Lakewood Ranch Is a Top Master-Planned Community–Again
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Both Lakewood Ranch and Wellen Park achieved these rankings despite a year marked by economic uncertainty, hurricanes and ongoing challenges with elevated mortgage and insurance rates. Overall, Florida was still among the top five destinations for domestic migration, with a net increase of 64,017 residents between July 2023 and July 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, although those numbers were lower than in the years immediately following the pandemic.
With amenities including top-rated schools, the a new Sarasota Memorial Hospital emergency room, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and the Premier Sports Campus, Lakewood Ranch caters to many groups. And it just keeps growing, with sales across all its housing segments in 2024. Multi-generational villages accounted for 49 percent of total sales last year, driven by families and multi-generational households seeking larger homes. Meanwhile, entry-level homes represented 23 percent of sales, reflecting demand for affordability.
The average home price in Lakewood Ranch increased by 7.4 percent in 2024, to $734,000. Homes prices ranged from less than $299,000 to more than $3.5 million. For comparison, the average sale price for a single-family home in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metro was $644,167, according to the latest data from the Realtor Association of Sarasota-Manatee.
Florida continues to dominate the master-planned community market, accounting for 38 percent of total sales among the nation’s top 50 communities. Texas followed with 35 percent. However, overall, new home sales among the top 50 master-planned communities dipped 2 percent compared to 2023.
Check out RLCO's top-selling master-planned communities of 2024 here.
