Lakewood Ranch appears to have put a deed on the nation’s No. 2 spot for new home contracts. The sprawling master-planned community held that ranking through the first half of 2026, while Wellen Park moved up the ranks fast enough to become its new neighbor at No. 3.

Lakewood Ranch recorded 1,064 new-home contracts during the first six months of the year, according to the latest report from RCLCO, a national real estate consulting and research firm, behind only The Villages, the Central Florida retirement community that logged an estimated 1,800 new home contracts.

Lakewood Ranch also retained its title as the country’s top-selling multigenerational master-planned community, a position it has now held for eight consecutive years.

Wellen Park recorded 727 new home contracts, a 37 percent increase from the same period last year. It rose from No. 6 at midyear 2025 to No. 3 this year. In RCLCO’s separate full-year ranking for 2025, released in January, Wellen Park finished at No. 8.

Together, Lakewood Ranch and Wellen Park generated 1,791 new-home contracts through June. That’s 9.7 percent of the 18,513 contracts recorded among the 50 communities in the latest RLCO ranking.

Babcock Ranch in Punta Gorda followed Wellen Park at No. 4, with 659 contracts, up 28 percent year over year. Cadence in Henderson, Nevada, rounded out the top five with 657 contracts.

The rankings stand out because the country’s broader new-home market has been moving in the opposite direction. National new-home sales fell 5.6 percent year over year in June as high prices and borrowing costs continued to squeeze prospective buyers. The average 30-year mortgage rate reached 6.66 percent in late July, its highest level in a year, while median prices for both new and existing homes remained above $400,000 nationally.

Affordability remains a major obstacle locally. A recent Realtor.com analysis found that only 16.2 percent of listings in the Sarasota market were affordable to middle-income buyers in March—an improvement from 11.8 percent a year earlier, but still a shortage of 3,621 affordably priced listings. Local real estate professionals say the imbalance often pushes first-time buyers who work in Sarasota County to look outside the county. And while Lakewood Ranch held on to its No. 2 ranking, its sales declined 10.2 percent, from 1,185 in the first half of 2025 to 1,064 this year. 

Both Lakewood Ranch and Wellen Park operate on a scale rarely seen in the local housing market. The two communities logged a combined 3,077 new-home contracts in 2025; for perspective, Sarasota and Manatee counties recorded 21,009 total residential sales in 2024, the latest full-year countywide figures available. The reporting periods and types of transactions differ, but the comparison helps illustrate how large a role the two communities play in the region’s housing market.

What keeps buyers coming? RCLCO says the strongest master-planned communities sell more than houses. Trails, parks, pools, schools, shops, town centers and community programming give buyers a ready-made lifestyle—and, during an uncertain market, the sense that they’re purchasing in a place with lasting value.

The communities can appeal across generations, from young families and move-up buyers to empty nesters and retirees, particularly when they offer several home types and price points. In a 2019 RCLCO survey of 2,750 prospective new-home buyers, 55 percent said they would prefer a master-planned community if they could find a home that fit their needs and budget. Fitness centers, walking trails and resort-style pools were the amenities buyers wanted most.

Neither community appears close to finishing growing.

In southeastern Lakewood Ranch, PulteGroup recently closed on 464 acres for EverCreek, a planned village with 1,000 homes: 850 single-family houses and 150 townhomes. Taylor Morrison is also planning Esplanade at Cammaray, a 1,200-home resort-style community where sales are expected to begin in early 2027.

Those projects are part of a larger southeastern expansion that could eventually bring as many as seven new villages to Lakewood Ranch. The community currently covers about 53 square miles, includes more than 40 villages and has more than 150 miles of trails.

Wellen Park is also expanding on several fronts at once. Five residential enclaves were announced for 2026, ranging from townhomes in Ashcombe and Madera to luxury and custom homes in Esplanade, Westlake and Edgewater.

A 44,000-square-foot second phase of Downtown Wellen is also adding restaurants, shops, wellness businesses and professional offices. Farther ahead, a planned 148-room Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel is expected to open in 2027, while Benderson Development has announced a 500,000-square-foot mixed-use destination near Tamiami Trail and West Villages Parkway.

Wellen Park is currently home to approximately 10,000 residents and is projected to surpass 50,000 at full buildout. Lakewood Ranch now reports a population of more than 80,000.