Owner-Occupied vs Investor Neighborhoods in Polk County
Who owns a neighborhood tells you how it will behave: homesteaded blocks turn over slowly and vote for the HOA budget; investor-heavy ones rent, flip and swing with the market. Florida publishes the answer parcel by parcel on the county property appraiser’s roll, and this page rolls it up for every Polk County community we track — the homestead share (owner-occupancy), the estimated non-owner-occupied share, out-of-state owners and LLC/trust ownership.
Across 182 Polk County communities and 25,241 residential parcels on the 2025 Florida DOR roll, 58% of homes are homesteaded — the owner-occupancy proxy — and 42% are not; 12% are owned from out of state and 12% are held by an LLC, corporation or trust. Kellsmont is the most owner-occupied community in the county at 97%; Solterra Resort the most investor-held at 0% homesteaded.
Most owner-occupied communities in Polk County
| Community | City | Homesteaded | Non-owner-occupied | Parcels | Built (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kellsmont | Lakeland | 97% | 3% | 69 | 1986 |
| Longwood Oaks | Lakeland | 95% | 5% | 93 | 1993 |
| Crescent Lake | Lakeland | 94% | 6% | 31 | 1993 |
| One Highlands Place | Lakeland | 92% | 8% | 78 | 1988 |
| Reflections Juliana | Auburndale | 91% | 9% | 56 | 1999 |
| Country Class | Lakeland | 91% | 9% | 118 | 1995 |
| Skidmore | Winter Haven | 90% | 10% | 51 | 1995 |
| Hallamwood | Lakeland | 90% | 10% | 91 | 1978 |
| LAKE GIBSON Crossing | Lakeland | 90% | 10% | 30 | 2018 |
| One Hlnds Place | Lakeland | 90% | 10% | 70 | 1988 |
| Hallam Preserve West A | Lakeland | 90% | 10% | 89 | 2013 |
| Whistler Woods | Auburndale | 90% | 10% | 39 | 1974 |
| Hamilton View | Lake Hamilton | 89% | 11% | 37 | 2014 |
| Hampton Chase | Lakeland | 89% | 11% | 65 | 1999 |
| Highlands By The Lake | Lakeland | 89% | 11% | 53 | 2001 |
| Valenciawood Hills | Winter Haven | 88% | 12% | 78 | 1981 |
| Glenmore | Lakeland | 88% | 12% | 42 | 1976 |
| Lake Winterset Acres | Winter Haven | 88% | 12% | 88 | 1977 |
| Arietta Point | Auburndale | 87% | 13% | 101 | 1990 |
| Blackwater Creek Estates | Lakeland | 86% | 14% | 51 | 2011 |
| Meadovista | Bartow | 86% | 14% | 93 | 1950 |
| Reflections Of Juliana | Auburndale | 86% | 14% | 42 | 1997 |
| Scottswood East | Lakeland | 84% | 16% | 90 | 1975 |
| Hills Of Arietta | Auburndale | 84% | 16% | 83 | 2012 |
| Arietta Shores | Auburndale | 84% | 16% | 38 | 1979 |
Most investor-held communities
Lowest homestead share — rentals, second homes and flips concentrate here.
