4 communities in region rank among top 15 for US home sales

Two communities in the Sarasota area and a community north of Tampa rank among the top 10 master-planned communities in the United States based on sales from the first half of 2024, according to a new list. A Punta Gorda development also landed in the top 15 on the list of 50 master-planned communities.

Real estate consulting firm RCLCO recently released its rankings of the top 50 master-planned communities based on sales from January through June, and The Villages — northwest of Orlando — topped the list. It sold 1,515 homes during the first half of the year to a mainly 55-plus demographic, the same as last year.

No. 2 on the list was Lakewood Ranch, which sold 1,238 homes during the first half of the year, about a 1% increase from 2023, according to RCLCO. Lakewood Ranch currently has 72,000 residents, and is is the top-selling master-planned community for all ages, according to RCLCO.

Homes under $500,000 accounted for the largest segment of sales during the first half of the year at 33%, according to a statement from Lakewood Ranch. Next were homes from $500,000 to $700,000 at 30%; homes from $700,000 to $1 million at 19%; and homes over $1 million accounted for 18% of total sales in Lakewood Ranch from January through June, the statement says.

“The increase in sales of new homes located within MPCs [master-planned communities] reflects the lifestyle, community amenities, and quality schools, plus buyers’ anticipation that home prices will appreciate and hold up well in all market conditions,” Laura Cole, senior vice president of Lakewood Ranch Communities, says in a statement. “MPCs are seen as an assurance of quality — community has become more important as a factor of total value.”

In fact, RCLCO found that master-planned communities performed better in terms of home sales than new single-family home sales nationally, which were 1.1% lower through the first half of 2024 compared with 2023. Home sales in master-planned communities were about the same as the year before, according to RCLCO.

Wellen Park, which came in at No. 6 among master-planned communities based on sales from the first half of the year, sold 573 homes during that period. The Venice-area community saw sales increase 33% compared with the same time period in 2023.

“This year continues to be another successful year of home sales,” Rick Severance, president of Wellen Park, says in a statement. “We believe this is due in part to Wellen Park’s endless offerings for homebuyers — quick access to multiple health care facilities, numerous education opportunities for all ages, events and a wide range of retail and commercial businesses close to home.”

Currently Wellen Park has approximately 10,000 residents, and at full buildout will have more than 50,000 residents and 22,500 homes.

Also on the list of top-selling master-planned communities was Mirada in Pasco County’s city of San Antonio, which tied for No. 9 with Silverleaf in St. Augustine. Mirada sold 473 homes in the first half of 2024, a 60% increase over the same time period the year before.

Photo by Steffania Pifferi

Babcock Ranch in Punta Gorda was No. 12 on the list of master-planned communities, having sold 446 homes in the first half of 2024. This represented a 9% decrease in home sales compared with the same period in 2023, when it sold 490 homes, according to RCLCO.

Billed as America’s first solar-powered town, Babcock Ranch marked its 4,000th home sale during June, according to a statement. The town is planning for 19,500 residences total.

These are the top 15 master-planned communities in the United States, based on sales from January to June, according to RCLCO:

1. The Villages in The Villages
2. Lakewood Ranch
3. Sunterra in Katy, Texas
4. Cadence in Henderson, Nevada
5. Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada
6. Wellen Park
7. Summers Corner in Charleston, South Carolina
8. Bridgeland in Cypress, Texas
9. Silverleaf in St. Augustine
9. Mirada in San Antonio, Florida
11. Silverado in Aubrey, Texas
12. Babcock Ranch in Punta Gorda
13. Cane Bay Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina
14. Ontario Ranch in Ontario, California
15. Tamarron in Katy, Texas

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