A New List of Top Retirement Communities

I posted last year about a top retirement communities list by John Burns Real Estate, a respected real estate consulting firm.  The post was so popular that I decided I should followup to see if they put out a new most recent list for 2013 (this being 2014 there is no list for this year as yet)--and they did! 

If you read that post you know it was a list of 50 of the top performing master communities in the U.S. 

Out of the 50, I chose only the over 55 (age-restricted) communities to highlight.  I wanted to see how many of our communities (ones listed on our website) were on the list.

I was eager to see the differences from the previous year's list.  There were very few.  So check the post from last year to see the complete list.

The highlights I noted on the recent list (2013) from the previous list (2012) are as follows: 

1) The Villages community in Florida was still #1 and selling is hot!

2) New 55 communities added to the list was small:  only one!  2013 was a great year for over 55 communities--highest sales in years--but still there were not a lot of new ones on this list, but the ones on last year's list were still there and selling very well. 

The only new community listed for over 55 this year's list: 

Rancho Mission Viejo

Rancho Mission Viejo in Southern California was added to this year's list, and most notably Del Webb's community which is already SOLD OUT.    Talk about hot!

One other community good for retirement that was new on the list, but not an over 55 community, was:

 Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, Florida. 

 This community is appealing to seniors.

3) A notable mention is that Del Webb's Nocatee in Ponte Vedra, Florida is hot!  Selling fast.  This is located near Jacksonville--a very popular area now--employment centers and development!

4) The following communities on our previous years list all made large gains in sales on this year's list:

1. The Villages  in Florida
2. Nocatee  in Ponte Vedra
3. Summerlin in Sarasota, Fl
4. Valencia Reserve in Boynton Beach, Fl
5. Cane Bay  in Charleston, SC
6. The Meadows in Castlerock, Colorado
7. Terra Vista  in Austin, Texas
8. Verrado (stayed the same) in Buckeye, Arizona

5)  All communities I listed on the previous years list (2012) were still on the new list for 2013, but not all made the large gains the above listed communities did (please note that gains in sales may diminish if the community is near sell-out).


Reference:

My Previous Years Post and List

John Burns List

A List of Top Retirement Communities

Photo permission of Del Webb Ponte Vedra

Here is an interesting list of top master communities ranked as the best selling in the United States. This list is from John Burns Real Estate Consulting, a prestigious firm that builders and anyone involved in real estate can reach out to for advice and consultation.

But we have an interest in this list because we wanted to see how many over 55 or senior communities were represented on their list of 50 of the "Top Selling Master Planned Communities for 2012." It turns out, quite a few. We thought you would be curious to see if your favorites made the grade.

This list is just for master planned communities. A master community is one that has many villages within one master development. If your favorite community is not on this list, it may be because it is not within a master community and stands alone. Only the top selling communities are on this list.

The communities selected are those that have been selling better than others. That is good because it probably means there is something about it that is attracting people to it.

Here are those on the list of 50 that are for over 55 or are especially good for seniors:

FLORIDA

The Villages in Central Florida by Village of Lake Sumter, Developer.

Lakewood Ranch Esplanade - not over 55 but an active lifestyle with low maintenance by Taylor Morrison in Sarasota, Florida

Nocatee in Ponte Vedra, Florida, near Jacksonville. There is a Del Webb community.

Valencia Reserve Palm Beach, Florida by GL Homes.

FishHawk Ranch Lithia, Fl. by Newland Communities - not over 55 but good for retired military.

TEXAS

The Woodlands in Houston, TX by The Irvine Company - has an independent and assisted living community.

Teravista - Round Rock (Austin) - Village Builders has a NextGen home. These homes have a home within a home, conceived by Lennar Homes. This is a floorplan where seniors and their adult children can live in the same residence but with separate entrances.

COLORADO

Highlands Ranch in Denver, Colorado by Shea Homes. Many senior activities.

The Meadows at Castle Rock, Colorado. Bonaventure of Castle Rock is an Independent and assisted living community. There is also a memory care option.

Highlands Ranch Denver, Colorado - Many activities for seniors.

NEVADA

Summerlin - Sun City in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada.

UTAH

Daybreak Salt Lake City - Garden Park over 55 community at Daybreak.

ARIZONA

Vistancia in Phoenix, AZ

Verrado in Buckeye, AZ

SOUTH CAROLINA

Cane Bay Plantation - Del Webb - gated neighborhood in Charleston, SC.

One might further assume that these areas where they are located may be in some of the most popular places to retire.

Reference: 
You can see the entire list of 50 here.

New:  See my new post, "A New List of Top Retirement Communities,"  from the most recent list of 50 top master communities by John Burns Real Estate consultants.