With numerous awards and accolades to its name, Daniel Island has evolved as a top choice for Charleston real estate and one of the country’s most successful master planned communities of the past decade. A recent report comparing the sales performance of planned communities from across the country further reinforces this standing: Daniel Island ranked number 20 among the nation’s 50 best selling master planned communities for 2011. The list was compiled by national research firm John Burns Real Estate Consulting of Irvine, California.
This is the second year the firm has compiled the rankings, which are based on the number of properties changing hands during the year. The group defines Master Planned Communities as “large-scale developments that include a wide array of real estate product, multiple builders, diverse amenities and non-residential uses (schools, commercial, etc.).”
According to the firm, sales in master planned communities were generally stable or increased somewhat in 2011.
“This supports our belief that the market is improving and that master planned communities like Daniel Island continue to outperform other types of real estate,” says Julie Dombrowski, Communications Director for the Daniel Island Company, the island’s master developer. Daniel Island’s 2011 sales increased approximately 20% over the previous year.
Daniel Island’s recent ranking is the latest highlight on the community’s long list of national accolades. Widely recognized for its implementation of economically sound “smart growth” planning principles, it was named “America’s Best Suburban Smart Growth Community” by the National Association of Home Builders in 2004, and in 2007 it received a prestigious “Award for Excellence” from the Urban Land Institute. The island also has been named among “America’s Best Master Planned Communities” multiple times by Where to Retire magazine, and has been listed as a top golf community in several national publications, including Golf Magazine.