Lake Forest

Lake Forest won two of the most competitive residential development awards in the Southeast — Best Residential Community in the Southeast from the Aurora Awards and Best Community in Central Florida from the Parade of Homes. That recognition holds up on the ground: 538 acres, 730 home sites, a 55-acre spring-fed private lake with a white sand beach, and a 10,000 square-foot clubhouse complex.

NTS Development Company started this community in the early 1990s, which means the tree canopy has had over 30 years to establish. Builders including Arthur Rutenberg and Signature Homes are in the estate tier, which explains the custom quality visible at that end of the market. The spring-fed lake — kayaking, canoeing, sailing, fishing, private boat ramp and fishing pier — is the defining amenity and the reason buyers who've toured comparable gated communities in Seminole County keep returning.

The location is two miles west of I-4 Exit 101 off SR-46A. Sanford Airport is about 10–15 minutes east, which is a material quality-of-life advantage for clients who fly regularly. Downtown Sanford is 10 minutes east. School zones vary by street within the community — always confirm at SCPS Find My School before contract, because Bentley Elementary feeds some addresses while others fall to different schools.