What's in this guide
- Executive Summary
- Quick Facts
- Community Overview & History
- Neighborhoods & Areas
- Real Estate Market
- Who Lives Here
- Schools
- Amenities & Lifestyle
- HOA, CDD & Costs
- Commute Analysis
- Shopping & Dining
- Pros & Cons
- Neighborhood Comparisons
- Hidden Things to Know
- Momentum Expert Insight
- Live Listings & Recent Sales
- Flood Zones & Insurance
- Internet & Connectivity
- The Tax Reality
- What Your Budget Buys
- The Future of the Area
- Resale Liquidity
- The Buyer Playbook
- Questions to Ask
- Mistakes to Avoid
- Price History Since 2016
- Frequently Asked Questions
Executive Summary
Gran Lake is a 165-home community off Pacetti Road built roughly 2017 to 2022 by four builders, Riverside Homes, Providence Homes, Richmond American, and Dream Finders, which gives the streets more architectural variety than the single-builder tracts on the same corridor.
The fee math is the standout: an HOA around 1,364 to 1,560 dollars per year and no CDD, on a corridor where most master plans carry assessment lines that add thousands per year.
Per floridarealestatecentral as of May 7, 2025, 9 active listings averaged 647,933 dollars, ranging 614,000 to 700,000 dollars at about 220 dollars per square foot; aggregator listings across 2025 and 2026 have shown a wider 550,000 to 709,000 dollar band.
Quick Facts
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Off Pacetti Road, World Golf Village corridor, St. Augustine |
| County | St. Johns County |
| ZIP code | 32092 |
| Homes | 165 single-family homes by Riverside, Providence, Richmond American, and Dream Finders, 3 to 5 bedrooms |
| Built | Built roughly 2017 to 2022 |
| Home sizes | Resales mostly about 2,400 to 3,200 square feet |
| Amenities | Lake House amenity center, zero-entry pool, 32-acre lake with kayak launch and dock, event lawn, jogging path, playground |
| Schools | St. Johns County School District (top-rated; confirm zoning by address) |
| Gate / HOA | HOA about 1,364 to 1,560 dollars per year; no CDD; not gated |
Community Overview & History
The lake community that skipped the CDD
The World Golf Village corridor along Pacetti Road is dense with master plans, and most of them, including the SilverLeaf districts to the north, finance amenities through assessments or large fee stacks. Gran Lake went smaller and simpler: 165 homes around a 32-acre lake, a single amenity campus called the Lake House, and an HOA that covers it without a CDD. To be clear, Gran Lake is not part of SilverLeaf; it is its own standalone community, and buyers comparing fee stacks should keep the two separate.
How it feels on the ground today
With construction wrapped around 2022, Gran Lake is a young but settled resale community: four builders means the streetscape varies, the lake is the daily centerpiece with kayaks actually on the water, and the walk to Picolata Crossing Elementary is the kind of detail that shows up in how families talk about the place. Inventory is thin in a 165-home community, so serious buyers end up watching and waiting.
How Gran Lake Is Laid Out
Gran Lake is one plat with four builders and one big lake, so the decisions are builder pedigree, lot position, and timing.
The four-builder mix
Riverside Homes, Providence Homes, Richmond American, and Dream Finders all built here, so construction quality, included features, and floor plans vary house to house; know which builder built the home you are touring.
Lakefront and lake-view lots
The 32-acre lake is the premium driver; direct lakefront and clear lake-view lots carry margins that hold on resale because the supply is fixed at 165 homes.
Interior and preserve lots
The non-lake lots are the value entry into the community, and several back to buffers rather than neighbors; the amenity access is identical regardless of lot.
The school walk
Homes nearest the Picolata Crossing Elementary connection trade the buffer of distance for the walkable morning routine; families weigh that one differently household to household.
Real Estate Market
Per floridarealestatecentral as of May 7, 2025, 9 active listings averaged 647,933 dollars, from 614,000 to 700,000 dollars at roughly 220 dollars per square foot; aggregator listings across 2025 and 2026 have shown a broader 550,000 to 709,000 dollar range as smaller plans rotate through.
The buyer pool is school-driven families targeting the Pacetti corridor, move-up buyers leaving CDD-burdened communities, and lake-lifestyle shoppers who want water without waterfront-estate pricing.
With only 165 homes, inventory is structurally thin; well-priced lake-view homes move fast, and patient buyers should set alerts rather than expect standing selection.
