
And a completely different-looking corridor coming over the next several years.

👀 I’ll keep digging into each of these developments individually — including what’s approved, what’s proposed, what’s actually under construction and what infrastructure is being built to support all of it.

This is exactly why I study Gunter growth so closely. There’s a big difference between “I’ve heard something is coming” and understanding what has actually been approved and where it sits.

Suzy Swaney - North Texas Realtor
Local Insider Property Group

09/09/2026

THE $580 MILLION DATA CENTER PROPOSED FOR PROSPER HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN

White Rose Partners pulled its zoning applications for Project Tomahawk before the proposal could reach the Prosper Town Council, officially closing the current version of the project.

🏢 225,000-square-foot data center proposed
🌳 Approximately 37.3 acres near Parvin Road and FM 1385
💰 Estimated $580 million investment
👷 500+ construction jobs projected at peak
🗳️ Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial 7-0
📅 Applications withdrawn before the Sept. 8 council meeting

The proposal faced community questions and concerns surrounding noise, electricity demand and the overall scope of the project.

Project Tomahawk could still return in a different form, but any revised proposal would require a new application, new public notices and another planning and zoning hearing before advancing to the town council.

09/09/2026

💙🏡 FROM LAND… TO HOME. RIGHT HERE IN GUNTER, TX.

Stopped by to check in on a custom home being built by Scott Post Homes for one of my clients, and I love getting to watch their vision come together. 🤍

If your dream is to build a custom home in Gunter, I can help you navigate the entire process:

📍 Finding land or acreage in Gunter
🏡 Evaluating whether a property makes sense for what you want to build
💧 Understanding utilities, water, septic and other property considerations
📑 Navigating restrictions, surveys and due diligence
🔨 Connecting you with local builders and resources
👀 And yes — checking in along the way as your home comes together!

There are so many things to consider when buying land that you simply don’t encounter with a typical home purchase. Having someone who knows Gunter, understands the local market, future roads, and knows what questions to ask can make a BIG difference.

So if you’ve been thinking…

“I’d love to find a few acres in Gunter and build.”

Give me a call!

You don’t have to figure out where to start. I can help you go from searching for the right piece of Gunter land to watching your custom home become a reality.

Suzy Swaney | North TX Realtor
📲 214-334-8492