Houston-area master-planned communities dominate national list

Nine Houston-area communities earned spots on a ranking of the nation’s top 20 selling master-planned communities based on sales in the first half of 2014, according to a report by real estate market research firm RCLCO.

Riverstone in Fort Bend County came in the highest among local communities on the list, moving up two spots in the ranking to No. 4 with 384 sales in the first half of the year.

Both The Woodlands and Cinco Ranch saw the sales pace decline as homes at lower price points are phased out, while sales and market share for higher price points have increased, RCLCO noted in the report. Cinco Ranch slipped to No. 9 from No. 3, while The Woodlands fell three spots to No. 11.

The sales pace held relatively steady in Cross Creek Ranch in the first half of the year when compared to 2013, while Firethorne and Aliana registered gains as nearby Cinco Ranch approaches build-out. Firethorne in Fulshear west of Cinco Ranch also saw a 15 percent gain.

The construction of the Grand Parkway between Interstate 10 and U.S. 290 is spurring sales in communities along the new thoroughfare, the report noted. Sales in Canyon Lakes West in northwest Houston shot up 26 percent, while Towne Lake, a newcomer to the list, reported a 68 percent gain. The road is opening up access to job centers such as the Energy Corridor in west Houston.

The pace of sales fell in several metro areas, as the supply of lots that are ready to build upon continued to dwindle, RCLCO reported. The sales pace in the top community, The Villages in Ocala, Fla., fell by 15 percent. Sales in Las Vegas communities of Providence, Summerlin and Mountain’s Edge also declined.

Here is RLCO’s list of the top 20 communities by sales in the first half of 2014. The percent change is based on the pace so far in 2014 compared with the total number of sales in 2013 divided by two.

1 (1 rank in 2013): The Villages, Ocala, Fla. Ocala, 1,455 sales in first half of 2014, 3,419 sales in 2013, -15% compared with 2013
2 (2): Irvine Ranch, Orange County, Calif., 664,  1,444, -8%
3 (5): Nocatee Ponte Vedra, Fla., 505, 838, 21%
4 (6): Riverstone, Houston area, 384, 791, -3%
5 (4): Mountain’s Edge, Las Vegas, 341, 841, -19%
6 (10): Stapleton, Denver, 335, 570, 18%
7 (9): Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, Fla., 289, 618, -6%
8 (7): Providence, Las Vegas, 282, 726, -22%
9 (3): Cinco Ranch, Houston area, 280, 854, -34%
9 (19): Valencia, Los Angeles area, 280, 372, -51%
11 (8): The Woodlands, Houston area, 275, 649, -15%
12 (14): Aliana, Houston area, 266, 468, 14%
13 (11): Summerlin, Las Vegas, 248, 566, -12%
14 (12): Cross Creek Ranch, Houston area, 242, 509, -5%
15 (17): Canyon Lakes West, Houston area, 239, 378, 26%
15 (13): Lake Nona, Orlando, 239, 475, 1%
17 (16): Sienna Plantation, Houston, 228, 445, 2%
18 (NR): Towne Lake, Houston area, 228, 263, 68%
19 (NR): Canyon Bay Plantation, 217, 341, 27%
20 (20): Firethorne, Houston area, 207, 361, 15%

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