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MONTVERDE, Fla. – When WKMG Hit the Road to Montverde and the 34756 ZIP code, we quickly found out it was home to one of Central Florida’s most exclusive communities.
Bella Collina, which sits on the southern shore of Lake Apopka, broke ground in 2004 and takes up a large part of the small Lake County town.
Behind the guard-gated entrance, you’ll find nearly 1,900 acres of scenic lakes, rolling hills and a world-class golf course designed by Sir Nick Faldo but what separates Bella Collina from other luxury communities is its Tuscan-style architecture.
“It reminded me of Italy,” Antony Oseitutu said. “You have the rolling hills like Tuscany. This is a Tuscan home. I just fell in love.”
Oseitutu moved into his 4,000-square-foot Bella Collina home in 2020. As a real estate broker, he said the timing was perfect.
“It’s completely transformed,” he explained. “If we were having this interview in December of 2020, it would’ve been completely different.”
Even though Bella Collina has been around for nearly 20 years, it’s booming with new home construction as of late. Several leading home builders, including Toll Brothers, have signage in front of the luxury neighborhood.
“I think a lot of people are not aware of all of the growth and development,” Oseitutu said. “Even some realtors come in here and are surprised. There’s a lot of construction and more to come.”
Out of the 890 total lots on the massive property, roughly 300 homes have been built so far.
Oseitutu, who lives on the golf course side of the neighborhood, told News 6 that some nearby homes have recently sold for between $750,000 and $1.4 million.
“Across the street is going for just shy of $1.4 million,” he said. “You had 15 (homes) in April that closed. There are about 31 or so on the market.”
It’s even more expensive for the lakefront estates on the other side of Bella Collina. According to Zillow, homes on Lake Siena are listed for upwards of $4 million.
“You have some incredible mansions over there,” Oseitutu said. “You have some serious estates. I’m sure some of them have a helicopter pad on them. You have pro athletes, some celebrities, and you’ll run into some interesting characters.”
One of those pro athletes is New York Mets star Francisco Lindor who also played baseball at nearby Montverde Academy. The 30-year-old shortstop reportedly scooped up a $2.9 million Bella Collina mansion in 2021.
“I think there’s certainly a demand for the luxury lifestyle in Central Florida,” Oseitutu said. “They’re moving, and they’re moving steadily.”
Bella Collina’s 75,000-square-foot Tuscan-style clubhouse is also a very popular place to get married. The venue was recently inducted into The Knot Magazine’s “Best of Weddings” Hall of Fame.
