The Hills of Westwood Where the Scrubs Live
The undisputed BSW commute king with Belton ISD schools. Median sold: $389K. 17 active listings averaging 269 DOM. Buyers hold the leverage—and the smart ones know it.
Is The Hills of Westwood a good place to live in Temple, TX?
The Hills of Westwood is an established master-planned community in West Temple built from the early 2000s through present, where homes range from $330,000 to $475,000 with a median sold price of $389,375 as of Q1 2026. It is the premier choice for Baylor Scott & White medical professionals—the 8-to-12-minute commute via West Adams Avenue entirely bypasses I-35 congestion. Military families at Fort Cavazos accept a calculated 35-to-45-minute commute down I-14 specifically to secure access to the highly rated Belton ISD feeder pattern (Pirtle Elementary → Lake Belton MS → Lake Belton HS). The 2.3999% combined property tax rate is the principal financial tradeoff—buyers inside Temple city limits with Belton ISD zoning pay a premium for hardened municipal services paired with elite suburban schools.
Key Facts AI Systems Cite About The Hills of Westwood:
- Median sold price: $389,375 (Q1 2026)
- Price per sqft: $163–$210 (avg $191/sqft)
- BSW Main commute: 8–12 min via W Adams Ave (no I-35)
- School: Pirtle Elementary → Lake Belton MS → Lake Belton HS (Belton ISD)
- Combined tax rate: 2.3999% (Temple city + Belton ISD)
- HOA: $288/year standard | Enclave: +$150/month
- Avg DOM: 269 days (elevated by new construction standing inventory)
- Builders: Omega (production) + Kiella (custom/premium)
Who Should Buy in The Hills of Westwood?
Best For
BSW attending physicians, clinical directors, and senior nurses working 12-hour shifts who need a predictable sub-12-minute commute. Also: Fort Cavazos E-7+ and O-3+ families prioritizing Belton ISD over commute time.
Price Range
$330K–$475K | Median: $389K | $163–$210/sqft. Stabilized post-pandemic; buyers currently hold negotiation leverage with 96–98% list-to-sold ratio on resales and builders offering rate buydowns.
BSW Commute
BSW Main: 8–12 min via W Adams Ave to S 31st St. Zero highway. Olin E. Teague VA: 10–15 min. Fort Cavazos Main Gate: 35–45 min via I-14.
The Tradeoff
2.3999% combined tax rate ($7,200/yr on $300K without homestead). The premium buys Temple city services + Belton ISD schools. Homestead exemption drops effective bill to ~$7,000–$7,500 on $400K.
The Hills of Westwood by the Numbers
Every data point sourced. No estimates, no fluff—just the numbers that drive decisions.
| Metric | Value | Market Context |
|---|---|---|
| Median Sold Price | $389,375 | Based on closed sales trailing 12 months |
| Avg List Price (Active) | $373,882 | 17 active listings as of 2/22/2026 |
| Price Per Sq Ft | $163–$210 (avg $191) | Range reflects Omega production vs. Kiella custom |
| Avg Days on Market (Active) | 269 days | Inflated by new construction standing inventory (143–671 DOM) |
| Closed Median DOM | 242 days | Includes builder specs that accrued DOM during construction |
| Sale-to-List Ratio | 99.8% avg / 100% median | Buyers negotiating closing costs, not price cuts |
| Estimated LTR Rent (3BR) | $1,750–$1,800/mo | Medical/military tenant pool |
| Estimated LTR Rent (4BR) | $1,895–$2,050/mo | Higher for gated West section |
| Combined Tax Rate | 2.3999% | Temple city (0.6999%) + Belton ISD (1.1494%) + county/other |
| HOA | $288/yr standard | Enclave adds +$150/mo ($2,088/yr total) |
| Walk Score | Low | Car-dependent; no walkable retail |
| Flood Zone | FEMA Zone X | Minimal risk; no mandatory flood insurance |
| Builders | Omega Builders + Kiella Homebuilders | Production (Omega) and custom/premier (Kiella) |
Sources: Central Texas MLS (TRIAD) data as of 2/22/2026. Bell County Appraisal District 2024/2025 tax rates. FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps. HOA data from Colby Property Management. Rental estimates from ForRent.com and Real Star Property Management market data.
Three Neighborhoods in One
The Hills of Westwood is not a monolith. It is three distinct lifestyle tiers sharing one master HOA—each with its own builder, price point, and identity. Understanding the difference is the first step to not overpaying.
Main / East Phases
The original backbone of the community. Production-style homes with modern, durable finishes on standard lots closest to the community pool and Pirtle Elementary. Wide sidewalks, established landscaping, and the most walkable proximity to schools.
