Most people who have never bought here picture theme parks and tourist corridors, but the residents who choose Orlando know a different city. Downtown Orlando wraps Lake Eola — a 43-acre lake where swan pedal boats run year-round and the Sunday Farmers Market draws 10,000 people weekly. The neighborhoods that ring the lake — Thornton Park, Lake Eola Heights, and Delaney Park — are dense with Craftsman bungalows, brick streets, and walkable restaurant rows that feel nothing like the strip-mall sprawl people expect. Moving outward, the city fragments into distinct markets with different buyer profiles. College Park and Audubon Park attract buyers who want character homes from the 1940s–60s, mature oak canopies, and neighborhood bars they can walk to. Dr. Phillips pulls families chasing A-rated schools and the Restaurant Row corridor on Sand Lake Road. Baldwin Park, built on the former Naval Training Center site, offers new urbanist planning — mixed-use blocks, a town center, and a lake-loop trail — at prices that still trade at a premium to the surrounding zip codes. Lake Nona is a story unto itself. The 17-square-mile Medical City development hosts the UCF College of Medicine, Nemours Children's Hospital, VA Medical Center, and a growing innovation campus. Laureate Park, Randal Park, and Meridian Parks have all delivered thousands of homes in the past decade, making Lake Nona the most active new-construction submarket in the entire Orlando MSA. If you are buying new construction in the city limits, there is a good chance the conversation starts here. We work this market from downtown bungalows to Lake Nona townhomes, and the range of what 'Orlando' means means buyers need a guide who knows where each submarket sits in the cycle — not just which zip code is popular.
Market context
As of early 2026, the Orlando market is showing controlled appreciation rather than the frenzied pace of 2021–2022. The median sale price for homes within the city proper sits near $410,000 (Redfin, March 2026), with homes averaging around 54 days on market — a meaningful normalization from the sub-14-day environment of the peak. Inventory has been expanding, which gives buyers more negotiating room than they have had in years, particularly in the $400K–$600K range where rate sensitivity is highest. Lake Nona new construction continues to attract buyers willing to tolerate longer build timelines in exchange for modern floorplans and builder incentives on rate buy-downs. The sub-$300K price point is nearly extinct inside the city limits; buyers at that budget are pushed toward outlying suburbs or the condo market in downtown and Mills 50.
Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods in Orlando
Audubon Park
East Orlando's most walkable neighborhood -- Corrine Drive lined with Michelin-starred restaurants and independent shops, a 50-acre botanical garden at the doorstep, and a K-8 school that scores 10 out of 10.
Baldwin Park
Master-planned urban village built on the former Orlando Naval Training Center. Walkable streets, New England architecture, and three lakes.
College Park
College Park is one of Orlando's oldest in-town neighborhoods, built in the 1920s on streets named after universities — Princeton, Harvard, Yale — and anchored by Edgewater Drive, a mile-long corridor of independent restaurants, boutiques, and a walkable grocery store.
Conway
Conway is southeast Orlando's lake-chain neighborhood — four interconnected motorized-boat lakes totaling nearly 1,800 acres, 10 minutes from downtown and 15 minutes from OIA, with deepwater dockable lots mixed into established 1950s–1970s ranch streets.
Delaney Park
Delaney Park is one of downtown Orlando's oldest in-town neighborhoods — 1920s craftsman bungalows and Mediterranean revivals on shaded streets surrounding Lake Cherokee, a National Register historic district, a five-minute drive from downtown without downtown's density.
Dr. Phillips
Established South Orlando community known for gated golf communities, Restaurant Row (Sand Lake Road), and top-rated schools.
Lake Eola Heights
Lake Eola Heights is Orlando's first locally designated historic district — 487 homes on brick streets under 100-year-old live oaks, one walk-light from Lake Eola Park, with no HOA and Hillcrest Elementary (10/10) as the zoned school.
Lake Nona
Southeast Orlando's 17-square-mile master-planned community built around a 650-acre Medical City campus — UCF Health Sciences, Nemours Children's, and the VA Lake Nona Medical Center all within walking distance of Laureate Park's colorful craftsman homes.
Schools
Top-rated schools in Orlando
- Audubon Park School10/10
Orange County Public Schools
- Castleview Elementary School6/10
Orange County Public Schools
- Dr. Phillips High School8/10
Orange County Public Schools
- Freedom High School6/10
Orange County Public Schools
- Glenridge Middle School7/10
Orange County Public Schools
- Lake Como School7/10
Orange County Public Schools
- Lake Eola Charter School7/10
Orange County Public Schools
- Olympia High School5/10
Orange County Public Schools
New construction
Builder communities in Orlando
active
Alora
Alora is Toll Brothers’ new luxury townhome community in Lake Nona, with three-story plans, Laureate Park amenity access, and model homes open at 9176 Sinatra Lane near Lake Nona’s medical, sports, and town-center core.