| Community | City | Homesteaded | Non-owner-occupied | LLC / trust | Parcels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solterra Resort | Davenport | 0% | 100% | 40% | 94 |
| Crosswinds 40'S | Haines City | 0% | 100% | 56% | 156 |
| Harbor At Lake Henry | Winter Haven | 0% | 100% | 87% | 143 |
| Bimini Bay Townhomes | Davenport | 1% | 99% | 80% | 157 |
| Cedar Crossing | Haines City | 5% | 95% | 65% | 57 |
| Hawthorne Ranch | Lakeland | 11% | 89% | 52% | 536 |
| LEGACY UNION Townhomes | Davenport | 15% | 85% | 43% | 88 |
| Dundee Station | Winter Haven | 18% | 82% | 39% | 57 |
| Leomas Landing | Lake Wales | 21% | 79% | 57% | 212 |
| Outdoor Res/Orlando | Clermont | 24% | 76% | 8% | 979 |
| Howenoca Hills | Lakeland | 25% | 75% | 55% | 87 |
| Lake Parker Terrace | Lakeland | 26% | 74% | 32% | 81 |
| Delphi Hills | Lakeland | 28% | 72% | 64% | 80 |
| Weswego | Lakeland | 30% | 70% | 27% | 94 |
| Lakeside Preserve | Lakeland | 30% | 70% | 21% | 344 |
| Wind Meadows South | Bartow | 33% | 67% | 7% | 327 |
| Lake Silver Terrace | Winter Haven | 34% | 66% | 17% | 41 |
| Lawson Dunes 50'S | Haines City | 35% | 65% | 14% | 145 |
| Cobblestone Landing | Lakeland | 37% | 63% | 18% | 280 |
| Raingarden | Winter Haven | 38% | 62% | 12% | 109 |
| Sevilla On Lake | Lakeland | 40% | 60% | 26% | 80 |
| Glenwood Park | Lakeland | 40% | 60% | 21% | 364 |
| Villas Of Westridge | Davenport | 42% | 58% | 11% | 109 |
| Crystals Landing | Winter Haven | 42% | 58% | 27% | 33 |
| Autumnwood Grove Pcls A-D | Lakeland | 43% | 57% | 19% | 221 |
Most out-of-state owners
| Community | City | Out-of-state | Homesteaded | Parcels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bimini Bay Townhomes | Davenport | 81% | 1% | 157 |
| Crosswinds 40'S | Haines City | 71% | 0% | 156 |
| Outdoor Res/Orlando | Clermont | 57% | 24% | 979 |
| Solterra Resort | Davenport | 56% | 0% | 94 |
| Dundee Station | Winter Haven | 46% | 18% | 57 |
| Lakeside Preserve | Lakeland | 40% | 30% | 344 |
| Villas Of Westridge | Davenport | 30% | 42% | 109 |
| Twin Fountains Club Inc | Lake Wales | 29% | 57% | 125 |
| Hawthorne Ranch | Lakeland | 28% | 11% | 536 |
| Buckeye Ridge | Winter Haven | 28% | 58% | 208 |
| Seybold/Dunson Road | Davenport | 21% | 57% | 106 |
| Glennwood Terrace | Lakeland | 21% | 65% | 48 |
| Providence | Davenport | 21% | 58% | 1,059 |
| Forest/Ridgewood | Davenport | 20% | 56% | 171 |
| CHARLES Cove | Davenport | 20% | 46% | 508 |
Highest LLC, corporate or trust ownership
| Community | City | LLC / trust | Homesteaded | Parcels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor At Lake Henry | Winter Haven | 87% | 0% | 143 |
| Bimini Bay Townhomes | Davenport | 80% | 1% | 157 |
| Cedar Crossing | Haines City | 65% | 5% | 57 |
| Delphi Hills | Lakeland | 64% | 28% | 80 |
| Leomas Landing | Lake Wales | 57% | 21% | 212 |
| Crosswinds 40'S | Haines City | 56% | 0% | 156 |
| Howenoca Hills | Lakeland | 55% | 25% | 87 |
| Hawthorne Ranch | Lakeland | 52% | 11% | 536 |
| LEGACY UNION Townhomes | Davenport | 43% | 15% | 88 |
| Solterra Resort | Davenport | 40% | 0% | 94 |
| Dundee Station | Winter Haven | 39% | 18% | 57 |
| Lake Parker Terrace | Lakeland | 32% | 26% | 81 |
| Reserve At Fairway Oaks | Mulberry | 30% | 57% | 40 |
| Crystals Landing | Winter Haven | 27% | 42% | 33 |
| Weswego | Lakeland | 27% | 30% | 94 |
How to read this
Homestead exemption is claimed by owners who live in the home as their primary residence, so the homestead share is a close proxy for owner-occupancy; the non-owner-occupied estimate is its complement adjusted for parcels that cannot claim it. Out-of-state and LLC/trust shares come from the owner mailing address and owner name on the roll. Communities are matched to parcels by subdivision and street; figures are for the parcels matched (n shown), not necessarily every home. Source: Florida Department of Revenue NAL assessment roll, 2025, compiled by Momentum Research, November 2026. Back to homes for sale in Polk County.