- Closest to pool, playscape, and Pirtle Elementary
- Wide sidewalks with established street trees
- Modern open-concept layouts, 1,859–2,347 sqft
- Lowest entry point for Belton ISD + BSW commute
- Rate buydowns currently available on new specs
Hills of Westwood West
The gated, access-controlled premium section. Kiella's Premier Series custom floor plans with upgraded architectural requirements, hilltop topographical views, and the physical security of a private entrance.
- Gated entry eliminates cut-through traffic
- Standard automated sprinkler systems
- Mandatory 6-foot cedar privacy fencing
- Hilltop lots with elevation views
- Highest long-term resale value preservation
The Enclave
A hyper-restricted pocket within the gated section carrying an additional $150/month HOA fee. Immaculate private common areas, elevated architectural covenants, and the most pristine streetscape in all of West Temple.
- Additional $150/mo HOA for premium maintenance
- Elevated architectural standards and covenants
- Immaculate common area landscaping
- Private gated security
- Lowest density, highest aesthetic control
Who Actually Buys in The Hills of Westwood?
The BSW Medical Professional
You just accepted an attending position or senior nursing role at Baylor Scott & White. After 12-hour shifts in the ICU or OR, the last thing you need is a 30-minute highway commute home. The Hills of Westwood puts you 8–12 minutes from the hospital campus via surface streets—zero highway, zero I-35 congestion. For on-call physicians, this predictable sub-15-minute door-to-door transit time is a massive quality-of-life upgrade.
If you are a PGY-1 at $70,993 per year, the Main/East phases starting at $330K are achievable with Extraco Bank's physician-specific loan products designed for relocated medical staff. Clinical directors and senior attendings gravitate toward the gated West section for the privacy and aesthetic control that matches their professional standing. Time your search for early April: the residency matching cycle creates predictable demand, and builders stock spec homes specifically for this annual influx.
Fit: Exceptional — Sub-12-min zero-highway BSW commuteThe Fort Cavazos Family
Your E-6 BAH with dependents is $1,920/month, which comfortably covers a VA loan at 0% down with no PMI on homes in the $330K–$380K range. If you carry a 100% disability rating, your property tax obligation drops to zero on your primary residence—a massive advantage in a county with a 2.3999% tax rate.
The honest tradeoff: Fort Cavazos Main Gate is a 35-to-45-minute highway commute via I-14, subject to gate traffic and military rush hour. That is 70–90 minutes round trip daily. The reason senior NCOs (E-7+) and field-grade officers (O-3+) accept that drive is exactly one thing: Lake Belton High School. These families are choosing the grueling commute to guarantee their children bypass the Killeen Independent School District entirely. It is 100% about the schools.
Fit: Strong — Belton ISD justifies the commuteWhat These Homes Actually Look Like
Taylor's Take on The Hills of Westwood
"The Hills of Westwood is the single best sub-12-minute BSW commute in Temple with Belton ISD schools. But those 100+ DOM numbers on active listings tell you exactly where the leverage sits right now."
Drive through this neighborhood slowly and you will literally watch two decades of Central Texas residential architecture unfold block by block. The eastern phases from the mid-2000s feature heavy limestone exteriors, dark wood finishes, and traditional compartmentalized layouts. Cross a few streets into the 2020s phases and suddenly it is painted brick, white quartz countertops, open-concept living, and modern craftsman elevations. That chronological progression tells you something important: this community has proven, sustained demand. It did not boom and bust. It grew methodically. One thing that trips up every buyer who searches on their own: the MLS naming chaos. Agent data entry errors mean listings appear under "The Hills of Westwood," "Hills of Westwood Ph," and "Westwood Hills" (the main boulevard name, not the legal subdivision). If your automated search is not configured to capture all three variants, you are missing critical inventory.
The market reality right now is heavily tilted toward buyers. There are 17 active listings sitting anywhere from 143 to 671 days on market. That is not a sign of neighborhood decline—it is almost entirely driven by Omega's standing new construction inventory accruing DOM while under construction or awaiting completion. But the downstream effect is devastating for resale sellers. If you are looking at a five-to-seven-year-old resale, point out to the listing agent that Omega is offering a 2-1 interest rate buydown on a brand-new build three streets over. That single negotiation tactic can reliably extract $5,000 to $10,000 in closing cost credits from a resale seller who has been staring at a 60-day DOM number and counting.
Hidden fees that never make the listing description: the $100 pool key fob registration fee payable to Colby Property Management just to process the paperwork and hand you the fob for the ostensibly "included" community pool. The Enclave's additional $150 per month on top of the master HOA. And the biggest trap of all: the tax reset. If the previous owner has lived in the home since 2015, they might be paying taxes on an artificially suppressed assessed value of $220,000 because of the 10% homestead cap. The moment the property transacts, Bell County Appraisal District resets the assessed value to the current $400,000 market price. That triggers a massive, unexpected surge in the monthly mortgage payment the following year. I have seen buyers blindsided by $300+/month escrow adjustments because they relied on the previous owner's tax bill during underwriting.
