Independence is a neighborhood in south Winter Garden, in the 34787 zip code, built mostly in the 2000s. Homes are block and stucco. Most homes fall between about 1,500 and 3,600 square feet under air, the median lot is roughly a fifth of an acre, and a two car garage is standard.
Homes here carry an HOA, billed monthly, typically around $175. Confirm the figure on a specific parcel before relying on it.
Independence Community Dog Park, Signers Park, Falcon Square Dog Park and Independence Elementary School sit inside the subdivision.
What Independence is, and who it suits
Independence was one of the first master-planned communities in Horizon West, in the Bridgewater village. It started life as Signature Lakes, and the MLS still files most of its homes under that name, so search both. Ground was broken in 2003 and the community says its major construction was complete by 2017. It mixes estate homes, single-family houses, four townhome communities and an apartment community, nearly 1,900 properties in all, laid out as small Colonial-style neighborhoods around parks, ponds and trails. Like the rest of Horizon West it is unincorporated Orange County, whatever the Winter Garden address says.
The amenities are the main draw. Two residents clubs, Town Square and Lake Trail, each have a fitness center and a resort-style pool, with an arcade, a billiards lounge and a business center between them. Residents have two boat ramps, one on Lake Hancock and one on Lake Speer, and a full-time lifestyle team runs seasonal festivals, a July 4 fireworks show and food truck nights. Many listings say the HOA dues include cable and internet, so compare the dues against a neighborhood where those are separate bills.
Lake Hancock sets the top of the market. The four highest sales in the last year were all lakefront estates on Lake Hancock, three of them built since 2019, and they sold for several times a typical home here. Value one against other lakefront estate sales, not against the neighborhood numbers below.
Age is now part of the price. More than half of the homes sold here in the last year were at least 15 years old. Under Florida Statute 627.7011, an insurer cannot refuse a homeowner's policy solely because of roof age while the roof is under 15; after that, the owner may need an inspection showing at least five years of useful life left. About one listing in five advertised a replaced roof. On a home still on its original roof, ask the roof's age and get an insurance quote before the inspection period ends.
A strong fit for buyers who want an active, events-driven community with two clubs and boat ramps; buyers who want an established neighborhood with mature landscaping and no builder competing on price; townhome buyers who want the full amenity package; and estate buyers looking at lakefront on Lake Hancock.
A weaker fit for buyers who want new construction, since major construction finished in 2017; buyers who need a single-story home, which were only about one sale in six last year; and buyers who want newer homes with a similar amenity list, who can compare Summerlake in the same village.
What the homes are
Built Mostly built in the 2000s, with homes from 2005 to 2024.
Construction Block and stucco. Shingle roofs on 87% of homes.
Size Most homes fall between about 1,500 and 3,600 square feet under air.
Bedrooms Three bedrooms is the most common plan, then four, then five.
Garage A two car garage is standard.
Lot The median lot is roughly a fifth of an acre.
HOA Billed monthly, typically around $175. Confirm on a specific parcel before relying on it.
Where Independence is
Independence, centered at 28.470104, -81.606322. Drag to explore.
Drive times below are measured on the road network from the center of Independence, not straight-line distance, in free-flowing traffic. Treat them as the floor rather than the school-run average.
Driving to
Time
Miles
Downtown Orlando
30 min
22.2
Walt Disney World
17 min
8.4
Orlando International Airport
35 min
30.6
Universal Orlando
29 min
21.1
Public schools nearby
Independence Elementary School 3 min, 0.5 mi
Keene’s Crossing Elementary School 9 min, 2.7 mi
Summerlake Elementary School 10 min, 3.8 mi
Windermere High School 9 min, 3.1 mi
Private schools nearby
Windermere Preparatory School 8 min, 3.4 mi
Parks and recreation
Independence Community Dog Park 2 min, 0.3 mi
Signers Park 4 min, 1.0 mi
Kenzie Park 3 min, 0.7 mi
Falcon Square Dog Park 2 min, 0.6 mi
Groceries and errands
Publix Super Market at Cornerstone at Summerport 8 min, 2.6 mi
Nearest is not the same as zoned. The schools above are the closest ones to Independence by distance. School attendance zones are set by the district, change from year to year, and can differ street to street inside one neighborhood. Confirm the assignment for a specific address with Orange County Public Schools before it matters to a decision.
Places and drive times from Google, checked 1 September 2026. Businesses open and close; if something here has changed, tell me and I will correct it.
This page tracks what homes in Independence actually sold for over the last twelve months, how long they took, and what moved the price. It is built from 68 verified closed sales in the Stellar MLS feed, not from public estimates. Every figure is a net-of-concessions number, which is explained at the bottom. Updated October 2026.
What homes sold for in Independence
$539,675Median sale price
$236Median per square foot
38 daysMedian days to contract
68Homes sold in 12 months
Sale prices ran from $303,975 to $3,050,000, which is a wide spread and the reason a single neighborhood median is a starting point rather than an answer.
By size
Home size
Sales
Median price
Median $/sq ft
Median days
Under 2,000 sq ft
24
$410,000
$256
50 days
2,000 to 3,000 sq ft
26
$566,500
$215
62 days
3,000 sq ft and up
18
$793,750
$221
15 days
A price per foot taken from the whole neighborhood should never be applied straight to one house.
What a pool is worth here
Homes with a private pool sold at a median $280 per square foot against $233 without one, a difference of $47 per square foot. That comes from 15 sales with a pool and 53 without.
Homes priced right sold far faster
Median days to go under contract. Shorter is better.
Never reduced 34 sales, closed at 97.9% of asking12 days
Reduced at least once 34 sales, closed at 97.7% of the reduced price84 days
Sellers who priced correctly and held their number went under contract in a median 12 days. Sellers who had to reduce took 84 days and still closed at 97.7% of their already reduced price, after a typical cut of $20,000. Opening high costs time and money, in that order.
Seller concessions
40%Of sales included a seller credit
$10,000Typical credit when there was one
27 of 68Sales carrying a credit
A seller credit covers part of the buyer's closing costs and comes off the seller's proceeds, so the headline sale price overstates what the seller kept. Budget for it if you are selling, and ask for it if you are buying.
How buyers paid
Conventional 45 sales66%
Cash 17 sales25%
FHA 5 sales7%
VA 1 sale1%
Cash was 25% of purchases. A high cash share means a seller has buyers who do not depend on an appraisal, and a buyer using a loan is competing against offers that can close faster.
Questions about a specific home in Independence, or want to know what yours would sell for? Call or text Brenden Rendo at 407-616-9019 or send a message.
About this data. Source is the Stellar MLS feed for Independence in Horizon West, Orange County, covering closed sales from 8 October 2025 through 3 October 2026, refreshed monthly and current as of October 2026. Prices are net of seller concessions, so they reflect what the seller actually received rather than the headline number. Data believed accurate but not guaranteed; listings and closings change daily.
