Lakewood Ranch has bumped The Villages from the No. 1 spot as the nation’s top master-planned selling community.
Lakewood Ranch posted 1,535 sales through the first half of 2021, according to a report released by real estate consulting firm RCLCO. That represented more than an 80 percent increase over the previous year.
The Villages sold 1,226 homes in the first half of the year, according to an RCLCO estimate. This time last year, The Villages was ranked No. 1.
Lakewood Ranch also offers a “villages” concept. The 20 villages each have their own style and amenities. The community boasts A-Rated schools, trails and parks, a sports campus, farmer’s market, golf and country clubs, resort-style pools, shopping and dining.
Unlike The Villages, Lakewood Ranch is a multi-generational community. The average age of residents is 47. It also includes senior living facilities.
Prices for new homes range from $200,000 to more than $1 million.
Schroeder-Manatee Ranch is the parent company of Lakewood Ranch, which is located in Manatee and Sarasota counties in Southwest Florida. Since the early 1900s, the Uihlein family, one of the original owners of the Schlitz Brewery, has owned the property. Ranch activities have included cattle ranching and citrus, tree and turf farming, as well as aggregate mining.
