The Villages master-planned community (MPC) in central Florida sold
3,419 homes in 2013, a 20 percent increase over 2012, making it the
number one volume seller of MPCs nationwide. The developer is
Villages of Lake Sumter, LLC.
Photo: The Villages

As we await the 2014 numbers for the sales of homes in master-planned communities, let's recap the numbers
for 2013.

In 2013, the top 50 master-planned communities (MPCs) in the country accounted for 5.4 percent of new home sales. There were 23,463 new home sales in the top 50 master-planned communities in the country in 2013, a 12 percent increase over 2012.

Where are the top 50 MPCs?:

• 17 in Texas, 13 of which are in the Houston area. Note: The Texas population grew by 36 percent between 1997 and 2012, and lost 1.1. million acres of open space during the same time. Texas is losing its open spaces faster than any other state, according to Texas A&M's Institute of Renewable Natural Resources. While developers are happy, the researchers warn these lost open lands are vital to the state's water supply.

• 9 in Florida

• 7 Calif.

• 4 Phoenix

• 4 D.C.

• 3 Vegas

What developers are selling the most homes?

Newland Communities, a San Diego developer, had five MPCs (two in Houston, one in Austin, one in Tampa, one in Phoenix) in the top 50 in 2013, the most of any developer.

Houston-based Johnson Development had four MPCs in the top 50; Sunrise, Fla.-based GL Homes, and Shea Homes in Walnut, Calif., both had three.

The source of these figures, John Burns Real Estate Consulting, connected with more than 100 representatives of MPCs nationwide. The firm notes:

Waning lot supplies and development delays contributed to lower sales in 26 percent of the communities; 2013 sales were lower than 2012 volume in 13 of the top 50 MPCs.

Delayed lot deliveries slowed builders' sales. The spike in demand for finished lots in late 2012 and early 2013 left developers scrambling to deliver. The result was many California, Southwest, Florida, and Texas builders restricted sales and bumped prices regularly in the first half of 2013. Some local developers lacked development financing; without enough lots to build on, builders' sales declined. Brambleton in Washington, D.C., and The Woodlands in Houston both reported lower 2013 home sales, yet demand remained strong.

Among the top-selling 20 MPCs in 2013 was Houston's Canyon Lakes West (ranked 18 in number of sales), which reported a 99 percent year-to-year increase in sales from 2012 to 2013. Johnson Development's Cross Creek Ranch, also in Houston (13th in sales volume) had a 69 percent net sales increase over 2012.

For more numbers, visit tinyurl.com/n5mewpy