While Everyone Fights Over Tampa, I’m Quietly Selling Land in Highlands County By Juliana Scolari | Golden Ridge Partners

I’m going to let you in on something I’ve noticed from selling undeveloped land in Florida.

The people who end up happiest with their purchase are almost never the ones who bought in the county everyone was already talking about. They’re the ones who bought in the county nobody was talking about yet.

Right now, that county is Highlands.

And I know this because I’m Juliana Scolari, I run Golden Ridge Partners, and I spend more time looking at Florida land data than any reasonable person should. I’ve driven these roads. I’ve walked these lots. I’ve watched the pattern play out over and over: quiet county stays quiet, people discover it, prices climb, and everyone who waited says the same thing.

“I should have bought when it was cheap.”

Highlands County is still cheap. I’m not going to pretend I know exactly when that changes. But I can tell you that the signs are all pointing in the same direction.

What I’m Seeing on the Ground

Florida is adding roughly a thousand new residents every single day. That’s not something I made up for a blog post. That’s a number that every real estate analyst in the state watches closely because it drives everything. Housing demand. Land values. Infrastructure spending. School construction. Road expansion. All of it.

For the last decade, that growth has been concentrated along the coasts and in the big metro areas. Tampa. Orlando. Jacksonville. Miami. Those markets have absorbed enormous amounts of demand and the prices reflect it. A modest lot in Hillsborough County costs more than a nice car. Sometimes two nice cars.

But here’s the part that matters: that growth is pushing inward. It has to. The coasts are running out of affordable inventory. The metro areas are getting congested and expensive. And the people who are moving to Florida in 2026 are not all hedge fund managers. A lot of them are remote workers, young families, retirees on fixed incomes, and small business owners who need their money to stretch.

Those people are discovering interior Florida. And Highlands County is sitting right in the path.

Why Highlands County Specifically

I sell land in multiple Florida counties and every one of them has something going for it. But Highlands County has a combination that’s hard to find anywhere else right now.

First, the location. Highlands County is in south central Florida, roughly equidistant from both coasts. You can get to the Gulf beaches in about 90 minutes. You can get to the Atlantic side in about the same. You’re far enough south that winter barely exists here. The weather in January feels like what most of the country gets in May.

Second, the infrastructure is already there. Sebring has a regional airport. There’s a hospital. There are grocery stores, restaurants, a community college, and a downtown that doesn’t feel like it was manufactured by a developer. Avon Park and Lake Placid have their own distinct personalities. This isn’t the middle of nowhere. It’s the middle of Florida, which is a very different thing.

Third, and this is the big one, the price of land here is still genuinely affordable. Not “affordable by Miami standards,” which is like saying a sandwich is “cheap for an airport.” Actually affordable. The kind of affordable where you read the price and you don’t need a minute to recover emotionally.

Why I Do Owner Financing (And Why It Matters Here)

I get asked all the time why I don’t just list properties the normal way and let banks handle the financing. And the answer is pretty simple: banks don’t want to finance small land purchases. The loan amount is too low for them to bother with. The paperwork costs them more than the profit. So they just don’t do it.

Which means if you’re a regular person who wants to buy a small piece of undeveloped land in Florida, the traditional system has basically locked you out. You either need to pay cash or you need to find someone who will finance it directly.

That’s me. That’s what I do.

At Golden Ridge Partners, I finance the land myself. No banks. No credit checks. No 90 day underwriting process where someone named Brian keeps asking for documents you already sent twice. You put a small amount down, make easy monthly payments at 0% interest, and you own the land free and clear when it’s paid off.

I built this model because I believe land ownership shouldn’t require a six figure income and a perfect credit score. Especially in a county like Highlands where the land is affordable to begin with. The whole point is that this should be accessible. Not exclusive. Not complicated. Not stressful.

And yes, we have a 100 Day Love It or Swap It guarantee. If you get your lot and something doesn’t feel right, I’ll swap you into a different property. I’d rather you end up somewhere you love.

Who’s Actually Buying Land in Highlands County Right Now

I’ll tell you because the answer might surprise you.

It’s not just investors with spreadsheets and five year exit strategies. Although some of them are here too, and they’re not dumb.

A lot of my buyers are first timers. People who have never owned property before. People who are renting somewhere expensive and realized that for the same money they spend on two months of rent, they could own a piece of Florida outright. That realization hits different. I’ve seen it on phone calls. There’s this pause, and then a quiet “wait, really?” and then we’re looking at lots together.

Some are remote workers who relocated to Florida and figured out they don’t need to live in Tampa to work from Florida. They need wifi and a lower cost of living. Highlands County has both.

Some are retirees. People who worked their whole lives and just want a piece of land they can call theirs. Maybe they’ll build on it someday. Maybe they just want to sit in a folding chair and watch the sun set over their own property, which honestly sounds like one of the best retirement activities I can think of.

And some are parents buying lots for their kids. Putting land in the family. Creating something that gets passed down. That one gets me every time. I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t.

If You’ve Read This Far

You’re not just casually scrolling. Something about this resonated. Maybe it’s the idea of owning land in a growing part of Florida before the prices catch up. Maybe it’s the simplicity of owner financing with no banks and no credit checks. Maybe you just liked the part about the airport sandwich.

Whatever it is, here’s what I’d suggest.

Go look at what we have available. Every lot on our site is verified with real photos and real pricing. Nothing inflated. Nothing hidden. Just land in Highlands County at prices that still make sense.

Browse Available Lots: goldenrp.land/inventory

If you’re not ready to pull the trigger but you want to know when new Highlands County lots come in, join the VIP list. It’s free. No spam. Just early access and a credit toward your first purchase when the time is right.

Join the Free VIP List: goldenrp.land/become-vip

Or just reach out. I’m a real person. I answer emails. I pick up the phone. And I genuinely enjoy talking to people about land in Florida, which is probably the nerdiest thing I could possibly admit, but here we are.

Email: info@goldenrp.land

Phone: (407) 917-0848

 Everyone’s watching the same crowded markets. I’m watching Highlands County. And I think in a few years, the people who bought here are going to feel very good about that decision.

Juliana Scolari

Golden Ridge Partners