Moving to Lake County? Here are some recent reports that might help guide your decision, whether you’re looking for affordability or new construction.
Nextdoor, the community-oriented social media platform, has delved into which neighborhoods are most affordable in Leesburg as moving season ramps up.
“We just released our 2026 rankings of Leesburg’s Most Affordable Neighborhoods, and the results are pretty interesting,” the Nextdoor spokesperson told the Daily Commercial in an email.
Which neighborhoods ranked highest in affordability?
These are the Leesburg communities identifying as neighborhoods on Nextdoor.com that the platform ranked as most affordable.
According to Nextdoor, rankings of Leesburg neighborhoods spotlight the communities where residents benefit from the most favorable cost-of-living conditions.
Visit nextdoor.com/rankings/cheapest-places-to-live/leesburg–fl to find out about these neighborhoods and others that made the list.
Why would people move to Leesburg?
“Mentions of ‘needing more space’ as a reason for moving jumped 50% compared to last year,” explained Nextdoor’s spokesperson.
But with new developments planned for the area and The Villages expanding to Leesburg, it remains to be seen how long that “wide-open” lure will continue in the coming years.
Orlando area No. 15 in nation for new construction
According to ConsumerAffairs, nearly 1,000 new homes were sold in the Orlando area, comprising Lake County towns like Mount Dora, Groveland and Clermont, within the first two months of the year. These findings led to Orlando being ranked No. 15 in the U.S. for new home development.
The ConsumerAffairs number crunchers analyzed new building permits and new-construction home sales to find the cities building and selling the most new homes.
Here’s the breakdown:
“This comes as a rare bipartisan push in Congress to address America’s housing shortage is gaining momentum, putting renewed focus on supply,” the Consumer Affairs spokesperson told the Daily Commercial.
“Orlando’s numbers offer a ground-level look at what that could mean for buyers.”
For the full report, visit consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/cities-building-the-most-new-homes.html
What do experts mean by ‘the missing middle’?
Looking at economic and real estate trends in Florida reported by real estate websites, developers are favoring upscale homes disproportionately over homes affordable for average-income buyers, which won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been on the market house-hunting.
Realtors call the buyers left out “the missing middle.”
According to Zillow, homes near East Ridge High School on Citrus Tower Boulevard in Clermont generally sell between $450,000 and $650,000.
The average personal income in Clermont is $54,532, while the median household income stands at $82,306, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Clermont.
How much should you pay for a house based on that salary? Applying the 28/36 rule formulas used to determine the exact purchasing power limits by Investopedia or Bankrate, the ideal amount an individual or couple earning average salaries should pay for a house is $185,000.
So, looking in neighborhoods like Leesburg’s Sherwood Highlands would be recommended. The catch: Houses in average-income subdivisions tend to go on the market less often because homeowners have to stay put and can’t afford to move.
Ongoing real estate data compiled by Redfin’s National Home Turnover Index shows that the neighborhood turnover rate sits at a historic low of just 2.77%.
In a 2025 Statewide Rental Market Study, the University of Florida Shimberg Center reported that while Florida added more than 240,000 multifamily units in recent years, the supply of affordable units failed to keep pace with demand.
UF documented that nearly 905,000 low-income renter households in Florida are “cost-burdened,” meaning they spend more than 40% of their income on rent.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Affordability, new construction and ‘the missing middle’ ranked in Lake County
Reporting by Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial / Daily Commercial
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial | USA TODAY Network
