Home Sales in Master-Planned Communities Dip

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Home sales in master-planned community sales finished the year 3% below the pace they set in 2024, according to RCLCO Real Estate Consulting, Bethesda, Md.

In its newest survey of top-selling master-planned communities, RCLCO noted that MPCs were not immune to broader housing market declines, “but many were more resilient in the face of economic uncertainty and continued affordability challenges.”

Despite some near-term headwinds, master-planned communities remain a “haven” for consumers amid elevated interest rates and economic uncertainty, RCLCO Principal Karl Pischke noted. “The pace of top-selling MPC sales improved over the first half of the year, a positive sign given the economic and political headwinds experienced in 2025,” he said.

Key takeaways from the report include:

The Villages in central Florida once again ranked first overall with 3,611 sales.

Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, Fla. ranked second nationally with 2,085 sales. It remains the fastest-selling community in the country with most of its homes available for multigenerational audiences.

Cadence in Henderson, Nev. earned the third-place rank with 1,247 sales, followed closely by Babcock Ranch in Punta Gorda, Fla. with 1,066 sales, a 34% increase over 2024.

The Houston metro was once again the top-performing metropolitan area with 10 communities in the Top 50, representing over 6,335 sales, or nearly 20% of all sales among ranked MPCs.

The state of Florida represented 42% of sales among ranked communities, followed by Texas at 33%.

“New home sales in master-planned communities represent only a fraction of total sales in the country, but the trends and patterns we see there tell us a lot about the state of the housing market overall,” added Gregg Logan, Managing Director at RCLCO.