After 14 years as the top selling master planned community in the country, The Villages in Ocala, Fla. has lost its crown. The new sales leader is the Orange County, Calif. community of Irvine Ranch.
According to data from RCLCO's recently released Top Selling MPC Report, published in The Orange County Register, Irvine Ranch projects selling 989 homes in the first half of 2016, outpacing The Villages estimated number of 841 sales. While the numbers are still strong, 2015’s numbers were better when the first half of the year saw a total of 1,036 Irvine Ranch homes sold, and that was only good enough for second.
Part of why Irvine ranch may have sold a few less homes to begin the year is because the competition has grown stiffer. Beacon Park (which ranked 12th overall among master planned communities in the first half of 2016) sold 270 homes in the first half of 2016. For all of 2015 it sold just 282 homes. Similarly, Rancho Mission Viejo (15th) sold 242 homes in the first half of 2016 and 302 total in 2015. Nearby Baker Ranch (17th) was no different, with 228 homes sold in the first half of 2016 and 355 for all of 2015.
Combined, these four Orange County communities accounted for 24 percent of all home sales among the top 20 planned communities across the country, 4 percent higher than in 2015.
Driving the strong sales in Orange County is a healthy local job market, desirable amenities, and a beautiful year-round climate.
