Summerlin, a master planned community (MPC) in Las Vegas, which has been the top-selling MPC in the United States for the past six years, finally yielded its No. 1 spot to a competitor: “The Villages” in Orlando, Fla., which was No. 2 in 2003. The biggest finding, according to Bethesda, Md.-based Robert Charles Lesser & Co., which bases its rankings on total new homes sold in 2003, is the sheer number of MPCs where 700 new homes a year were sold in 2003: 25. Sales at the top 10 MPCs were up by an average of nearly 20 percent over 2003. Del Webb Corp., a division of Pulte Homes, has the largest number of communities on the list.
TOP-SELLING MPCs
| COMMUNITY, LOCATION (DEVELOPER) |
| 2003 UNIT SALES |
| % CHG. OVER ‘02 |
| 1. The Villages, Orlando/Ocala, Fla. (The Villages) |
| 3,823 |
| 69.2% |
| 2. Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nev. (The Howard Hughes Corp.) |
| 2,873 |
| 9.1% |
| 3. Poinciana (including Solivita), Orlando, Fla. (Avatar Properties Inc.) |
| 2,484 |
| 46.4% |
| 4. Anthem Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev. (Del Webb) |
| 2,038 |
| 21.5% |
| 5. Irvine Ranch, Orange County, Calif. (Irvine Community Development) |
| 1,937 |
| -6.9% |
| 6. St. Lucie West, Port St. Lucie, Fla. (St. Lucie West Development) |
| 1,569 |
| 36.2% |
| 7. The Woodlands, Houston (The Woodlands Operating Co.) |
| 1,452 |
| 5.4% |
| 8. Anthem Phoenix, Phoenix (Del Webb) |
| 1,293 |
| 13.8% |
| 9. Ladera Ranch, Orange County, Calif. (DMB Ladera) |
| 1,212 |
| -14.3% |
| 10. Sun City Grand, Phoenix, Ariz. (Del Webb) |
| 1,204 |
| 9.5% |
| SOURCE: ROBERT CHARLES LESSER & CO. |
