News Letter.
Mature oaks, quarter-acre lots, and homes built for space. A guide from the agent who works this neighborhood.
Your News Letter Specialist
Vanessa Martin, REALTOR®
One neighborhood, one agent who knows it.
Most agents cover an entire metro. They will show you a home in News Letter on Tuesday and one forty minutes south on Thursday, and they will know roughly the same amount about each. Vanessa Martin is not that agent. She works News Letter, and she knows it the way you know your own street.
That means she can tell you which builder put up which section and how their floor plans hold value at resale, which streets back to greenbelt and which back to the trail corridor, what the tax rate actually is at a specific address, and why the home two blocks over sold for what it did. In a state where sale prices are not public record, that is not a nice extra. That is the entire job.
Vanessa came to real estate after seventeen years as a hairdresser, a career that taught her to listen carefully and earn trust first. She and her husband bought their own first home in their twenties while raising a young baby, and that is still how she thinks about the people across the table.
She is invested in this part of Round Rock. She serves as Second Vice President on the board at Cactus Ranch Elementary, and every year she hosts a neighborhood Easter egg hunt where her family stuffs close to two thousand eggs. Call about a home in News Letter and you reach the person who already knows the street.
2002-2010
Primary build years
2,000-4,500
Square feet
1/4 - 1/3
Acre lot sizes
1.7993%
2025 tax rate
A newer home in a grown-in neighborhood.
News Letter sits in the northwest corner of Round Rock, just south of FM 1431 and entered from Old Settlers Boulevard. It is a master-planned neighborhood developed largely between 2002 and 2010 by Drees, Highland Homes, and Ryland, and that timing is the whole story. The homes are modern enough to feel current, and the neighborhood has had twenty years for the live oaks to fill in.
That combination is harder to find than it sounds. Buyers in Williamson County usually choose between a brand-new build on a bare lot in Leander or Hutto, or an established neighborhood with a house that needs work. News Letter sits in between, with quarter to third-acre lots, mature landscaping, and floor plans that still make sense for how people live now.
It is inside Round Rock city limits with city utilities, which means no separate Municipal Utility District rate stacked on the tax bill. Against comparable new construction farther north, that difference shows up every month.
Six things I tell every buyer about News Letter.
The details that do not show up in a listing photo or an online estimate.
01.
Builder tells you more than square footage
Drees, Highland, and Ryland all built here, and their floor plans, ceiling heights, and standard finishes differ in ways that show up at resale. Two homes with the same square footage and the same year can appraise apart. Ask which builder before you get attached to a listing.
02.
Walk the lot, not just the house
Lot position varies a lot across the neighborhood. Some back to greenbelt, some to other homes, some to the trail corridor. Slope, tree cover, and what sits behind the back fence all move value, and none of it is visible in listing photos taken from the curb.
03.
The mature trees are an asset and a maintenance line
The live oaks are one of the reasons people choose News Letter over newer subdivisions. They also mean oak wilt awareness, seasonal trimming windows, and root considerations near foundations. Budget for tree care the way you would budget for HVAC.
04.
City utilities instead of a MUD is real money
Buyers comparing News Letter against new construction in Leander, Hutto, or Jarrell often focus on price per square foot and miss that many of those neighborhoods carry a MUD rate on top of city, county, and school taxes. Run the full monthly payment on both before you decide.
05.
Foundations deserve attention in this soil
Central Texas clay expands and contracts, and homes from the 2000s have now been through enough drought cycles to show it. Sticking doors and drywall cracks are common and usually cosmetic, but a foundation evaluation during the option period is money well spent here.
06.
Inventory is thin, so be ready before you tour
This is an established neighborhood, not an active build-out. A handful of homes change hands in a typical year. Having a lender letter in hand and knowing your criteria in advance is the difference between writing an offer and watching one go.
What is actually close by.
Recreation
Round Rock Sports Center
A large indoor tournament and league facility about two miles away, and a genuine anchor of youth sports in Round Rock.
Baseball
Dell Diamond
Home of the Round Rock Express. Summer evenings here are one of the things residents actually use, not just something on a brochure.
