Six neighborhoods in Dallas-Fort Worth ranked among the 50 top-selling master-planned communities in the nation last year. That’s according to a report released Jan. 4 by RCLCO Real Estate Consulting, a Maryland-based firm known for its research on subdivisions and other real estate topics. The listmakers are all located on the outskirts of DFW: No. 16 overall Silverado, No. 33 Windsong Ranch, No. 41 Painted Tree, No. 45 Pecan Square, No. 46 Union Park and No. 48 Harvest.

Pecan Square, Union Park and Harvest are all being developed by Hillwood Communities, the Dallas-based company founded by real estate mogul Ross Perot Jr. “There is tremendous demand in DFW overall,” said Fred Balda, president of Hillwood. “We happen to have some very active communities right now that have beautiful master plans with wonderful amenities and a variety of different product types.”

At a time of nationwide volatility in the housing market, the Metroplex, and specifically communities in Denton and Collin counties, have been able to stay competitive with new home sales, the RCLCO list indicates.

Here are a few additional takeaways from the report:

• D.R. Horton Inc.’s Aubrey community in Silverado was the top-ranked local MPC in 2023 with 721 sales, a 9% decrease from 2022. It ranked No. 6 on RCLCO’s 2022 list.

Silverado by DR Horton

• Pecan Square, in Northlake, saw the most significant growth last year of any listed community: its 405 represented a 163% from 2022. The neighborhood, located about 30 miles north of Fort Worth, opened its walkable square in 2019. Amenities like that and a location in the coveted Northwest Independent School District appeal to families, Balda said.

Balda said Pecan Square experienced a surge in 2023 due to a high demand for housing across Dallas-Fort Worth and a limited supply of homes. The schools combined with proximity to several employers created “a wonderful recipe for success.”

“If we had more lots on the ground, and more homes on the ground, we would have done even better,” he said. “It’s just limited by our supply.”

Pecan Square in Northlake made the cut.
HILLWOOD COMMUNITIES

• Other developments in North Texas also picked up steam in 2023: Oxland Group’s new Painted Tree in McKinney reported 448 sales and Tellus Group’s Windsong Ranch in Prosper, known for its lagoon, had 551. Neither reported sales from 2022.

The lagoon at Windsong in Prosper.
JAKE DEAN

DFW came in second among Texas metros on the RCLCO list — the Houston area was first with 12 ranked communities. Overall, Texas had 21 communities on the list.

The Metroplex could see robust housing activity in 2024 and beyond, Balda said. He noted three areas in DFW that are already teeming with it: the Dallas North Tollway and Preston Road corridor in Collin County, the north Fort Worth/Alliance area and the eastern outskirts of the Metroplex, including Forney in Kaufman County.

At the end of 2023, RCLCO reported that new home sales among the country’s top-selling communities were up nearly 14% compared with 2022.

RCLCO projects home sales to gradually increase through 2024, despite a potentially slow start to the year. Mortgage rates are expected to continue dropping, which will likely provide a boost to the housing market and incentivize buyers.

“I’m really encouraged that the interest rates are coming down in the last two months,” Balda said. “The mortgage rate has come down a full point, which is really helpful to folks that want to buy homes and get a lower mortgage and get a lower house payment.”

Balda said developers should consider buyers and try selling homes at reasonable and affordable price points.