EverBe
EverBe is a new master-planned community in East Orlando near the SR-417/SR-528 corridor, with Pulte townhome and single-family options and resort-style amenities planned as the neighborhood builds out.
EverBe
EverBe is a new master-planned community in East Orlando near the SR-417/SR-528 corridor, with Lennar townhome and single-family options and a resort-style amenity center planned as the neighborhood builds out.
Gatherings of Lake Nona
The Gatherings® of Lake Nona is Lake Nona's only 55+ active-adult condo community — 216 low-maintenance condos with attached garages, resort amenities, and walkable access to Lake Nona Town Center and Medical City.
Laureate Park by Dream Finders
Dream Finders Homes' product line within Laureate Park — the Tavistock-developed master plan in Lake Nona — offering single-family homes on 40' and 50' homesites from the $600s, with access to the community's resort aquatic center, LP Fit, and walkable Village Center.
Meridian Parks
Meridian Parks is a large Lake Nona-area Mattamy Homes community with townhomes and single-family homes, real trail-and-park infrastructure, outdoor art, and gigabit internet included with HOA dues — a strong fit for buyers who want newer construction near SR 417, Orlando International Airport, and the broader Lake Nona job corridor.
Tyson Ranch
Tyson Ranch is a gated M/I Homes townhome community in Orlando near Boggy Creek Road, Lake Nona Boulevard, SR 417, Orlando International Airport, and Medical City. The community is in closeout with townhomes from the low $400s, a pool and cabana, playground, dog park, pond, and landscaped garden boulevard.
Woodside Preserve
Woodside Preserve is a 53-home Toll Brothers community on Lake Underhill Road in east Orlando — luxury single-family homes from 2,065 to 3,277+ sq ft, priced from $598K, in a wooded Orange County setting close to UCF and Waterford Lakes.
sold out
Randal Park
Randal Park is a Lake Nona-area master-planned community in southeast Orlando known for its parks, trails, clubhouse amenities, and quick access to SR 417 and SR 528. Mattamy’s new construction is sold out, but buyers still target the neighborhood for its community feel and location.
Randal Walk
Randal Walk is a sold-out, gated Mattamy townhome community in the Lake Nona area of southeast Orlando. It was positioned around low-maintenance living with a private pool and outdoor-kitchen amenities, plus quick access to SR 417/SR 528 and the airport corridor.
Royal Estates
A 169-home Pulte community in Orlando's Horizon West pocket — 3-car-garage luxury builds on pond-front lots, 2 miles from Disney, zoned for Windermere High.
Summerdale Park at Lake Nona
Summerdale Park at Lake Nona is a small, builder-direct neighborhood in the Lake Nona area of Orlando with Dream Finders single-family floor plans and a simple amenity set (pool + playground), positioned for quick access to SR-417 and Medical City.
The Brix at The Packing District
135 three-story luxury townhomes inside The Packing District master plan — a Dr. Phillips Charities redevelopment one mile from downtown Orlando — with rooftop terraces, 2-car garages, and walkable access to a food hall, YMCA, and 40-acre urban farm.
From the blog
Reading about Orlando
Florida HOA 101: What You're Really Paying For (and the CDD Trap)
HOA fees are Florida's biggest surprise for out-of-state buyers — but CDDs are the trap most never see coming. Here's exactly what you're paying for, what typical ranges look like in Tampa Bay and Central FL, and how to spot a CDD before you make an offer.
Best Orlando Neighborhoods for Families in 2026
Orlando spans four counties and hundreds of neighborhoods — not all of them equal for families. This guide covers 11 areas where schools, safety, and livability actually hold up under scrutiny, from Baldwin Park to Lake Mary, with realistic price ranges and commute notes for each.
Central Florida Home Builders Compared: Lennar, Pulte, Meritage, Dream Finders, and More
Shopping for a new-construction home in Central Florida? This guide covers every major active builder — Lennar, D.R. Horton, Pulte, Meritage, Dream Finders, Toll Brothers, and more — with price bands, strengths, and honest buyer complaints.
Buying Your First Home in Florida: A Week-by-Week Timeline
In Florida, buying your first home takes 90 to 120 days from pre-approval to keys. This is the week-by-week breakdown — including Florida-specific steps most national guides leave out: insurance shopping, homestead exemption filing, HOA estoppel, and doc stamps.
Where Orlando is
Orlando, FL
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