There is a place in Sarasota where home buyers can still find Old Florida charm in a modern setting. The Forest at Hi Hat Ranch is an exclusive neighborhood that combines luxury with privacy and nature. With only 54 home sites reserved for development across 270 acres, the Forest at Hi Hat Ranch features lots of privacy in a verdant setting.

Five of the most respected home builders in Southwest Florida have been approved to make the Forest vision of elegant Old Florida estates come true: Anchor Builders, Arthur Rutenberg, John Cannon, John Neal, and Todd Johnston. In order to foster real estate value appreciation through aesthetics, home builders are not allowed to duplicate their own architectural designs. As a result, home buyers have a lot of residential styles to choose from.

As of April 2014, available lots at the Forest started at $145,800. Some of the most elegant estates are built on four acres and feature four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a library room, an attic, swimming pool, and even a private nature preserve. Pricing for these estates begins at $1.1 million. Even more spectacular estates are available at various listed prices up to $3.9 million.

No two residences are alike in this community, and they are arranged in such a way that they are not visible from each neighbor’s home. Residents of the Forest at Hi Hat Ranch enjoy some of the most pristine nature views in Florida; they also have a wetland preserve and two large lakes to enjoy. This is the closest that Southwest Florida residents have to living inside a state park.

As expected, families are very interested in the spacious, 2,800 to 4,000 square feet floor plans available in this special neighborhood. Lakeview Elementary, Sarasota Middle and Oak Park School are some of the public institutions serving the Forest at Hi Hat Ranch. Highway I-75 and a commercial shopping district on Clark Road are just 10 minutes away, and the Siesta Key beaches are another 30 minutes away on the same road.