on August 18, 2026
I’m Jake Inderman, a Celina TX Realtor and North Texas real estate agent helping buyers and relocation clients compare new construction and communities throughout Celina, Prosper, and Frisco.
I recently toured a model home in The Ranch at Uptown with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, more than 3,400 square feet, a three-car garage, oversized kitchen, huge backyard, game room, media room, and two bedrooms downstairs. At the time of the tour, this floor plan started around $687,000 before the extensive model-home upgrades.
But the home itself is only part of the story.
The Ranch at Uptown offers buyers a combination of larger lots, a community pool, fishing pond, walking trails, Celina ISD, and a location approximately two miles from Downtown Celina.
Here’s what you should know if you’re considering buying a home in The Ranch at Uptown in Celina, Texas.
The Ranch at Uptown is located in Celina, Texas, near Old Celina Park and approximately two miles from Downtown Celina based on the location discussed during my tour.
That location is one of the community’s biggest advantages.
Celina is growing quickly, but some of the newer master-planned communities can put you farther away from the historic downtown area and everyday conveniences.
The Ranch at Uptown gives buyers a newer home while keeping them relatively close to Downtown Celina.
At the time of my tour, I also estimated the community was:
Actual drive times will vary based on traffic, road construction, and your specific destination.
For relocation buyers, I always recommend driving your actual commute before deciding where to live.
The Ranch at Uptown is a newer residential community in Celina offering buyers both opportunities to build from the ground up and completed or spec-home options.
Building from the ground up can give you more control over the final home.
Depending on the builder and construction stage, you may be able to choose things such as:
However, model homes can make it very easy to underestimate the actual cost of recreating what you’re touring.
That’s particularly important with the home featured in my video.
The model I toured included approximately 3,400+ square feet with:
At the time of filming, the floor plan started at approximately $687,000.
However, there’s an important distinction between that starting price and the home you see in the model.
The model was heavily upgraded.
I estimated during my tour that it could contain tens of thousands of dollars—and potentially around $100,000—of additional upgrades compared with the base configuration.
This is something every new-construction buyer should understand.
When a builder says a floor plan “starts at” a particular price, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting everything you see in the model for that amount.
Upgrades can include:
When comparing builders, compare the price of the home you would actually build—not simply the advertised starting prices.
The kitchen is one of the strongest parts of this floor plan.
It includes a large waterfall island with enough room for approximately five barstools, giving you substantial seating and prep space.
Other features shown in the model included:
The kitchen flows directly into the dining and living areas, making this floor plan particularly attractive for buyers who entertain frequently.
Yes. That’s probably one of the biggest strengths of this floor plan.
You have the oversized kitchen island, large dining space, open living room, covered patio, substantial backyard, upstairs game room, and dedicated media room.
If you regularly host friends, family, holidays, or watch parties, the house gives you multiple entertaining areas instead of forcing everyone into one room.
Lot size is one of the first things I’d pay attention to when comparing Ranch at Uptown homes with other new-construction communities in Celina.
The model I toured had a very large backyard.
Even with an extended outdoor living area taking up a portion of the yard, there was still plenty of usable green space.
Depending on the exact homesite and improvements, buyers may have room for:
If you’re moving north specifically because you want more outdoor space, lot dimensions should be part of your home search from day one.
Don’t pick the floor plan first and assume you’ll figure out the backyard later.
The covered patio in the model is another standout feature.
The space includes tall ceilings, fans, outdoor speakers, electrical connections, TV space, storage, and a refrigerator area.
The one thing I would personally add?
A built-in grill.
The outdoor area is already designed well for entertaining, and adding a cooking area could make it even more functional.
Of course, buyers building from the ground up should verify which outdoor features are standard versus upgrades.
The primary suite is downstairs.
One of the most noticeable features is the tall sloped ceiling with exposed wood beams.
