Cinco Ranch was the nation’s number one master-planned community (MPC) for new-home sales in 2009, according to a report by RCLCO, an independent real estate advisory firm.

With 887 new-home sales in 2009, Cinco Ranch was one of only two Houston MPCs on RCLCO’s top 10 list to report a sales increase from the previous year.

Sales increased 14% last year in the 7,600-acre community, located at Grand Parkway and Cinco Ranch Blvd. in Katy. The increase helped Cinco Ranch grab the top spot in the study, after ranking number two in 2008 behind a Las Vegas development.

The only other Houston area community with a sales increase for 2009 was Telfair in Sugar Land, also by Newland Communities. With 450 new-home sales in 2009, Telfair ranked fourth nationally in the RCLCO study.

“These results are outstanding for us,” said Bob McLeod, Chairman and CEO of Newland Communities. “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.”

RCLCO’s study showed that total number of net sales in 2009 for the majority of the best-selling MPCs dropped from 2008 levels with sales volume declining by as little as 8% and as much as 84%. Newland’s Cinco Ranch and Telfair were a strong exception to this 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.

“Newland’s sales success at Cinco Ranch and Telfair can be attributed to the product diversity our homebuilders offer, the proven established track records of these communities, and a highly focused marketing approach that speaks to our customer needs,” McLeod continued.

“Buyers needs have changed and they will continue to change. The communities Newland creates will continue to adapt to meet those needs. Value doesn’t just mean a lower price, or a smaller home. It means what fits their family and lifestyle needs. The way we market our communities, taking time to really understand our buyers and engaging with them on a more personal level, has changed as well,” he indicated.

Houston’s strong showing in the RCLCO study underscores the fact that the city is a bright spot in the national economy.

Ted Nelson, Central Region President for Newland Communities said, “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. 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 MPC rankings since 1994.

Cinco Ranch offers new homes priced from the $170,000s to over $1 million.

For information about all Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404 or via email. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 20 years. Experience does count!

Fifteen-and-a-third acres, located at the intersection of Katy Terrace Drive and Hwy 1093, have been purchased to build apartments in the master-planned community of Cinco Ranch.

According to The Houston Business Journal, Judwin Realty Group LLC has acquired the land. “Judwin’s Jerry Wionograd says the firm is finishing plans for the 316-unit complex.”

Judwin hopes to break ground in the second or third quarter of 2010.

The Houston Business Journal reports, “Houston-based Judwin, which was founded in 1963, owns more than 13,000 apartment units in Texas and Georgia.

For information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404 or via email. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 20 years. Experience does count!

New-home sales in west Houston’s Cinco Ranch community are up 8% for the first nine months of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.

A total of 697 new homes were sold in Cinco Ranch during the first three quarters of 2009. That compares to 643 new homes sold during the same time last year in the 7,600-acre master-planned community.

Relocation sales have remained strong in Cinco Ranch, accounting for one in three new-home sales in the community so far this year, according to Heather Gould, marketing director for Newland Communities.

“Now in its 19th year of development, Cinco Ranch has built up strong brand equity and awareness among home buyers and Realtors, which has fueled both relocation sales and local move-up sales,” Gould said.  “In the present economy, home buyers also seem to be finding a greater level of comfort in investing in a large-scale master-planned community like Cinco Ranch.”

Gould said Cinco Ranch has benefited as the largest and most established new-home community near the Energy Corridor, where employment has continued to be relatively stable. Cinco Ranch was also buoyed this summer when the Texas Education Agency gave its top accreditation rating – exemplary – to 12 of the 13 Katy Independent School District campuses serving the community.

Cinco Ranch has also expanded its new-home product offerings in 2009. In late 2008, a model home park opened to showcase the community’s most affordable new homes, priced from the $160,000s.  This fall, Cinco Ranch opened Park Place, a neo-traditional neighborhood with nostalgic architecture and prices from the $280,000s and new builders including J. Kyle Homes. The community also benefited from a custom home showcase that attracted thousands of visitors this spring.

