Lakewood Ranch builder notches more than 1,000 home sales

Lakewood Ranch-based builder Neal Communities announced its 2018 sales figures, which included 1,061 home sales and 1,148 closings across its 31 communities.

Neal Communities builds in the area from Apollo Beach to Naples and is a private homebuilder. 

"Our core business has remained steady and consistent in 2018 as Florida remains one of the bright spots across the country when it comes to housing," said Neal's President Michael Storey in a press release. "Unemployment is at an all-time low, wage growth is positive and despite slight increases in interest rates, we are still at historically low levels on the 30-year fixed mortgages."

Sales in Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota County dominated.

Forty-six percent of the builder's home sales in 2018 were inventory homes or move-in ready homes, the release states.