Like many areas of the model, the finishes are heavily upgraded, but the underlying room dimensions and ceiling design give the primary bedroom a high-end feel.
The primary bathroom may be one of the most impressive areas of the entire model.
The feature that immediately stood out during my tour was the waterfall-style countertop treatment.
That’s not something I commonly see at this general price point.
The bathroom also included:
Again, many of these finishes may represent model-home upgrades rather than standard features.
This floor plan has two bedrooms downstairs and two upstairs.
That’s a major advantage for buyers looking for multigenerational living or a private guest suite.
The downstairs secondary bedroom has access to its own bathroom and a large closet.
That could work well for:
More North Texas buyers are specifically asking me for floor plans with two bedrooms downstairs, and this home checks that box.
Near the downstairs guest suite is an additional flex room.
The model uses the space almost like a sitting room or library, but I think it would make an excellent home office.
You could also use it as a:
For buyers working remotely, having a dedicated office without sacrificing one of the four bedrooms is a major advantage.
Upstairs, you first enter a large secondary living area.
This isn’t the media room.
It’s an entirely separate game room.
Depending on your lifestyle, you could use it for:
Having both a game room and dedicated media room creates much more flexibility for households that want multiple entertainment spaces.
The media room may be my favorite feature upstairs.
It’s a large dedicated space with room for a substantial TV and sectional.
The model also includes a dry bar with a refrigerator, cabinetry, storage, and even a popcorn-machine setup.
You don’t have to go downstairs every time you want a drink or snack during a movie.
For buyers who entertain frequently or want a legitimate home-theater space, this is one of the strongest features of the floor plan.
The secondary bedrooms were also larger than what I see in many new-construction homes.
Closet space was particularly impressive.
One of the upstairs secondary closets was extremely large, while the downstairs guest suite also had a substantial closet.
That’s something worth paying attention to when touring floor plans.
Builders sometimes make the primary suite enormous while squeezing the secondary bedrooms and closets.
This floor plan does a better job giving those rooms usable space.
The laundry room includes countertop space, shelving, room for the washer and dryer, and significant storage.
The model had an unusually large amount of shelving for a home around this price point.
Some of that cabinetry or shelving may be upgraded, so buyers should verify what’s included.
There’s also a pantry and a drop-zone area near the garage.
These aren’t flashy features, but they matter when you’re actually living in the house.
The home has a three-car garage with an epoxy floor.
Three-car garages can be surprisingly difficult to find depending on the community, builder, lot width, and price point.
The additional garage space could be used for:
The model also included two tankless water heaters.
If garage space is important to you, make sure you verify the actual dimensions.
“Three-car garage” doesn’t necessarily mean every three-car garage provides the same usable space.
The community offers several core amenities without the extremely large amenity package found in some other Celina master-planned developments.
Amenities discussed during my tour included:
For many buyers, that may be enough.
You get places to walk, swim, and spend time outdoors without necessarily paying for a massive resort-style amenity complex you may rarely use.
At the time of my tour, the Ranch at Uptown HOA was approximately $79 per month.
That’s roughly $948 per year.
The HOA helps cover community features such as the pool, pond maintenance, common areas, and landscaping of shared spaces.
HOA fees can change, so buyers should verify the current dues and exactly what’s included before purchasing.
Yes. The Ranch at Uptown was located within a Municipal Utility District, or MUD, according to the information discussed during my tour.
This is important because a MUD can affect your overall property-tax burden.
A Municipal Utility District is commonly used to help finance infrastructure in developing communities.
For buyers, the most important thing isn’t simply whether a neighborhood has a MUD.
It’s what that means for your total monthly housing cost.
If you’re relocating from outside Texas, this is especially important.
Don’t compare homes based solely on purchase price.
When I’m helping buyers compare Celina communities, I want to look at:
Two homes with identical purchase prices can have very different monthly payments.
That’s why you should compare the total cost of ownership between Ranch at Uptown and other Celina communities.
