Montverde Real Estate: Hill Country on the West Shore of Lake Apopka

Montverde is a small town in southeast Lake County on the southwest shore of Lake Apopka, about 24 miles northwest of downtown Orlando. Settlers arrived in 1865 and called the place West Apopka. The town says the later name comes from the Spanish monte verde, green mountain, for the rolling hills above the lake. Montverde was incorporated on May 18, 1925, and marked its centennial in 2025. It covers under 2 square miles, and the 2020 census counted 1,655 residents. ZIP code 34756 reaches well past the town limits: about two-thirds of the addresses in it are in unincorporated Lake County, including the Bella Collina golf community.

Single-family homes in ZIP code 34756 sold for a median of $1,000,000 over the 12 months ending April 2026, based on county records. The median home sold had about 3,070 square feet and was built in 2015.

Source: Lake County Property Appraiser sale records, qualified arm's-length sales (qualification codes 01 and 02) over $50,000 for single-family and condo land uses, May 2025 through April 2026, for ZIP code 34756. County records, not MLS data. Sales after April 2026 are left out because the county is still recording them. ZIP 34756 includes Bella Collina and other unincorporated areas outside the town limits, and with about 30 sales each half year the medians move with the mix of homes sold.

What Homes Sold For

Of the 79 recorded sales, including condos and townhomes, 3 were under $300,000, 9 sold between $300,000 and $399,999, 8 between $400,000 and $499,999, 15 between $500,000 and $749,999, and 44 for $750,000 or more. The ZIP mixes older homes on town lots with newer custom and builder homes in a gated golf community, so a ZIP-wide median says little about any one street. I compare recorded sales in the same subdivision, with similar lot size and lake or golf frontage, before setting a price or writing an offer.

The Town and Its History

From 1887 to 1969 the Tavares and Gulf Railroad ran through Montverde, hauling grapes, citrus and vegetables grown on the hills around the lake. The town still keeps its original form of government, a mayor and five council members, set up at incorporation. Montverde Academy, a private boarding and day school, has its campus on 7th Street in the middle of town. It opened in 1912 as the Montverde Industrial School, according to its state historical marker, and took its current name in 1962.

Bella Collina

Bella Collina is a guard-gated golf community just south of the town, with Montverde mailing addresses but outside the town limits in unincorporated Lake County. Its 18-hole course was designed by Nick Faldo, and the community has a large Tuscan-style clubhouse and overlooks Lake Siena and Lake Apopka. Toll Brothers is among the builders there. Lake County lists the Bella Collina Community Development District at about 1,826 acres, so CDD assessments appear on the tax bill in addition to association dues. Ask whether club membership is required, optional or included for the home you are considering.

Lake Apopka, Parks and Trails

Lake Apopka covers more than 30,000 acres and is the fourth-largest lake in Florida. Decades of farm runoff left it badly polluted, and the St. Johns River Water Management District reports that phosphorus is down 69 percent and water clarity is up 93 percent since the late 1980s after restoration work. In town, Truskett Park has a dock on Lake Apopka, Lake Florence Park has a covered fishing dock, and Kirk Park hosts a spring concert series. A paved greenway of about a mile links the three parks, and the Lake Apopka West Shore Boat Ramp is on Broad Street.

North of town on CR 455, Lake County's Ferndale Preserve covers 192 acres with about 4 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. The Green Mountain Scenic Byway, a 45-mile state scenic highway between Winter Garden and Mount Dora, passes through Montverde and Ferndale.

Schools

The Town of Montverde and nearly all of ZIP 34756, including Bella Collina, are zoned for Minneola Horizon Academy, a K-8 school in Minneola that opened in August 2025, and Lake Minneola High. Confirm any address with Lake County Schools.

Getting Around

County Road 455, which runs through town as 7th Street, connects south to SR 50 near Florida's Turnpike and north toward Ferndale. Without traffic, approximate drive times are about 15 minutes to downtown Clermont, 20 minutes to downtown Winter Garden, 35 to 40 minutes to downtown Orlando, 40 to 50 minutes to Walt Disney World, and 45 to 50 minutes to Orlando International Airport.

Before You Buy

Check whether the home is inside the town limits or in unincorporated Lake County, since that decides who handles zoning and permits and which utilities serve it. Nearly all homes in town use septic systems. The town has spent several years on a grant-funded plan to move homes to central sewer to protect Lake Apopka and Lake Florence, and the plan has changed more than once, so ask the town where it stands for a given street. Most land in town is mapped in FEMA Zone X, but lakefront and low areas along Lake Apopka and Lake Florence fall in Zone AE or A, where federally backed lenders require flood insurance. In Bella Collina, read the association and CDD documents and the club terms before you commit.

Montverde and Nearby Areas

The listings below cover Montverde addresses, which include Bella Collina. Tell me if you only want homes inside the town limits, or if you also want nearby Clermont or Minneola, and I will adjust the search.

Working With Me in Montverde

I help buyers compare in-town homes, lakefront lots and gated golf community homes using what homes actually recorded for, and I check septic, flood zones, CDD charges and club terms with you before you commit. If you own in Montverde, I can run a pricing check or walk you through the recorded sales that matter for your home, so your price holds up when the appraiser looks at it.

Start with the Lake County Real Estate Overview or the Clermont Real Estate guide, request a free home valuation, or contact me directly to talk about Montverde.

Common Questions

What do homes in Montverde sell for?

County records show a median single-family sale price of $1,000,000 in ZIP code 34756 in the 12 months ending April 2026, with the middle half between $649,000 and $1,500,000. The ZIP includes Bella Collina and other areas outside the town limits.

Is Bella Collina inside the Town of Montverde?

No. Bella Collina has Montverde mailing addresses, but Lake County maps place it outside the town limits in unincorporated Lake County. It has its own community development district, so CDD assessments appear on the tax bill.

Do homes in Montverde have city sewer?

Nearly all homes in town use septic systems. The town has been working on a grant-funded plan to move homes to central sewer to protect Lake Apopka and Lake Florence, and the plan has changed over time, so ask the town about any specific street.

What schools serve Montverde?

The Town of Montverde and nearly all of ZIP 34756, including Bella Collina, are zoned for Minneola Horizon Academy, a K-8 school, and Lake Minneola High. Confirm any address with Lake County Schools.