\u201cWe\u2019re starting to see more and more traffic \u2014 traffic in January was better than the last 90 days. So, I\u2019m still excited to see where that can go and really fall back into what the industry was a number of years ago,\u201d Brunhofer said. \u201cThere\u2019s a little more seasonality right now, and that\u2019s OK. We\u2019re excited to see where February-March-April brings us, cause last year we had a really strong March and April.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Brian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TGS-L-Brian-Brunhofer.jpg\")
Brian Brunhofer has been the Orlando division president of Taylor Morrison for a decade. (Courtesy of Taylor Morrison)<\/p>\n
Brunhofer said the buying public has begun to accept that a 5% interest rate is \u201ca good rate now\u201d and will likely improve in the next 12 months. But with that acceptance comes more selectivity.<\/p>\n
Buyers in 2026 are focusing on location, amenities and superior finishes. They want more customization. \u201cSo, I think for us it\u2019s making sure that we offer that optionality,\u201d Brunhofer said. \u201cWe\u2019re getting them to the design center so they can make those choices and tailor the home to what they\u2019re really looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taylor Morrison is betting big on its Esplanade lifestyle brand<\/a> as the Orlando division rolls out two new resort communities in 2026.<\/p>\n Brunhofer said the builder held a VIP opening for Esplanade at McKinnon Groves in Wellness Way in January and will hold its model opening for Esplanade at Westview this weekend. At Center Lake Ranch in St. Cloud, the Esplanade amenity center will open in about 90 days.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really intriguing to that buyer group of being able to offer that resort lifestyle, and I think everybody in Florida looks for some level of lifestyle as they\u2019re wanting to buy in a new community. But the level of lifestyle and concierge service that we\u2019re providing in those Esplanades is exciting,\u201d Brunhofer said.<\/p>\n Outside of the resort expansion, Taylor Morrison is one of the few production homebuilders striving to accommodate buyers at multiple income brackets and stages of life. The Orlando division recently opened sales at\u00a0Lochside, a gated community next to the Country Club of Mount Dora, and will start construction soon on Heron Bay<\/a>, a 526-lot subdivision in Sunbridge. Both communities target first-time move-up buyers.<\/p>\n But the company also offers a broad portfolio of products for entry-level and first-time buyers. Just across the highway from Lochside, the builder launched sales for its first condo-townhome community in Southloch<\/a>, which is also home to its Yardly Mount Dora rental community.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think there\u2019s really a great opportunity to kind of see people in all phases of living, right? Whether it be rental, whether it be condo\/townhome, or whether it be detached,\u201d Brunhofer said. \u201cSo, I think there\u2019s definitely an interest in continuing to find a way to serve all of those different buyer groups.\u201d<\/p>\n At Westview<\/a>, the sprawling 2,549-acre master-planned community in Poinciana, the builder will open a new phase in April priced for first-time buyers while it launches sales in the higher-priced Esplanade community.<\/p>\n \u201cWestview is the perfect example of how many different price points and floor plans we have, and being able to meet the needs of all kinds of different buyers in one location. And I think the good news is we\u2019ve got the competencies to serve each of those buyer groups,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Another opening planned in April is Windward Preserve<\/a>, a 385-lot community in Cocoa. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to be able to serve in Brevard, cause this will be the first time in Brevard for a number of years, but more importantly, just kind of that first move-up buyer,\u201d Brunhofer said. The community is located at the S.R. 528 interchange with I-95. \u201cJust great accessibility to not only Orlando but the Space Coast and all the employment, all the jobs, and certainly the beach. So we\u2019re excited to launch that community.\u201d<\/p>\n The Orlando division is bullish on the Space Coast and plans to expand its operations there. Brunhofer said they\u2019re under contract now for three separate projects in Volusia County with a combined 800-plus lots serving \u201cmostly move-up buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s probably the most pressing right now as we look at kind of moving through due diligence and getting to a closing in the next six months on those properties,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at\u00a0lkinsler@GrowthSpotter.com<\/a> or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on\u00a0Facebook<\/a> and\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While new home starts declined by roughly 7% in 2025, homebuilders in Orlando are starting to see higher…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[74178,315,74179,558,187,27787,7903,28,30325,2174,11476,114,11481,3685,677,1335,11477,139,141,140,1976,1974,3689,480,11478,11479,914,41325,48065],"class_list":{"0":"post-153818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-brevard-volusia-county-developments","9":"tag-brevard-county","10":"tag-build-to-rent","11":"tag-business","12":"tag-city","13":"tag-cocoa-beach","14":"tag-county","15":"tag-florida","16":"tag-groveland","17":"tag-lake-county","18":"tag-lake-county-developments","19":"tag-latest-headlines","20":"tag-mascotte","21":"tag-mount-dora","22":"tag-neighborhood","23":"tag-orange-county","24":"tag-orange-county-developments","25":"tag-orlando","26":"tag-orlando-headlines","27":"tag-orlando-news","28":"tag-osceola-county","29":"tag-osceola-county-developments","30":"tag-poinciana","31":"tag-real-estate","32":"tag-residential-developments","33":"tag-single-family-residential","34":"tag-state","35":"tag-sub-county-region","36":"tag-sunbridge"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TGS-L-Esp-at-McKinnon-Grove.jpg\")
Taylor Morrison held a VIP opening in January for its Esplanade at McKinnon Groves resort lifestyle community in Wellness Way. The official grand opening is slated for late February. (Courtesy of Taylor Morrison)<\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TGS-L-Lochside-Anastasia.jpg\")
This 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath Anastasia model is available to build on 40-foot lots in Lochside at Mount Dora. Pricing starts at $525,999. (Courtesy of Taylor Morrison)<\/p>\n![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TGS-L-Southloch-Mount-Dora.jpg\")
Taylor Morrison has started building its first condo townhomes in Southloch, just across from Lochside. The community also features the recently completed Yardly Mount Dora community. The development reflects the homebuilders’ strategy of offering a variety of products at different price points to capture renters, first-time buyers and move-up buyers. (Courtesy of Taylor Morrison)<\/p>\n