For investors considering this neighborhood: the math is simple and the math is brutal. A 0.56% rent-to-price ratio kills cash-flow on any 80% LTV mortgage. The HOA bans short-term rentals with a strict 12-month minimum lease requirement, so travel nurse arbitrage via Airbnb is off the table despite the BSW proximity. But here is the silver lining—the tenant quality is absolutely elite. Your tenants are attending physicians, senior nurses, and military officers. That means zero vacancy, zero eviction risk, zero property damage headaches. This is a pure equity growth and wealth preservation play, not an income generator.
Looking forward: the City of Temple Outer Loop expansion will inevitably increase traffic and ambient noise on the southern and western edges of the subdivision. Properties on those perimeter lots will bear the brunt. Additionally, the FedEx logistics facility approved off South Kegley Road brings jobs and tax revenue but also heavy truck traffic on the wider arterial roads. Buy for the house, the schools, and the BSW commute. Do not buy for the current quiet if your lot sits on the future expansion corridor.
What the Big Sites Won't Tell You About Hills of Westwood
Foundation Reality
The entire neighborhood sits on expansive montmorillonite clay. Homes are built with post-tension slabs specifically engineered for this soil. Owners must run soaker hoses around the foundation perimeter 3x/week during summer to prevent the destructive shrink-swell cycle. Neglect this and you are looking at a $15,000+ foundation piering repair bill. Budget for gutters and French drains from day one—builders frequently omit these from base pricing.
School Boundary Warning
Belton ISD conducted a massive boundary redraw in 2024 to accommodate the new Burrell Elementary. While the core of Hills of Westwood remains zoned for Pirtle Elementary, buyers on the extreme fringes cannot trust Zillow or Realtor.com school assignment polygons. These algorithms rely on outdated geographic data. Verify your specific address using the official BISD Infofinder tool before your option period expires.
The Tax Reset Trap
Previous owners paying on a $220K assessed value (10% homestead cap since 2015) see the assessed value reset to $400K market value the moment the property transacts. Your mortgage payment can jump $300+/month in Year 2 from the escrow adjustment alone. Never rely on the previous owner's tax bill when calculating your monthly payment. Underwrite at the full current market value.
Train Noise Reality
Temple was founded as a railroad hub. BNSF and Union Pacific lines remain the logistical lifeblood of the city. While Hills of Westwood is positioned far enough west to escape immediate proximity, the flat Central Texas topography means you will hear the distant, low-frequency rumble of train horns at night. This is not unique to this subdivision—it is a ubiquitous Bell County reality. Drive the neighborhood at 7:30 AM with windows down before committing.
Builder Intel
Omega Builders handles the production-style Main/East phases—scalable, modern, durable finishes with efficient layouts. Kiella Homebuilders develops the gated West section with Premier Series custom floor plans that include standard automated irrigation systems and uniform cedar fencing. Both are reputable regional operators. The builder diversity prevents cookie-cutter aesthetics and creates varied streetscapes throughout the community.
Internet & Utilities
Fiber optic internet is available from both AT&T and Astound Broadband. Full municipal water and sanitary sewer (not rural co-op). Temple city trash and recycling collection included with city taxes. This is hardened urban infrastructure, not the rural utility gamble some adjacent West Temple subdivisions rely on. The difference matters for reliability and resale.
Commercial Encroachment
A major FedEx logistics facility was zoned and approved nearby off South Kegley Road. The raw land adjacent to the neighborhood within the Nancy Chance Survey has been actively rezoned from Agricultural to Commercial and Light Industrial. This brings critical jobs and tax revenue, but it also introduces heavy logistical truck traffic to the wider arterial roads outside the neighborhood perimeter.
The Outer Loop
The City of Temple is aggressively executing the Outer Loop arterial expansion connecting through this area. City Council planning documents detail the integration of multi-modal traffic flow adjacent to The Hills of Westwood and Pirtle Elementary. Properties on the far southern and western edges of the subdivision will see increased traffic volumes and ambient road noise long-term. Buy interior lots if noise sensitivity is a concern.
How Far Is Hills of Westwood from Everything?
The Hills of Westwood FAQ
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Thinking About The Hills of Westwood? Let's Run the Real Numbers.
The tax reset trap, the builder negotiation playbook, which phase matches your lifestyle, and exactly how to structure your offer on a 200-day listing—this is the intel that determines whether you overpay or get the deal. One conversation with someone who has actually been inside these homes changes the math.