Custom Home Buyers Like Master-Planned Communities and HOAs

According to data examined by the National Association of Home Builders in December 2025, the percentage of new-construction homes being built in master-planned communities, and/or within communities with homeowners associations, is on the rise.

That’s not surprising given what our ICI Homes sales associates hear from custom home buyers in our own master-planned communities and those in which we’re preferred builders.

We’ve built new custom homes all over the state for 45 years within master-planned-community-and-HOA settings, and these carefully curated and sited developments check a lot of our customers’ boxes.

Many intentionally seek the value-added resident amenities we offer, and our experience is that master-planned communities are an enduring trend in today’s residential real estate market.

Here’s more on the NAHB’s recent report.

Data says…

The organization discovered this trend by tabulating data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction.

A rise in the percentage of single-family homes being built within a community or a homeowners association was recorded from 2009 to 2020, peaking at 67.1 percent in 2020, then dropping to 62.6 percent in 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, the trend is booming back, per the NAHB’s latest data findings.

It discovered that 65.7 percent of new single-family homes started in 2024 were constructed within a community or an HOA — a total of 651,873 homes.

In contrast, only 47.6 percent of new single-family homes were constructed in the same setting 15 years ago, an 18.1 percent increase.

Another find: The South Atlantic region, which includes Florida, had the second-highest percentage (73.9 percent) of new single-family homes built in a community with an HOA, per the NAHB report. The Mountain region was the highest (81.6).

All about HOAs

While many ICI Homes customers considering buying or building a new custom home know about HOAs and the fees that accompany them, some don’t.

HOAs are run by residents who oversee their community’s financial, insurance and maintenance needs. Many HOAs include a board of directors and committees that monitor specific responsibilities such as landscaping needs, budgeting and finances, and the annual chili cook off.

Many HOAs also monitor their community’s architectural appeal, parking regulations and other dos and don’ts that can irk neighbors who don’t like such oversight. If this is you, and you want to paint your shutters hot pink, expect to hear from the HOA.

All residents pay monthly, quarterly or annual HOA fees to fund expenses such as landscaping contractors, community insurance policies, and the upkeep of all those wonderful amenities. Residents clubs, swimming pools, fitness centers, sports courts, playgrounds and dog parks all require periodic cleaning, maintenance and updates.

But this time and attention spent on a community can boost everyone’s property values.

Just be aware of HOA fees when considering a master-planned community (and plan for them to rise). Also research the requirements that apply to all residents to avoid surprises and a hot-pink-shutter-showdown.

Ready for your new custom Florida home? Talk to ICI Homes here.