Ocala Preserve

Ocala Preserve is a gated golf and resort community in northwest Ocala, ZIP 34482, on more than 600 acres. It is not a nature preserve, and it is not part of the southwest Ocala corridor that holds On Top of the World and other 55+ communities. Its developer is Forestar, and its builders are Shea Homes and D.R. Horton. Older pages and videos may call it Trilogy at Ocala Preserve, a Shea Homes brand that first marketed the community.

The most important thing to know is that Ocala Preserve is mixed-age. Some homes are age-restricted and others are open to all ages. It should not be described as a 55+ community as a whole. This page comes from SwanGate Real Estate Services, an Ocala brokerage led by Broker-Owner Mika Harris. It sets out what the builders and the community publish, and it names the questions that still need an answer from the seller, the HOA, or the CDD before you buy.

What it is like to live here

The community’s own site calls Ocala Preserve a sophisticated and welcoming gated lifestyle community, with a full social calendar at The Club at Ocala Preserve. The setting is built around golf and outdoor space, which gives the community a resort feel. There is a seven-acre lake, three themed parks, and a network of walking, biking, and hiking trails.

The golf is a Tom Lehman-designed 18-hole skills course on 50 acres, plus a six-hole players course. Agave Spa and Salon offers massage, facial and body treatments, and nail services. Builder sites describe more amenities: the Oak House Resort Club of about 17,000 square feet with the Salted Brick restaurant and bar, pickleball and tennis courts, indoor and outdoor fitness centers, a pool and an Olympic-size lap pool, a dog park, a game room, a culinary studio, bocce, kayaking, and a rock climbing wall.

The Club at Ocala Preserve says it is a private, non-equity club with membership options for residents only. It also says public golf play, spa bookings, and guest dining are welcomed for now. That wording points to a change in progress, so ask Mika what access looks like today.

The ownership history is short. In November 2020, Forestar, IHP Capital Partners, and Shea Homes announced that Forestar was acquiring the real estate operations, club operations, and homeowner association business of what was then Trilogy at Ocala Preserve.

Homes and prices

Shea Homes builds single-family and duplex homes here, and D.R. Horton builds single-family homes and villas. Shea labels its product “Partial 55+, Single Story Homes.”

That label is the reason to slow down. Shea states that some homes at Ocala Preserve are intended for occupancy by at least one person 55 or older, with certain exceptions, and that others are open to all ages. The community’s own site does not publish an age rule. So the rule depends on the specific neighborhood, builder, and section, and it should be confirmed for each address before you make an offer, in writing.

The D.R. Horton page describes a low-maintenance, resort-style new home community and does not state an age restriction in the text SwanGate reviewed. That is worth asking about directly rather than assuming either way. The age rule is the community’s own, and SwanGate reports it as published without steering anyone toward or away from a section.

If you are comparing Ocala Preserve with On Top of the World, the biggest difference in the rules is the age mix. On Top of the World has one community-wide age rule. At Ocala Preserve the rule depends on the section.

SwanGate does not publish a price range for Ocala Preserve. Prices vary by builder, product, and neighborhood, and no dated official range is available to quote. Ask Mika for current listings and recent sales, and which builders are still selling.

A buyer who lives out of state can save a trip by asking for one list covering each home on a shortlist: the builder, the neighborhood, the age rule for that section, the HOA dues, the CDD assessment, and the club terms. Owners who are thinking about selling can find out what a home is worth.

Fees and rules

Ocala Preserve has a homeowners association, and Shea’s page lists Access Management as the HOA manager. Third-party listing pages show monthly HOA figures, but none are dated or official, so SwanGate does not publish a dollar amount. Ask Mika for the current monthly dues for the specific home.

There is also a Community Development District, or CDD. The Ocala Preserve CDD was established on June 16, 2021, by Marion County Ordinance 21-15. It covers about 263.62 acres, all within the City of Ocala. Buyers can face CDD assessments on top of HOA dues.

The amount varies by lot, and it was not verified for this page. The HOA and the CDD are two separate bills, since the CDD was created by county ordinance and the HOA is the homeowners association. Ask for the CDD assessment along with the HOA figure, because the two together are the real monthly and yearly cost.

The community is gated. Rental rules are not published publicly. Membership requirements and current pricing for the private club were not verified either. The answers should come from the HOA or the club, not from a listing. Treat all of these as questions to answer before you commit. For a resale, ask for the HOA and CDD documents that go with the specific home, and read them before you commit.

Getting around

Ocala Preserve is in northwest Ocala, and the Club is at 4021 NW 53rd Avenue Road. The community’s own site says downtown Ocala is just over five miles away. Measured as a driving route, downtown Ocala is about 15 minutes by car, roughly 6.7 miles, with no traffic.

The nearest hospital measured, HCA Florida West Marion Hospital, is about 16 minutes away, roughly 8.2 miles. AdventHealth Ocala and HCA Florida Ocala Hospital are each about 17 minutes. These drive times are approximate and will vary with traffic and time of day.

Ocala Preserve sits in the northwest part of town, on the other side of Ocala from the southwest corridor of larger 55+ communities, so the drive to any one place will differ from what you may have read about those. The CDD lies entirely within the City of Ocala. For a view of the wider city, see Ocala.

Renting and owning from out of town

Ocala Preserve does not publish its rental policy on its public site, so anyone planning to lease a home here should get the rules in writing before buying. Ask about minimum lease terms, association approval, and whether any age rules apply to renters in that neighborhood. The answers can differ between a 55+ section and an all-ages section, and the community itself does not publish them.

Owning from a distance adds a few things to pin down early: who the HOA manager is and how to reach them, what the HOA dues and the CDD assessment are, and whether club membership is optional or required for residents. If you own a home here and live elsewhere, or you have inherited one, read the out-of-town owners page for how SwanGate helps from a distance.

To talk through Ocala Preserve, call Mika Harris at 352-850-6477.