Sunbelt Communities in US Top Ten 2007

Three award-winning communities being developed by Scottsdale-based Sunbelt Holdings are among the 10 top-selling master plans in the nation for 2007 as surveyed by RCLCO, formerly Robert Charles Lesser & Co., LLC.

Power Ranch in Gilbert was ranked second with 888 sales, Vistancia in north Peoria was ranked third with 815 sales and Johnson Ranch in the southeast Valley was ranked seventh with 591 sales.

“The rankings affirm our belief that these communities continue to offer what home buyers desire in a master plan,” said Curt Smith, Sunbelt Holdings’ chief operating officer and chief financial officer.“Qualities such as builder excellence, types of amenities and a sense of community have contributed to the enhanced lifestyle for which our master plans are known.”

Power Ranch, Vistancia and Johnson Ranch are the only master planned communities in Arizona that are in the top 10 survey conducted annually by RCLCO, an independent real estate advisory firm which compiles information from master plans across the country.

Sunbelt Holdings is a real estate development, management and investment company which was established in 1979. Its prime focus is the development of award-winning, residential master plans.

Currently, 14 builders offer models and floor plans in Power Ranch, Vistancia and Johnson Ranch. These include Ashton Woods, Cachet Homes, Centex Homes, D.R. Horton, Element Homes, Engle Homes, K. Hovnanian Homes, T. W. Lewis, Maracay Homes, Richmond American, Rosewood Homes, Shea Homes, Solera by Del Webb and Trend Homes.

Of a total build out of 25,500 homes in the three communities, more than 13,000 homes have sold. In the past 10 years, Sunbelt Holdings’ projects have encompassed more than 50,000 residential units in 12 communities.

In addition to a variety of housing styles and price ranges that may have kept sales steady at the three communities even in a challenged market, Sunbelt Holdings credits their sustained popularity to the distinctive lifestyles at all three. “Our master plans are defined by a way of life that reflects the interests of the buyer,” said John Graham, president of Sunbelt Holdings.

Power Ranch is known for its “greenscapes” and family orientation, Vistancia for its architecture and amenities that harmonize with the desert surroundings and Johnson Ranch for its value-priced golf real estate.

Power Ranch, which opened in 2000, has been on the RCLCO survey numerous times. Being developed in a partnership with Sunbelt Holdings and DMB, the 2,084-acre community has a reputation as one of the most family-friendly master plans in the Valley. Power Ranch offers six builders and 58 floor plans and is located at Power and Germann roads just south of the San Tan Loop 202.

Vistancia has been recognized by RCLCO consecutively since sales began in 2004. Located northwest of Lake Pleasant Road and Happy Valley Parkway in north Peoria, the 7,100-acre community features 38 models by eight builders. It is being developed in a partnership with Sunbelt Holdings and Shea Homes.

This is the sixth consecutive year Johnson Ranch has been on the RCLCO survey. The 2,000-acre community, located five miles east of Ellsworth Road at the intersection of Hunt Highway and Bella Vista Road, offers four builders and 47 floor plans. Other Sunbelt Holdings properties in the Valley include Blackstone at Vistancia, The Legacy Golf Resort, McDowell Mountain Ranch, Sheely Farms, Sonoran Foothills, Superstition Foothills and Surprise Farms.