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
- 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
- Frequently Asked Questions
Executive Summary
Waterford Lakes brought townhomes back to St. Johns County at scale: the D.R. Horton townhome neighborhood of the SilverLeaf master plan, with 2 and 3 bedroom plans around 1,500 to 1,800 square feet and 1 and 2 car garages.
The neighborhood runs its own amenity complex, a zero-entry pool with sun shelf, a splash pad, and a fitness center, and SilverLeaf wraps it in 3,500+ acres of conservation with NO CDD anywhere in the plan.
For pricing context, these are the attainable door into the SilverLeaf school zone; confirm any remaining builder inventory and price resales off recent comparable sales.
Quick Facts
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Off St. Johns Parkway inside SilverLeaf, about 2 miles south of CR-210 |
| County | St. Johns County |
| ZIP code | 32092 |
| Homes | D.R. Horton townhomes |
| Built | Newer construction inside SilverLeaf |
| Home sizes | 2 to 3 bedrooms, about 1,500 to 1,800 square feet |
| Amenities | Private zero-entry pool, splash pad, fitness; NO CDD; SilverLeaf trails |
| Schools | St. Johns County School District (top-rated; confirm zoning by address) |
| Gate / HOA | HOA; NO CDD |
Community Overview & History
The attainable door into SilverLeaf
SilverLeaf is the no-CDD giant of St. Johns County, and Waterford Lakes is its entry product: townhome pricing with the same schools, the same conservation framework, and a real amenity complex of its own, minutes from Durbin Park.
How it feels on the ground today
Waterford Lakes reads as a fresh, busy townhome neighborhood: the blue-shaded amenity complex with the zero-entry pool, garages off the rear lanes, and the SilverLeaf pines around it. First-time buyers and right-sizers share the streets.
The Community and What You Are Buying
Waterford Lakes is about the plan, the garage count, and the position.
2 and 3 bedroom plans
Plans around 1,500 to 1,800 square feet with granite kitchens and tile mains.
1 versus 2 car garages
Garage count drives price and resale meaningfully.
Preserve and pond positions
Buffer-backed townhomes carry modest premiums.
Real Estate Market
Waterford Lakes appeals to first-time buyers, young families, and right-sizers who want the St. Johns schools at townhome pricing.
It is the attainable SilverLeaf entry; confirm builder inventory and price resales off the closest comparable sales.
The school zone and the no-CDD math keep demand deep at this band.
Who Lives Here
Waterford Lakes draws buyers who want into the St. Johns school district at the lowest practical new-construction entry, plus low-maintenance right-sizers.
Schools
Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf is served by the top-rated St. Johns County School District, with attendance zones by home address. Confirm the exact zoning for a Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf address before you buy.
Amenities & Lifestyle
The neighborhood runs its own complex, with SilverLeaf around it.
Zero-entry pool
A zero-entry pool with sun shelf anchors the private complex.
Splash pad
A splash pad for the younger crowd.
Fitness center
A neighborhood fitness center.
SilverLeaf conservation
3,500+ acres of preserve and trails wrap the master plan.
HOA, CDD & Costs
SilverLeaf has NO CDD; confirm the current townhome HOA dues and exactly what exterior care they include.
Confirm the insurance split between association and owner for attached product.
Confirm builder warranty status on resales.
Commute Analysis
| Destination | Typical drive |
|---|---|
| Durbin Park shopping | About 10 minutes |
| CR-210 | About 5 minutes |
| I-95 | About 10 to 15 minutes |
| Jacksonville Southside (9B) | About 20 to 25 minutes |
| St. Augustine | About 25 minutes |
Waterford Lakes sits on the St. Johns Parkway spine of SilverLeaf, five minutes from CR-210, so Durbin Park, I-95, and the Southside commute all run on the standard corridor clock.
Shopping & Dining
Durbin Park, one of the largest retail centers in the region, is about ten minutes away, with SilverLeaf retail growing along the parkway.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Attainable townhome entry into the St. Johns school district
- NO CDD anywhere in SilverLeaf
- Private zero-entry pool, splash pad, fitness complex
- 1 and 2 car garages, natural gas community
- 3,500+ acres of conservation around the plan
Cons
- Attached living, confirm HOA scope and insurance split
- Garage count drives real price differences
- Builder plan repetition
- Parkway corridor still building out
- Investor interest at this band, confirm rental rules
Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf vs. Comparable Communities
| Community | How it compares to Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf |
|---|---|
| SilverLeaf | The master plan guide, a comparison for buyers weighing the single-family side. |
| Bridgewater | The CR-210 townhome alternative, a comparison for buyers weighing locations. |
| Elm Creek at SilverLeaf | The attainable single-family neighbor, a comparison for buyers weighing the step up. |
Hidden Things Buyers Should Know
The district arbitrage
This is among the cheapest new-construction doors into the St. Johns school district, which quietly drives its demand.
Two-car townhomes
The 2-car-garage plans live like small single-family homes and resell accordingly; prioritize them.
No-CDD compounding
Townhome budgets feel CDD lines hardest; SilverLeaf removing it changes the monthly math meaningfully.
Momentum Expert Insight
Waterford Lakes is the practical genius of SilverLeaf: the school district, the conservation, and a real amenity complex, at townhome pricing with no CDD. For first-time buyers it is the corridor cheat code.
My advice is to prioritize the 2-car plans, confirm the HOA scope and insurance split, and weigh builder inventory against early resales.
Selling a Home in Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf
Selling in Waterford Lakes is about presenting the garage count, the condition, and the school-zone math, and pricing correctly off the closest comparable sales.
We price from the most recent comparable townhomes and market the no-CDD school-district story to the first-time buyer pool.
Get a no-obligation home value for your Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf 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 Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf, 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 Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf 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 Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf 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 Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf 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 Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf 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 Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf home is priced to the real market.The Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf Playbook
If you are buying in Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf, 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 Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf: 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Waterford Lakes at SilverLeaf?
Who builds Waterford Lakes?
How big are Waterford Lakes townhomes?
What do Waterford Lakes townhomes cost?
Does Waterford Lakes have a CDD?
What amenities does Waterford Lakes have?
What schools serve Waterford Lakes?
Is Waterford Lakes gated?
What does the HOA cover?
Is Waterford Lakes a natural gas community?
How far is Waterford Lakes from Durbin Park?
Can I rent out a Waterford Lakes townhome?
Should I buy the 1-car or 2-car plan?
Is Waterford Lakes good for first-time buyers?
Who should I call about buying in Waterford Lakes?
Do I need my own agent to buy in Waterford Lakes?
Related Reading
If you are weighing Waterford Lakes against other townhome options, these guides are a good next step.