Exhibit 23  Consent of Independent Auditors

We consent to the  incorporation  by reference in this Annual Report (Form 10-K)
of The Ryland Group, Inc., of our report dated January 26, 2000, included in the
1999 Annual Report to the Shareholders of The Ryland Group, Inc.

Our audits also included the financial  statement  schedule of The Ryland Group,
Inc., listed in Item 14(a). This schedule is the responsibility of the Company's
management.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion based on our audits. In
our opinion, the financial statement schedule referred to above, when considered
in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole,  presents fairly
in all material respects the information set forth therein.

We also consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements
(Form S-8 No. 33-32431,  Form S-3 No. 33-48071,  Form S-3 No. 33-50933, Form S-8
No.  33-56905,  Form  S-8 No.  33-56917,  Form S-3 No.  333-03791,  Form S-8 No.
333-68397, Form S-3 No. 333-31034) of The Ryland Group, Inc., and in the related
Prospectuses  of  our  report  dated  January  26,  2000,  with  respect  to the
consolidated  financial  statements  incorporated  herein by reference,  and our
report  included  in the  preceding  paragraph  with  respect  to the  financial
statement schedule included in this Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended
December 31, 1999.


                                                /s/Ernst & Young LLP


Baltimore, Maryland
March 20, 2000


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