Lakewood Ranch, West Villages among top US home sellers

Two master-planned communities in Southwest Florida rank among the fastest sellers in the nation.

Lakewood Ranch finished second and West Villages came in third in the midyear home sales scorecard from real estate consultant RCLCO.

Lakewood Ranch, which sprawls across the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties, held its position from year-end 2018 despite no increase in sales. The 31,000-acre community, developed by Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, reported 824 sales as of June 30, two fewer than at the same point last year.

West Villages in south Sarasota County moved up three spots from six months ago. It reported 679 sales at midyear, up by 31, or 5%, over the year. That 9,650-acre community is a partnership between Mattamy Homes and Vanguard Land.

"With room left to grow, these two Sarasota area communities may ultimately be in competition for the No. 1 spot in the near future," RCLCO said in the report.

Driven by demand from baby boomers, four Florida master-planned communities ranked in the top 10 and a total of 11 among the top 50. MPCs in the state accounted for 28% of top 50 sales, the report said.

Developments in Florida held the top three spots. The Villages in central Florida ranked first with 1,000 sales, down 10% for the year, although RCLCO said those figures were estimates.

"Together, these three communities represent almost 42% of the sales from the top 10 communities on the list," RCLCO said.

Nocatee in Ponte Vedra was fifth with 535, a 6% gain.

Other master-planned communities in Florida that made the top 50 list were No. 25 Viera in Melbourne, No. 31 Bartram Park in Jacksonville, No. 32 Bexley in Land O' Lakes, No. 37 Lake Nona in Orlando, No. 40 Starkey Ranch in Land O' Lakes, No. 43 Kindred in Kissimmee and No. 46. Tradition in St. Lucie.

"Florida once again represents a majority of the nation’s 50 top-selling MPCs, and this trend is expected to continue as communities like Lakewood Ranch, West Villages, Nocatee, and Viera continue to experience success," the report said.

Top 10 master-planned communities

Community; Location; Developer; Midyear 2019 sales; Change;

The Villages*; The Villages, FL; The Villages; 1,000; -10%;

Lakewood Ranch; Manatee-Sarasota; 824; 0%;

West Villages; Venice; West Villages; 679; 5%;

Summerlin; Las Vegas, NV; Howard Hughes Corp.; 675; -13%;

Nocatee; Ponte Vedra, FL; PARC Group; 535; 6%;

Irvine Ranch*; Orange County, CA; The Irvine Co.; 500; -24%;

Ontario Ranch; Ontario, CA; Multiple developers; 474; na;

Eastmark; Mesa, AZ; DMB Associates; 469; -13%;

Sonterra; Jarrell, TX; Sonwest; 455; na;

Daybreak; South Jordan, UT; Daybreak Communities; 362; 6%;

*-Estimated.

Source: RCLCO.