Harbour View Elementary School

It's a strong fit if you want space, lake access, and a slower pace in Marion County's lake country. The zone feeds well-known schools including Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary School, and you get waterfront and gated options rare at these prices. The trade-off is distance — downtown Orlando is about 71 minutes away.

No — this is one of the more affordable pockets of Central Florida. The median list price is $299,900 and homes sold over the last year came in at a median of $290,000, with average pricing around $290 per square foot. Listings span from $25,000 up past $4 million, so there's real range.

Expect a median around $290,000 to $300,000 for a typical home of about 1,548 square feet. Over the past 12 months 550 homes sold, and sellers averaged 97% of their asking price, so realistic offers are getting done. The high end reaches beyond $4 million for waterfront and luxury properties.

Balanced and buyer-friendly. With 219 active listings and a median 57 days on market, homes aren't flying off the shelf, which gives you leverage. That said, sellers still net about 97% of asking, so lowball offers won't land — come in with a fair number.

The median HOA runs about $204 per month, though many properties here have no HOA at all given the larger lots and new builds. Median property taxes are roughly $3,124 per year. If you're weighing a rental instead, the median rent in the area is about $2,000 a month.