Master-Planned Community Sales Improve, RCLCO Reports

(Stock photo courtesy of Gustavo Rezende via Pixabay)

New home sales among the 50 top-selling master-planned communities increased by 3% year-over-year, according to RCLCO Real Estate Consulting, Bethesda, Md.

“Despite the headwinds which impacted the broader new home market through the first half of 2026, master-planned communities remained a haven for consumers amid elevated interest rates and economic uncertainty,” RCLCO Principal Karl Pischke said.

RCLCO’s Mid-Year Master-Planned Communities Report said The Villages is once again likely to remain the top-selling MPC in the country as it continues to attract retiree buyers to central Florida. Sarasota, Florida’s Lakewood Ranch claimed the number two spot overall with 1,064 sales to remain the top-selling multigenerational community in the country through the first half of the year.

In addition to Sarasota, southwest Florida continues to impact the rankings, with Venice, Florida’s Wellen Park earning third place with 727 sales through the mid-year and Punta Gorda, Florida’s Babcock Ranch coming in fourth place with 659 sales. Both communities saw significant outperformance compared to last year, with homes sales increasing by 37% and 28%, respectively.

Metro Houston is once again the top-performing metropolitan area with nine communities in the top 50, representing 3,049 sales, or 16% of all sales among ranked MPCs.

Looking at it from the state level, Florida represented 44% of sales among ranked communities, followed by Texas at 31%.

Gregg Logan, managing director at RCLCO, noted 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,” he said.