Waters Edge at The Lakes is a single-family home community in Lake Alfred, Polk County, built by Highland Homes, with listing guides citing a build window of roughly 2018 to 2020 (Homes by Marco and neighborhoods.com community profiles, 2026). It sits off Mackay Boulevard about a mile east of US-17, on the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes between Lake Haines and Lake Rochelle, across from the Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve, a Lake Alfred public recreation area (Highland Homes community pages, 2026).
Homes are single-story and two-story plans, with listing guides citing a range of roughly 1,500 to 2,100 square feet and two or three car garages on the typical plan, with select plans adding a loft, optional bedrooms, or an in-law suite (Highland Homes plan pages and listing guides, 2026). Confirm the exact size, bedroom count, garage, and plan for any specific home.
Because this is a builder community, the money is made or lost on the lot and the home, not just the address. The drivers are the floor plan, the lot and any waterfront or canal frontage, the water access to the Chain of Lakes, and the HOA, which listing guides report in a low monthly tier with no community development district reported. Confirm the current dues, the reserve picture, and any waterfront detail per address.
The pitch is a newer home with real water access in a small Polk County lake town: the Chain of Lakes at the door, the Mackay Gardens preserve across the street, and quick reach to US-17, US-92, Winter Haven, and the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando. The work is the diligence: read the HOA, walk the lot, confirm the water access, and check the flood picture before you buy the view.
