The Lakes Homes for Sale in Lake Alfred, FL

The Lakes is a lakefront and canal-front neighborhood of new single-family homes by Highland Homes in Lake Alfred, on the shores of Lake Haines at the north end of the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes. Phase 6 is the final phase, and per the builder's site in July 2026, only one new home remained available, so this market is shifting from new construction to young resales.

The plan lineup across the community ran roughly 1,878 to 3,315 square feet, three to five bedrooms, one- and two-story, with 2- and 3-car garages, on homesites averaging about 75 by 120 feet, or roughly 0.21 acres per the builder.

The last available new home, per builder pricing in July 2026, is the Ryleigh plan, a one-story 3-bedroom, 2-bath design of 1,878 square feet listed from $399,900; earlier phases were marketed from the mid-$300s. Confirm current pricing and any incentives directly with Highland Homes.

Finishes per the builder include granite kitchen counters, stainless appliances, 36-inch staggered cabinets, and en-suite owner's baths with dual vanities and a tiled shower; select plans offered an in-law suite option.

The positions that matter here are the water positions: homesites directly on Lake Haines, homesites on the canal between Lake Haines and Lake Rochelle, and homesites on ponds or open space. The lake and canal lots are the scarce ones.

Because the community is at close-out, expect the resale market to take over quickly; a young Highland Homes resale on a water lot will price very differently from an interior pond lot, so read the position first.

As always, confirm exact square footage, bedroom count, and options against the actual listing or builder contract, since aggregator sites round and mislabel.

The draw at The Lakes is the water, not an amenity campus. The neighborhood sits between Lake Haines and Lake Rochelle on the north Winter Haven Chain of Lakes, ten lakes connected by navigable canals across Winter Haven, Lake Alfred, and Lake Hamilton.

Select homesites back Lake Haines or the canal between Lake Haines and Lake Rochelle, which is the differentiator: boatable chain access from your own backyard on a builder-grade budget is rare in this corridor.

For everyone else, the nearest public boat ramp, onto Lake Rochelle and the chain, is about 0.7 miles away per the builder. No community-owned boat ramp or dock inside the neighborhood is confirmed, so confirm water access arrangements for a specific lot with the builder or HOA.

Across the street is Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve, a roughly 112-acre City of Lake Alfred public recreation area with hiking trails, a playground, event space, and a dock on Lake Rochelle.

Errands and commutes run through US-17, about 1 mile away per the builder, with Downtown Winter Haven about 4.8 miles south, Legoland Florida in south Winter Haven, and I-4 reachable via US-17 and SR 559 through Polk City for Orlando and Tampa; Walt Disney World is about 26 miles per the builder.

There is no clubhouse, pool, gate, or golf on site; the HOA runs about $520 per year per the builder, and the builder reports no CDD, which keeps the carry low.

The trade is simple: a low-fee neighborhood where the Chain of Lakes position does the work, versus the amenitized new-construction master plans nearby that charge for a clubhouse campus and often a CDD.

Confirm the water position of the specific lot: directly on Lake Haines, on the canal between Lake Haines and Lake Rochelle, on a pond, or on open space. Those positions price very differently and will drive resale, so get the plat and survey, and confirm whether a private dock is permitted on a specific water lot with the builder, the HOA documents, and the applicable permitting authorities.

Confirm the HOA figure and scope in writing. Per the builder, dues are $260 semi-annually, about $520 per year, through Highland Community Management; verify the current amount, what it covers, and any architectural rules that affect docks, fences, or boat parking.

Verify the CDD status on the Polk County tax roll for the specific homesite. The builder reports no CDD, which is a genuine cost advantage against several nearby master plans, but do not assume; confirm the actual tax bill.

If chain boating is the point, verify it: the north chain's lakes connect by canals, but water levels, canal clearances, and vessel size limits are real considerations, so confirm current navigability for your boat with local sources before you pay a waterfront premium.

The Lakes competes for the buyer who wants new or nearly new construction in the Lakeland-Winter Haven corridor with real water access. Against Silver Lake in Lake Alfred, the other new-construction name in the same small city, The Lakes offers the Chain of Lakes position, with lakefront and canal-front homesites, while Silver Lake competes on price and inventory; confirm current pricing and fees at both. Against VillaMar in Winter Haven and Lakeside Preserve in Lakeland, both Highland Homes communities, The Lakes trades bigger-community amenities for the boatable chain access and a lower fee structure; VillaMar in particular is a larger amenitized community, so compare the total monthly carry, not just the price. Against Eagle Hammock in Eagle Lake and the broader wave of Polk County new construction, The Lakes gives up scale and amenity campuses but holds the one thing the others cannot reproduce: homesites on Lake Haines and the Haines-Rochelle canal. The honest summary: The Lakes wins on the water position, the low fee, and the reported lack of a CDD, and gives ground on amenities, on-site inventory now that it is at close-out, and proximity to Lakeland employment.

The Lakes fits the buyer who wants a new or nearly new single-family home with boatable access to the north Winter Haven Chain of Lakes, the buyer who values a low HOA and no reported CDD over a clubhouse campus, and the buyer who wants Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve across the street with US-17 a mile away. It does not fit the buyer who wants resort amenities, a gated entry, or a large selection of new inventory, since the community is at close-out with one new home remaining per the builder in July 2026. Anyone considering The Lakes should confirm the specific lot's water position and dock rules, the HOA figure and scope in writing, the CDD status on the Polk County tax roll, and current school zoning by address with Polk County Public Schools.