Manatee County · also Sarasota
Buying a home in Lakewood Ranch
Special districts bill homeowners here on top of taxes, and the county line changes your tax rate, schools and title costs.
Median sale, all homes
$599,000
Median house
$653,250
House $/sq ft
$277
That house, a month
$5,726
571 sales, Apr 2026 to Sep 2026, county property appraiser records. Monthly cost: 3.5% down at 7.24%, with Lakewood Ranch taxes and insurance.
Buying a first home in Lakewood Ranch: CDD assessments, the Manatee and Sarasota County split, tax rates and recent prices, checked against official sources.
Prices by home type
- Houses$653,250 · 450 sold
- Condos$332,500 · 84 sold
- Townhomes$315,000 · 26 sold
- Villas$435,000 · 11 sold
What buyers should know
District assessments
$1,481 to $6,034
Yearly per home on the tax bill in CDD 1 ($1,481 to $2,058) and CDD 5 ($3,203 to $6,034). Newer villages are in the Lakewood Ranch Stewardship District, which bills its own. Homestead doesn't reduce them; get the parcel's exact amount.
FY2025-26 · LWR CDD 1 notice, LWR CDD 5 notice, Wikipedia
Property tax rate
14.16 or 11.47 mills
Lakewood Ranch spans Manatee and Sarasota counties. Manatee side: 14.16, about $5,100 a year on a $400,000 homesteaded home. Sarasota side: 11.47, about $4,150.
2025 tax year · Manatee Property Appraiser, Sarasota Tax Collector, Lakewood Ranch fact sheet
Recent median sale
$599,000
The Manatee County side of Lakewood Ranch, 571 recorded sales, all home types: houses $653,250, condos $332,500. The Census puts the typical owner's home value at $678,200 (2020-24). Manatee's records don't mark non-market sales, so sales under $50,000 are left out.
Apr-Sep 2026 · Manatee County parcel records, U.S. Census
Schools and title
Follow the county line
Manatee side: Manatee schools (B) and the seller usually pays for title. Sarasota side: Sarasota schools (A) and the buyer usually pays and picks the title company.
2025-26 grades · Fla. Dept. of Education, Fla. Dept. of Financial Services, Barnes Walker
Worth knowing before you offer
- Most homes pay a CDD of about $1,200 to $6,400 a year on the tax bill, plus HOA dues. Get the exact amount for the home; homestead doesn't reduce it. Fla. Stat. 190.048
- Lakewood Ranch spans two counties. The Sarasota side has a lower tax rate, and there the buyer usually picks and pays for the title company. Sarasota County Tax Collector
Down payment help that can apply in Lakewood Ranch
- Florida Hometown Heroes: 5% of your loan, $10,000 to $35,000
- FL Assist: Up to $10,000
- FL HLP second mortgage: $12,500
- HFA Preferred PLUS: 3%, 4% or 5% of your loan
- Manatee County HFA Home Ownership Program: Up to $15,000, plus a yearly tax credit
Facts last checked Oct 23, 2026.