Find Your Community, Not Just Your House

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026 · BY AJ & COURTNEY ACKERMAN, LPT REALTY

Five kinds of communities

Amenity and lifestyle communities

Open to all ages, with beaches/boating, clubhouses, fitness centers, marinas, restaurants, movie theaters, pools, courts, play areas and events. There’s no age restriction.

Golf and country club communities

Some include golf in the fees (often called "bundled"). Others offer optional memberships. We'll explain exactly what you'd pay and what you'd get.

55+ communities

Age-restricted by law, usually requiring at least one resident aged 55 or older. Ask for each community’s occupancy and age-verification rules before you buy.

Small-acreage and large-lot communities

Room to spread out: homesites from about an acre to five acres, often with space for a pool, a workshop, a boat or RV, and in some areas horses. Many are on private well and septic. They come in a few different flavors:

Rural acreage with no HOA. Golden Gate Estates and the “Woods” neighborhoods of North Naples (Oakes Estates, Logan Woods, Livingston Woods, Weber Woods, Collier Woods), plus San Carlos Estates in Bonita Springs. Golden Gate Estates lots run 1.14 to 5 acres (most about 2.25), and Collier County’s Estates zoning, not an HOA, sets the rules, including limits on horses and livestock.

Close-in large lots in Naples. Pine Ridge Estates (1+ acre lots, a voluntary civic association, no HOA), Four Seasons and Myrtle Cove Acres (about an acre, no HOA, city water), and Silver Oak, a small enclave of about 1.25-acre homesites. Big yards, minutes from shopping, dining and the beaches.

Estate and equestrian neighborhoods in Fort Myers. Briarcliff and Heritage Farms offer multi-acre properties, some with agricultural zoning and room for horses. Devonwood is a gated community of about 55 homes on 1+ acre homesites, with stables and a boat launch on Hendry Creek. Brynwood, a small gated enclave near US-41 and Daniels Parkway, has homesites of roughly 2 to 3 acres.

Gated estate communities with an HOA. Corkscrew Estates in Estero, and Quail Woods Estates, Quail Creek and Quail West in North Naples. Larger homesites (around an acre in many), a gate and shared amenities; Quail Creek and Quail West are golf communities.

A fly-in community. Pine Shadows Air Park in North Fort Myers has hangar homes on 1+ acre lots and a private 3,195-foot runway.

What to check: well and septic, flood zone and elevation, and whether the zoning or recorded restrictions on that specific lot allow what you have in mind, like horses, a guest house or a workshop.

Non-HOA and deed-restricted areas

No HOA fees and no HOA approval for your paint color, boat or fence. City or county code still applies, and some older neighborhoods have recorded deed restrictions, so “no HOA” doesn’t mean “no rules.” Lots range from a quarter-acre to several acres.

Cape Coral. Most single-family neighborhoods have no HOA. City code covers things like boats and trailers (kept in the rear yard), RVs (in a garage, or on short temporary permits) and parking, and since 2026 every rental must be registered with the city each year.

San Carlos Park, North Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres. Unincorporated Lee County neighborhoods, mostly without an HOA, many on well and septic. Lehigh Acres lots are mostly a quarter- or half-acre.

The McGregor corridor and older Fort Myers neighborhoods. Established streets near the river and downtown, including historic districts such as Dean Park that have their own review rules for exterior changes.

Old Bonita. Older streets around downtown Bonita Springs and the Imperial River, a short drive to Bonita Beach.

Select areas of Naples. Golden Gate Estates, Pine Ridge Estates, Naples Park and the other large-lot areas above.

How the five compare. Amenity and golf communities trade monthly fees for shared amenities, maintained common areas and a consistent look. 55+ communities add an age rule. Acreage gives you space and privacy, usually with longer drives and well and septic to maintain. Non-HOA areas give you the most flexibility and the lowest fees, with city or county code as the rulebook and no shared amenities. We pull the HOA documents or recorded restrictions and check the code for anything you plan, before you write an offer.

Communities we know well

Babcock Ranch

Area: Charlotte County, near North Fort Myers

Known for: A newer, solar-powered master-planned town with parks, trails, a lake and a walkable town center with a vibrant social life. Sub-divisions inside the town offer everything from affordable starter homes, multi-family dwellings, million-dollar luxury neighborhoods, a private championship golf community, and a 55+ neighborhood within it.

Gulf Harbour Yacht & Country Club

Area: South Fort Myers

Known for: Gated golf and boating luxury but down-to-earth community situated on the Caloosahatchee River with a marina, dining venues, Gulf access, full-size wellness center including day spa, and various social clubs and gatherings.

Paseo

Area: Fort Myers

Known for: Gated, resort-style community with Mediterranean architecture and extensive amenities including large clubhouse, movie theater, ice cream parlor, pools with food and drink service, large fitness center, walking trails and so much more.

Pelican Preserve

Area: Fort Myers

Known for: 55+ active-adult community with a premier 27-hole championship golf facility, a large town center and a busy social calendar.

Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club

Area: Estero area

Known for: Exclusive, upscale private lifestyle living with 18-hole, par-72 golf course, 10,000 square foot resort style infinity pool and restaurant all built around a ~700-acre freshwater lake with about 3 miles of white sand beach where residents can boat, water ski, kayak, paddleboard and fish.

The Forest Country Club

Area: Fort Myers

Known for: Private, member-owned gated golf community with 2 separate courses nestled in 620 acres of well-established wildlife preserve. A rare, serenely beautiful setting you don't find much of in SWFL. Housing diversity here makes it attractive to a broad home buyer from affordable condo/villas to million-dollar golf course or preserve view single family homes.

Neighborhood guides

Our guides to communities we sell often, with recent sales, amenities and what to know before you buy:

• Gulf Harbour Yacht & Country Club: south Fort Myers; golf and a deep-water marina with Gulf access

• Paseo: Fort Myers; resort-style, no golf, Village Center with a movie theater

• Pelican Preserve: Fort Myers; 55+, Town Center, pickleball and optional golf

• Miromar Lakes: near Estero; private freshwater lake, beach and golf

• The Forest Country Club: south Fort Myers; two golf courses, optional membership

What to compare before you choose

• Total monthly cost: HOA fees, club or golf dues, and any community development district (CDD) fees on the tax bill

• What the fees cover: most often lawn care, exterior maintenance, cable and internet, amenities

• Rules on rentals, pets, guests and vehicles

• Gated or not, and how busy the social calendar really is

Find the community that fits

Tell us how you want to live (golf, boating, acreage, no HOA, or a busy social calendar) and your budget. We'll shortlist the communities that fit, line up the HOA, club and CDD costs side by side, and tour them with you. Call or text AJ at (239) 565-7867, or send us your wish list through our contact page.