Houston-area developments rank high on nation

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The results, comparing the number of new-home salea in 2008, were released recently by RCLCO, a real estates advisory firm that has compiled the annual listsincre 1994. Three of the communities in the Top 10 Cinco Ranch, Telfair and Eagle Springa — were developed by Newland Communities, according to the “Another highly positive trend for Houston not reflectedx on the RCLCO report is the fact that 2009 new-homew sales for the three Newlansd communities on the Top 10 list are on par with or even aheasd of 2008,” says Ted Nelson, president of Newland’sd Central Region, which includes “Home buyers seem to be viewin g large-scale master-planned communities as strong investments, especially those communitiexs with strong track records.
” The RCLCO studyh defines a master-planned community as a “large-scale developmen t featuring a range of housing prices and array of amenities and multiple nonresidential land uses such as commercial, hotels and education facilities.” Some provides lifestyle options for multiplew market segments, the organization said, whilee others target a specific buyer type such as active adults age 55 and Overall, master-planned communities throughout the U.S. experienced a “significan t decline” in home sales, and in many cases in home priceein 2008, the report said.
Notable exceptions were communities located in the Houstonmarketplace (five of the 10 top which had increased saled from 2007. Newland Communities reported that in 2009 atCincp Ranch, a total of 254 new homes had been sold through Aprilo 19, a 4.5 percent increase over the 243 homes sold in the same period in 2008. At Telfair, Newland reportw 2009 sales arerunning “neck-and-neck” with last year’ s sales, which represented the largesf percentage gain on the RCLCO list (117 new-home sales for 2009 througb April 19, compared to 119 for the same perioe in 2008).
“Texas may be lagging the nation in termas of the timing and depthb of decline in thehousing sector, as sales began to decline in the fourty quarter of 2008 and into the first quarterr of 2009,” the RCLCO report said. “Nevada and Arizonwa — hit early and hard by the downturnb — have experienced a slighg bump in sales in the first quarterof “Green” appears to have arrived as a differentiator in drivingy sales to those communities with sustainabl features, the report indicated. Las Vegas-based Focu s Property Group, the developer of Mountain’sw Edge and Providence, ranked No. 1 and No.
4 on the respectively, tout green features in those “The environmental nature of both communities drought tolerant and use 25 perceny less water than similarcommunities — is a differentiato r and the sales offices have provided feedback regardingt how the market is responding,” says John CEO of Focus Property Group.