Lakewood Ranch among top three U.S. master-planned communities
By Devonta Davis
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 9, 2023

The latest Real Estate Consulting report reveals the top-selling master-planned communities in the nation, including two Tampa Bay communities.

Lakewood Ranch in Manatee County claimed the No. 2 spot in the rankings and is the top-selling multigenerational community in the country, with 1,026 sales.

In 2022, the community saw a 28% decline in sales, dropping from 2,574 in 2021 to 1,846 last year.

Lakewood Ranch announced plans for more than 500 apartments built in a series of four-story buildings, with 86 attached garages, 80 detached garages and 42 storage units on the property last year.

The community will undergo a $120 million expansion for its medical center, adding a five-story, 60-bed patient tower to the Lakewood Ranch campus at 8330 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.

RCLCO’s ranking is based on total new home sales as reported by each community and establishes updated rankings from the mid-year report.

Epperson in Wesley Chapel also made the list at No. 12 in the country after increasing sales by 4% from 690 to 719.

According to the report, new home sales among the top 50 communities declined by 20% in 2022 compared to the pace set by 2021’s top communities. ​​Sales in the second half of 2022 were 13% lower than the first half of the year, highlighting the struggles faced by buyers as mortgage rates peaked above 7% in October.

The state of Florida represented about 46% of sales among ranked communities, followed by Texas at nearly 30%.

The Villages in Central Florida was the top-selling community in the nation, with an estimated 1,500 sales year to date.