Poinciana the Nation’s 2nd Best Selling Master-Planned Community in 2004

March 24, 2005

Fueled by an 11.9 percent increase in communitywide sales, Poinciana moved up one spot to finish 2004 as the second best-selling master-planned community (MPC) in the United States.

The massive 47,000-acre MPC in northwest Osceola and northeast Polk counties generated a robust 2,779 new home sales last year, according to an annual survey of America’s top-selling MPCs produced by Robert Charles Lesser & Co. (RCLCo), a leading independent real estate advisory firm headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Developer Avatar Properties Inc., the primary builder in Poinciana, accounted for 58 percent (1,610) of Poinciana’s 2004 new home sales which included 850 primary home sales and 760 transactions in its award-winning active-adult community of SoliVita, located in the Polk County portion of what is considered one of America’s largest unincorporated MPCs. Despite 44 sales days lost to three hurricanes, Poinciana’s 11.9 percent increase in annual sales was the third largest upward move among the nation’s top 10 MPCs, and 8.4 percent better than The Villages in Lady Lake , Florida which finished first in the survey. Avatar’s 18 percent increase in 2004 new home sales played a major role in Poinciana’s move into the second spot, and put Poinciana nearly 1,000 sales ahead of the third place finisher, Anthem Phoenix by Del Webb/Pulte in Phoenix, Arizona. According to the RCLCo survey, most of the top 25 MPCs ’are located in areas that are continuing to experience rapid growth with steady, if not strong, employment growth, abundant housing options appealing to a wide range of consumers, and large tracts of available land in desirable climates.’

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More On Poinciana

Boasting a current population of over 50,000, the 74-square-mile MPC is located approximately 25 miles south of Orlando . Children account for nearly 40 percent of all residents in this family-oriented community that offers a wide selection of primary homes from the $180s to $250s. Homes in Poinciana’s active-adult community of SoliVita are priced from the mid-$100s to $400s.

Poinciana residents have access to 10 neighborhood schools (K-12), the Poinciana Athletic Center, and a number of multi-purpose sports and recreation parks including the 35-acre Deerwood Park complex.

Retail stores, including a new Wal-Mart SuperCenter, and a wide range of businesses, banks, restaurants and medical facilities are located in Poinciana Towne Center, Poinciana’s retail and commercial hub. The community also includes Poinciana Office & Industrial Park which accommodates a host of nationally and internationally recognized tenants including the new 1.3 million square foot Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse distribution center.

More on Robert Charles Lesser & Company

RCLCo has more than 38 years experience in the real estate industry, maintaining a focus on the leading edge of real estate trends and issues. With offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles and the Washington, D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, the firm completes several hundred engagements each year in regional, national and global real estate companies, corporations, financial institutions, institutional investors, private investors, municipalities and non-profit organizations. The firm first released its top MPC rankings in 1994 when it undertook the effort in partnership with the Urban Land Institute to gain a greater insight into the master-planned community industry.

To learn more about Poinciana, contact Tony Iorio, Avatar vice president of land development, at (407) 933-5000 or 1-800-755-0545.