Lakewood Ranch experienced another record-setting sales year in 2021, bolstered by a red hot real estate market, the opening of new villages, its third town center, expanded restaurants, shops and services and plans for new schools and a public library.

The sprawling community is now home to more than 50,000 residents and is growing fast. There were 2,574 new home sales last year, up from 2,149 in 2020—a 19.8 percent increase year-over-year and its best sales year on record. In fact, Lakewood Ranch was recognized as the best-selling, master-planned, multi-generational community in the country for the fourth year in a row by RCLCO, an independent real estate consulting firm. A previous mid-2021 report by the firm revealed similar increases.

The average price of a new home in Lakewood Ranch in 2021 was $609,000, 19 percent more than in 2020. Base pricing for new homes there starts at $263,000 and ranges well into the millions.

As they were in adjacent Manatee and Sarasota counties, sales were brisk throughout the more than 20 villages in Lakewood Ranch, including newly opened Esplanade and Park East at Azario, Lorraine Lakes, Sapphire Point and Solera. New models also opened in LakeHouse Cove, Savanna and The Lake Club. Star Farms and Sweetwater both broke ground last year, with models opening this year.

Waterside Place, the newest village in Lakewood ranch has around seven lakes with 20 miles of shoreline. Builders will be introducing townhomes, cottages, single-family rentals and large custom homes there in the next phase of development.

The master-planned community’s commercial landscape grew as well, with new restaurants, retail stores, and office spaces, and houses more than 1,000 businesses, with many downtown Sarasota mainstays opening second locations to serve the growing community.