Who Lives Here
Gran Lake draws families who want the Pacetti Road school cluster with a walkable elementary commute, move-up buyers running from CDD fee stacks, and anyone who pictures a kayak in the garage actually getting used.
Schools
Gran Lake is served by the top-rated St. Johns County School District, with attendance zones by home address. Confirm the exact zoning for a Gran Lake address before you buy. The community is within walking distance of Picolata Crossing Elementary, with Pacetti Bay Middle nearby, and Tocoi Creek High is the commonly cited high school; confirm all three zonings by address with the district before you write an offer.
Amenities & Lifestyle
The amenity package is built around the lake, which is the whole identity of the community.
The Lake House amenity center
The community gathering anchor overlooking the water.
Zero-entry pool with cabanas and BBQ
The resort-style pool with covered cabanas and grilling stations.
32-acre lake with kayak launch and dock
Real paddling water with a launch and dock, not a retention pond with a fountain.
Event lawn, jogging path, and playground
The open-air layer: community events on the lawn, a path circuit, and the kids anchor.
HOA, CDD & Costs
HOA dues run about 1,364 to 1,560 dollars per year depending on the source and year; confirm the current figure in writing before contract.
There is no CDD, which on the World Golf Village corridor is a genuine differentiator; run the ten-year fee math against the neighboring master plans and the gap is significant.
The HOA maintains the Lake House campus and common areas; ask for the current budget so you know the reserve picture behind that 32-acre lake and pool.
Commute Analysis
| Destination | Typical drive |
|---|---|
| Picolata Crossing Elementary | Walking distance |
| World Golf Village and Murabella Publix | About 8 minutes |
| I-95 at International Golf Parkway | About 12 minutes |
| Downtown St. Augustine | About 25 minutes |
| Jacksonville Southside via I-95 | About 35 minutes |
Gran Lake sits off Pacetti Road in the heart of the World Golf Village corridor: the elementary school is a walk, the Publix run is minutes, and I-95 at International Golf Parkway carries the Jacksonville commute.
Shopping & Dining
The Murabella Publix plaza and the World Golf Village retail handle daily needs about eight minutes out, the outlets sit by I-95, and downtown St. Augustine covers the dining and weekend culture about 25 minutes east.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- No CDD on a corridor where most master plans carry one
- Real 32-acre lake with a kayak launch and dock
- Walking distance to Picolata Crossing Elementary
- Four-builder variety instead of tract sameness
- Only 165 homes, so the amenities never feel oversubscribed
Cons
- Thin inventory; 165 homes means few choices at any moment
- Not part of SilverLeaf, so no access to that amenity network
- Four builders means inconsistent construction and feature comps
- No gate
- Pacetti Road traffic grows with every new corridor rooftop
Gran Lake vs. Comparable Communities
| Community | How it compares to Gran Lake |
|---|---|
| SilverLeaf | The giant no-CDD master plan to the north with the full amenity network, for buyers weighing scale against intimacy. |
| Silver Landing at SilverLeaf | The active-construction SilverLeaf district comparison on the same general corridor. |
| Residences at World Golf Village | The established World Golf Village option with the golf-resort setting. |
Hidden Things Buyers Should Know
The not-SilverLeaf distinction
Buyers lump everything off Pacetti Road into SilverLeaf, but Gran Lake is its own standalone community; you do not pay SilverLeaf fees and you do not get SilverLeaf amenities, and the comparison only works when you keep that straight.
The fixed-supply lake premium
With 165 homes and a fixed number of lake-view lots, the view premium here is supply-constrained in a way the big master plans never are; lake lots have held their margin on resale.
The builder-pedigree spread
Riverside and Providence homes carry different construction reputations and included-feature sets than the national builders on the same streets; two same-size homes here can be meaningfully different products, which sharp buyers use at negotiation.
Momentum Expert Insight
Gran Lake is what a lot of buyers say they want after touring the mega master plans: a real lake, a walkable school, no CDD, and a community small enough to know your neighbors, with the trade-off being thin inventory and no giant amenity network.
My advice is to set alerts and move quickly when a lake-view home lists, verify which builder built the specific house, and use the no-CDD math as your anchor when sellers price against the SilverLeaf corridor.
Selling a Home in Gran Lake
Gran Lake listings sell on the lake, the school walk, and the no-CDD line, so we lead with all three and price against the freshest closed comps in a thin-inventory market where stale data misleads.
We also document the builder pedigree and included features of your specific home, because in a four-builder community that story separates you from the listing two streets over.
