Master-planned community sees 7% uptick in sales

LAKEWOOD RANCH — The master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch reported 417 sales for the first quarter of 2019, up 7% over the same quarter in 2018.

According to a press release, sales momentum in the first three months of 2019 grew month-over-month, with March boasting 170 sales.

With few exceptions, March saw sales increases for all villages and builders. Homebuyer traffic is up 10% over the first quarter of 2018, the release adds. 

“We, like most of the country, experienced buyer malaise in Q4 of 2018," says LWR Communities LLC Senior Vice President Laura Cole in a statement. "The Federal Reserve’s announcement of its intent to keep short-term interest rates where they are for the rest of 2019 creates much needed stability and confidence. Also, there is no doubt that buyers from high-tax markets like New Jersey are accelerating their decisions to move to Florida and Lakewood Ranch.”

Lakewood Ranch is a 31,000-acre community in Sarasota and Manatee counties. It is home to more than 36,000 residents.