Sugar Land’s Telfair has been named one of the nation’s top-selling master-planned communities for new home sales in 2009 according to a survey by RCLCO, an independent real estate advisory firm.
Telfair, developed by Newland Communities, was ranked fourth in the national survey. That ranking was up from sixth the prior year, with 450 new-home sales, a 9 percent sales increase over 2008 levels.
Overall, Newland had five communities in the top-selling 15 for 2009.
Katy’s Cinco Ranch took first place honors with 887 net new home sales in 2009 to top the RCLCO study, moving up from second place in 2008. That represented a 14 percent increase in sales for 2009.
The three other Newland Communities included Eagle Springs in Houston at 13th place, Terravista in Austin took the 14th place slot and FishHawk Ranch in Florida was 15th.
Bob McLeod, chairman and CEO for Newland, called the results “outstanding.”
“This marks the first time ever in more than 40 years we’ve had the top-selling community in the nation, and to do it during a year as tough as 2009 makes it an even bigger achievement,” McLeod said.
RCLCO’s study showed the total number of net sales in 2009 for the majority of the best-selling master-planned communities dropped from 2008 levels, with sales volume declining by as little as 8 percent and as much as 84 percent.
Telfair and Cinco Ranch were strong exceptions to the trend, posting increased sales for the third year in a row.
Also, 2009 proved to be the best sales year ever for Telfair since opening in 2006 and the third best sales year for the 19-year-old Cinco Ranch.
Houston’s strong showing in the RCLCO study underscores the fact that the area remains a bright spot in an overall weakened national economy.
Ted Nelson, central region president for Newland said Houston shows all signs of remaining a strong housing and relocation market.
“In the past few months, Houston has ranked very high in studies ranging from the nation’s healthiest housing markets to cities where the recession is easing,” he said. “Overall, the Houston communities on the top 10 list represented 2,250 new-home sales, more than double those of the second ranked metro, Las Vegas.”
RCLCO has been releasing its top-selling master-planned community rankings since 1994.
Well at least you all don’t have a budget motel going in on hwy 6 near Lake Olympia and Colony Lakes like the mayor of Missouri City pushed through for one of his developer backers. We know what they end up looking like in a few years!
bladerunner, I think apts are pretty expensive to develop in SL, I wouldn’t worry too much about them overcrowding the schools.
viewpoint, the article did not apprear, what is wrong with Telfair’s MUD?
Why would it matter how expensive they are or not? Families with children move in large numbers to attend the area schools. Apartment complex owners pay the property taxes on the entire property of high density thus less per child attending (about half the amount of SF students). Apartments produce greater number of children for less taxes per head. The cost doesn’t matter and it does increase the enrollments in the areas they are zoned to along with additional traffic and demand for city services. Because they pay less and demand more services they create a drain on city services, schools and the roads. They do not produce the net gain that single-family houses do or commercial retail and their is no impact fee on them either to equalize this disparity and they age very badly and depreciate much sooner. I know many Telfair residents who do not want them.
This is another MUD waste waters thats polluting our federal waterand future surface waters in Texas rivers . ‘Do Mess With Texas’ http://www.chron.com/dis/story.mpl/editoional/outlook on todays copy 03/24/10
Is that the community that is building up right under the SL airport and has big plans for massive apartment complexes just off university and h59 at the entrance? That will help the school system with its budget and crowding classrooms. Congrats boys!
I hear that T-Mobile has bad connections in that area.