Get a no-obligation home value for your Gran Lake home, based on real comparable sales in the community rather than an automated guess. Tell us about your home and we will personally prepare your numbers and a pricing strategy. No obligation, no spam.
Whether you are buying, selling, or just gathering information about Gran Lake, drop your details below. Every inquiry comes straight to us, and we will personally help you and connect you with the right agent. No obligation, no spam.
Flood Zones & Insurance
St. Johns County flooding concentrates near the Intracoastal, the coast, and the creeks and marshes, while many inland master-planned communities sit in lower-risk zones.
The reliable move is to pull the FEMA flood designation for the exact Gran Lake address before you write an offer, since two homes in the same area can fall in different zones. A home in Zone X can cost far less to insure than one near water in Zone AE. Get a bindable flood and homeowners quote during your inspection period, so the cost is in your monthly math before you commit, not after.
Internet & Connectivity
St. Johns County is well served by AT&T (fiber in most newer communities) and Xfinity (Comcast), though fiber availability still varies by street. If working from home matters, confirm the options, and fiber in particular, at the specific Gran Lake address rather than assuming.
The Tax Reality
St. Johns County total millage varies by district, and CDD assessments are common in the master-planned communities, which adds to the all-in cost on top of the millage. The Florida homestead exemption for 2026 is 51,411 dollars for those who qualify, and the deadline to file a new homestead exemption is March 1.
The trap to plan for is the post-sale reset: when you buy, the Save Our Homes cap from the previous owner ends and the assessed value resets to the new just value, so your second-year tax bill is often higher than the seller current one. Budget the true number, and confirm whether the specific home carries a CDD or other assessment that is billed separately from the millage and is not reduced by the homestead exemption.
What Your Budget Buys Here
The same budget buys very different homes across Gran Lake and the surrounding area, depending on age, size, lot, and condition. Rather than anchor on the asking price or the neighborhood average, price any specific home off the most recent comparable sales, and weigh what your money would buy in the nearby alternatives before you commit.The Future of the Area
St. Johns County continues to grow, with new rooftops, retail, and road work reshaping parts of the area. That growth supports long-run demand, but it can also add competing inventory and construction traffic in the near term, so factor both the upside and the disruption into your timing and your pricing.Resale Liquidity
How quickly a Gran Lake home resells comes down to presentation, condition, and pricing against the latest comparable sales rather than the neighborhood average. Homes that are priced correctly and shown well tend to move, while overpriced or dated homes sit. We track the active and sold comparable set so a Gran Lake home is priced to the real market.The Gran Lake Playbook
If you are buying in Gran Lake, here is how we would approach it: pull the flood zone and a real insurance quote for the specific address, confirm the HOA dues and whether a CDD applies, compare what your budget would buy nearby, and price the home off the closest comparable sales rather than the asking price. If you are buying any new-construction home, bring your own agent before you register, since the on-site representative works for the builder, not for you.
Questions We Would Ask Before Buying Here
Ask the seller
- What flood zone is this exact address in?
- What are the HOA dues, and is there a CDD or special assessment?
- What did the last few comparable homes actually sell for?
- How old are the roof, HVAC, and water heater?
- What is the true second-year tax estimate after reassessment?
Ask yourself
- Does the commute to work, schools, and daily life actually work?
- Do I need fiber internet, and is it at this address?
- Am I pricing against the right comparable sales, not the average?
- Does the lot and the condition fit my budget and my resale plan?
Mistakes to Avoid
The common ones around Gran Lake: trusting the seller current tax bill instead of the post-sale reset; skipping the address-specific flood check; assuming fiber is at every home; and pricing off the neighborhood average rather than the closest comparable sales. Each is avoidable with the right diligence, which is exactly where having your own agent pays off.
Price History: What Homes Here Have Actually Sold For
Median sale prices in Gran Lake St Augustine year by year since 2016, from closed MLS sales. Long-run history beats any single estimate: it shows what this community has actually done through rate cycles, not what a model guesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Gran Lake?
Is Gran Lake part of SilverLeaf?
Who built Gran Lake?
What do homes cost?
How big are the homes?
Is there a CDD?
What is the HOA?
What amenities are included?
Can you really kayak on the lake?
What schools serve Gran Lake?
Is Gran Lake gated?
How far is downtown St. Augustine?
Is new construction still available?
How does it compare to SilverLeaf?
Who should I call about Gran Lake?
Do I need my own agent to buy here?
Related Reading
If you are weighing Gran Lake against the rest of the World Golf Village corridor, these guides are a good next step.