The Ranch at Uptown home featured in my tour was in Celina ISD.
Buyers should always verify the current school assignments for the exact property they’re considering because attendance boundaries can change as fast-growing districts add new schools.
One characteristic buyers may notice about Celina ISD compared with larger districts farther south is the smaller-town environment.
That can be attractive for households that prefer a different feel from larger districts in areas such as Frisco, Plano, or Allen.
One of my favorite things about the Ranch at Uptown location is its proximity to Downtown Celina.
At approximately two miles away based on the location discussed in my tour, you’re much closer to Celina’s historic downtown area than residents of some communities farther outside the city center.
Downtown Celina provides local restaurants, events, businesses, and the small-town atmosphere that differentiates Celina from many larger North Texas suburbs.
As Celina continues growing, being relatively close to downtown while still having a newer home could become increasingly appealing to some buyers.
If you’re considering The Ranch at Uptown, I wouldn’t look at it in isolation.
Celina has a large number of new and newer communities.
Depending on your budget and priorities, you may also want to compare it with:
The Ranch at Uptown may stand out if you prioritize larger yards, proximity to Downtown Celina, a more manageable HOA, and newer construction.
Other communities may offer larger amenity packages, different builders, different school zoning, or different tax structures.
The Ranch at Uptown may be a strong fit if you want:
It may be less attractive if your priority is avoiding special taxing districts or getting an enormous resort-style amenity package.
That’s why comparing communities matters.
The Ranch at Uptown is located in Celina, Texas, near Old Celina Park and approximately two miles from Downtown Celina based on the location discussed during my tour.
Pricing depends on the builder, floor plan, lot, upgrades, and inventory. The approximately 3,400-square-foot model featured in my tour started around $687,000 at the time of filming before model-home upgrades.
Yes. A community pool was one of the amenities discussed during my tour.
Amenities discussed in the tour included a community pool, fishing pond, walking trails, and common areas.
The HOA was approximately $79 per month at the time of my tour. Buyers should verify current HOA dues before purchasing.
Yes. The community was described as being within a Municipal Utility District during my tour. Buyers should verify the current MUD and total effective tax rate for any specific property.
The property featured in my tour was in Celina ISD. Buyers should verify current school zoning for the specific address they’re considering.
The community was approximately two miles from Downtown Celina based on the location discussed in my tour.
The model home featured a substantial backyard, and lot size is one of the characteristics buyers should compare when considering the community. Exact lot dimensions vary by property.
At the time of my tour, both build-from-the-ground-up opportunities and spec homes were available. Current lot and inventory availability should be verified directly.
For the right buyer, absolutely.
The combination of newer construction, larger yards, modern floor plans, three-car garage options, community amenities, Celina ISD, and proximity to Downtown Celina makes The Ranch at Uptown an interesting alternative to some of Celina’s larger master-planned communities.
The biggest thing I’d pay attention to is total cost.
Don’t fall in love with a heavily upgraded model and assume you’re getting everything you see for the advertised starting price.
And don’t compare communities using home prices alone.
Look at the finished home price, lot premium, upgrades, HOA, property taxes, MUD assessment, insurance, and commute.
That’s how you determine whether The Ranch at Uptown is actually the right Celina community for you.
I’m Jake Inderman, a Celina TX Realtor and North Texas real estate agent helping buyers and relocation clients navigate The Ranch at Uptown and communities throughout Celina, Prosper, and Frisco.
I help buyers compare new-construction builders, floor plans, inventory homes, lot sizes, property taxes, MUD/PID/MMD costs, HOA fees, amenities, commute times, and future development.
If you’re considering Ranch at Uptown Celina TX homes, I can help you compare current options and schedule an in-person or virtual tour.
Whether you’re moving to North Texas in the next 9 days or 9 months, feel free to reach out.
Jake Inderman | Celina TX Realtor
Call/Text: 469-343-2008
Email: jake.inderman@gmail.com