“Offering a variety of new-home styles and price ranges, along with an expanding array of recreational amenities, has also been key to the success of Cinco Ranch,” Gould said.

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A new Houston homebuilding company is looking to the city’s past for inspiration, starting out with a new series of designs influenced by homes in historic Houston neighborhoods such as West University and the Heights.

Now building in Park Place at Cinco Ranch, a neo-traditional styled neighborhood in the 7,600-acre west Houston community, J. Kyle Homes has been started by Jason Hammonds, who is serving as president of the new homebuilding company.

J. Kyle Homes has started construction of its Cinco Ranch model home, with plans to open the model in November. J. Kyle is now pre-selling in Park Place at Cinco Ranch, where Highland Homes already has a vintage-inspired model open.

J. Kyle Homes are priced from the $280,000s to $400,000s in Park Place at Cinco Ranch.  Ten one- and two-story plans are offered, ranging from 2,500 to 3,800 square feet.

Called the University Series, the J. Kyle floor plans have nostalgic features such as sprawling front porches, high-pitched gabled rooflines, and shingled siding combined with brick and stone. Most plans also have detached garages, another nod to retro style.

Designed by Austin’s Kipp Flores Architects, the plans are decidedly modern inside, with open, flowing spaces accented by crown molding, columns and arches.

Planned for 120 homes, Park Place at Cinco Ranch offers an appropriately old-fashioned setting for the vintage designs by J. Kyle and Highland. The main street is a wide, esplanade-lined boulevard inspired by Houston’s historic Heights Boulevard. The Cinco Ranch version has a winding walking trail, a white gazebo, benches and flowering trees.

Homesites located along the boulevard are bordered by brick and stone retaining walls. The homesites are raised, with steps leading up the sidewalk, and some of the retaining walls have built-in benches facing the street.

“At Park Place, we wanted to offer home buyers the type of neighborhood and home they grew up in, or always dreamed about living in,” said Heather Gould, marketing director for Newland Communities, the developer of Cinco Ranch.

Gould said variety is one reason why Cinco Ranch ranked as the number one community in Houston for new-home sales last year, and also ranked number two in the nation, according to a report from RCLCO, a national real estate advisory firm.

For information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404 or via email. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 20 years. Experience does count!

For 2008, Cinco Ranch was the No. 1 community for new-home sales in Houston and Texas, ranking second nationwide, according to a study released by RCLCO, a leading independent real estate advisory firm which has compiled the annual list since 1994.

With 775 new-home sales in 2008, Cinco Ranch was one of only three communities on the RCLCO list to report positive sales gains for 2008 over 2007. Despite the economic downturn, new-home sales in this 7,600-acre community, a development of Newland Communities, increased 7 percent in 2008 compared to the previous year.

The only other communities on the RLCO list with positive sales gains, Telfair in Sugar Land and Eagle Springs in northeast Houston,are also located in Houston and developments of Newland Communities.  Overall, Houston was home to five of the top 10 communities on the RLCO list.

“Another highly positive trend for Houston, not reflected on the RCLCO report, is the fact that 2009 new-home sales for the three Newland communities on the top 10 list are on par with, or even ahead of, 2008,” said Ted Nelson, President of Newland’s Central Region, which includes Texas.

“Continued strong new-home sales in Cinco Ranch prove that during uncertain economic times, homebuyers are choosing quality homes in well-planned, well-located communities with great amenities and lifestyle built in,” Nelson said. “Homebuyers seem to be viewing large-scale master-planned communities as strong investments, especially those communities with strong track records, such as Cinco Ranch, now in its 18th year of development.”

Nelson added that Cinco Ranch had an eventful year in 2008, with the mid-year opening of a new 2,400-acre phase that will ultimately contain 5,000 new households.  Newland Communities has also worked to expand new-home offerings throughout Cinco Ranch, ranging from neighborhoods appealing to first-time buyers with homes from the $160,000s, to custom estate homes priced in the $1 million range. The average sales price was up 11% in 2008.

For more information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 20 years. Experience does count!

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For information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404.  I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 19 years. Experience does count!