Shopping
Round Rock Premium Outlets and IKEA
Both sit just across I-35 from the neighborhood, which puts a serious retail cluster within a few minutes of the front gate.
Green space
Gary L. Smith Karst Preserve
Protected natural area adjacent to the neighborhood. Karst geology is part of what shaped the Williamson County landscape here.
Everyday
Old Settlers Park
Two hundred plus acres of ball fields, trails, fishing, and event space on the east side of I-35.
Healthcare
Round Rock medical corridor
St. David's Round Rock Medical Center and Baylor Scott and White facilities are minutes north along the I-35 frontage.
Round Rock ISD
News Letter is served by Round Rock ISD, one of the largest districts in Texas. The neighborhood is generally zoned to Old Town Elementary, Walsh Middle School, and Round Rock High School.
Attendance boundaries are redrawn periodically and do not follow neighborhood or city lines. If school zoning is driving your decision, confirm the assignment for the specific address with Round Rock ISD before you write an offer. Vanessa checks this for every client rather than relying on what a listing says.
Neighboring communities.
If News Letter is not quite the fit, these sit within a few minutes and trade off differently on price, lot size, and build year.
News Letter, answered.
Where exactly is News Letter in Round Rock?
News Letter sits in the northwest corner of Round Rock, just south of FM 1431 and reached from Old Settlers Boulevard. It backs up to Wood Glen and sits near Behrens Ranch and Sendero Springs. Downtown Round Rock is about ten minutes away and central Austin runs roughly twenty-five minutes south on I-35, traffic depending.
When were the homes in News Letter built and by whom?
News Letter is a master-planned neighborhood developed largely between 2002 and 2010 by Drees, Highland Homes, and Ryland. That build window matters: the homes are new enough for open floor plans and modern systems, and old enough that the trees have filled in and the landscaping has matured. It is a rare combination in Williamson County.
How big are the homes and lots?
Homes generally run from about 2,000 to 4,500 square feet, with a large share above 3,000. Four bedrooms and three or more baths is the common configuration, and three-car garages are frequent. Lots typically fall between a quarter and a third of an acre, which is generous for a Round Rock neighborhood of this era.
What amenities does News Letter have?
The neighborhood has a community pool, a covered pavilion, a playscape, a basketball court, and walking trails, with sidewalks throughout. The Gary L. Smith Karst Preserve sits nearby and adds protected green space. Amenities are maintained through the Homeowners Association for News Letter, Inc.
What schools serve News Letter?
News Letter is in Round Rock ISD and is generally zoned to Old Town Elementary, Walsh Middle School, and Round Rock High School. Attendance boundaries do get redrawn, and they do not follow neighborhood lines, so confirm the zoning for a specific address with Round Rock ISD before you make a decision based on it.
What is the property tax rate in News Letter?
The combined rate for News Letter was about 1.7993 percent for the 2025 tax year, up slightly from roughly 1.7714 percent in 2024 and 1.7541 percent in 2023. Rates are set annually by the taxing units, so treat any published figure as a starting point and verify the current year with the Williamson Central Appraisal District.
Is there a MUD or PID in News Letter?
News Letter is inside Round Rock city limits and served by city utilities, so it does not carry the separate Municipal Utility District tax rate that many newer Central Texas subdivisions do. That is a meaningful monthly difference against comparable new construction farther out, and it is one of the first things Vanessa runs for buyers comparing neighborhoods.
Why should I use an agent who specializes in News Letter?
Texas is a non-disclosure state, so sale prices are not public record and online estimates work from incomplete data. In a neighborhood this size, pricing accurately means knowing which builder, which floor plan, which street, and which lot position. Vanessa Martin works News Letter specifically and prices from verified MLS sold data rather than an algorithm.
Thinking about News Letter? Let's talk.
Whether you are buying here, selling here, or just trying to figure out whether this neighborhood fits, start with a conversation. No pressure, no pitch.
Vanessa Martin, REALTOR® · TREC #821247
T. Kerr Property Group · 1003 S. Austin Avenue, Georgetown, TX 78626
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