A brochure photo of a Florida community looks like every other brochure photo of a Florida community. What's genuinely different at Highland Ranch — the terrain under your feet and the gas line to your stove — doesn't photograph well, so almost nobody mentions it first.
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Talk to a Specialist →Lake County's rolling terrain is genuinely unlike the flat landscape that defines most of Florida, and Esplanade at Highland Ranch sits directly on it — 475 homes across 579 acres, a generous land-to-home ratio that produces larger lots and more natural topographic variety than the typical Central Florida density. A listing photo of a house doesn't capture sightlines and elevation change the way standing in the driveway does. Buyers relocating from the Northeast or Midwest consistently cite the hills as an unexpected comfort factor — it simply doesn't feel like the Florida they were bracing for.
Taylor Morrison built this community between 2014 and 2022; it is now complete, and every available home is resale. That means no builder warranty and no floor-plan customization, but it also means no adjacent construction dust, no phased HOA fee schedule still ramping up, and a social community that has had years to settle into its own rhythm. At 475 homes, it's intentionally smaller than Kings Ridge (2,088 homes) or Solivita (5,900 homes) — residents know most of their neighbors, and HOA board elections carry real weight in a way they simply don't at mega-community scale.
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| Cost Item | Monthly Estimate |
|---|---|
| HOA Fee | ~$350 |
| Property Tax (after homestead, Lake County ~0.85%) | ~$300 |
| Homeowner's Insurance | ~$217 |
| Total Non-Mortgage Monthly | ~$867 |
Lake County's ~0.85% effective rate is the lowest in the Orlando metro, saving roughly $380/year versus Osceola County and $475/year versus Polk County on a comparable home — savings that compound meaningfully over a 20-year hold. There's no significant CDD burden expected on this community, though you should still verify the specific parcel's tax bill before closing. The trade-off for the lower HOA than golf-inclusive Kings Ridge: no on-site course here. For non-golfers, that's a better amenity-to-price ratio. For golfers, it isn't.
The on-site dog park and pet concierge services get mentioned by current residents more consistently than almost any other amenity at Highland Ranch — a genuinely differentiated feature in a market where many communities have a nominal dog run and nothing more. If you're moving with a dog, factor this in; it shows up in resident satisfaction more than the brochure photography suggests it would.
Connect with a specialist who knows this market from the inside — real cost math, honest community comparisons, and what's actually happening right now. Every agent is personally vetted by the Nova55Living founder.
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