Resale prices by village, the Stewardship District, builders versus resale, flood and insurance, from the team that has sold Southwest Florida since 2012.
Updated September 2026 · Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar, Domain Realty · Prices from the Collier County recorded-sale file (county file dated 29 August 2026), pulled 27 September 2026
McGreevy and Comisar are Southwest Florida buyer's agents who work in Ave Maria every week, and this is our guide to buying a home in Ave Maria, Florida: what homes actually sell for, how a new home compares with a resale, what it costs to own one, which village fits which buyer, and how the purchase works in Florida in 2026.
Ave Maria is a master-planned town in eastern Collier County, about 24 miles inland from the Gulf, built around Ave Maria University and a town center with the Oratory at its heart. In the twelve months to August 2026 the county recorded 552 qualified home sales in Ave Maria at a $415,350 median. Resold houses closed at a $454,500 median and resold condominiums at $246,000, while builders delivered 377 new homes directly to buyers.
Those numbers are the start, not the answer. An Ave Maria purchase is decided as much by the builder-versus-resale choice, the flood zone on a 2012 map, the Stewardship District line on the tax bill and the association rules as by the price, and this guide covers each of them before you write an offer.
To buy a home in Ave Maria in 2026, get pre-approved or confirm your cash, sign a written buyer agreement with your agent before touring, decide between a builder's new home and a resale, choose a village by age rules, budget and amenities, get an insurance quote with the flood zone in hand, and use the inspection period to check the district assessment and association documents.
The order matters more in Ave Maria than in most Southwest Florida towns because half of the homes that sell here each year are new. A buyer who walks into a builder's sales center alone usually signs the builder's own contract, with the builder's own deposit terms and the builder's affiliated lender, before anyone on their side has compared that home with the resale down the street. We compare both for you first.
This guide covers why buyers work with us, what the market looks like for buyers now, new construction versus resale, where to buy by village, the Stewardship District and association fees, flood and insurance, taxes and closing costs, how the NAR settlement changed buyer representation, schools, healthcare and commutes, how Ave Maria compares with Naples, Babcock Ranch and Fort Myers, honest pros and cons, and more than forty answers to the questions buyers ask us about Ave Maria.
These are the ten facts an Ave Maria buyer should know in September 2026, each drawn from the Collier County deed record or a state, federal, district or builder source.
McGreevy and Comisar are Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008 and the #1 team in Southwest Florida since 2012, and we represent Ave Maria buyers with the same county-record data we use to price listings. We show you what homes in your target village actually sold for, what the builder's new home costs against a resale, and where the negotiating room is.
If you're searching for the best buyer's agent in Ave Maria, Florida, McGreevy and Comisar represent homebuyers across Ave Maria, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers and Collier and Lee Counties, whether you are relocating, buying a winter home, moving to a 55-plus community, buying your first home or buying new from a builder. With our Domain Realty Group team we have sold over $2.5 billion in real estate, and McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in personal sales. For a side-by-side look at how to choose an agent in this market, see our guide to the best real estate agents in Naples and Collier County.
Honors and recognition:
Marc Comisar leads our buyer representation and Jesse McGreevy leads our listings, which means our buyers hear how Ave Maria sellers think about price, timing and repairs from the people who advise sellers every week. We read the county deed record sale by sale, 552 qualified Ave Maria sales in the last twelve months, and we use it to tell you when a list price or a builder's price is ahead of the market and when it is fair.
A builder's sales consultant is paid to sell that builder's homes. The builder's contract is written by the builder's lawyers, the deposit terms favor the builder, and the preferred lender is the builder's own affiliate. We register you with the builder on your first visit, compare the builder's price and incentives with recent resales and with the other builders in town, and read the contract, the addenda and the district disclosures with you before you sign.
For every home on your short list we check the FEMA flood zone and any map amendment on file, which bond series sets the Stewardship District assessment on its tax bill, the association's fees and rules, the roof and storm-protection details, and for a resale the recorded price the seller paid. You tour fewer homes and make an offer with fewer surprises.
We will not push you toward a bigger budget than you asked for, and we will not tell you a home is outside a flood zone, carries a certain assessment or has impact glass unless a document says so. As Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008, our business runs on repeat clients and referrals, and those come from buyers who got what we said they would get.
If you are ready to start, book an Ave Maria buyer consultation or call Marc at (239) 287-5873. Selling a home first? Get a free Ave Maria home valuation or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072.
Ave Maria is a buyer-friendly market in the fall of 2026: the Collier County deed record shows the resale house median down from $525,000 in 2024 to $472,000 in 2026 through mid-August, and NABOR's July 2026 report put single-family supply in the Immokalee and Ave Maria area at 9.3 months, well above the six months usually called balanced.
Data updated: September 2026 (Collier County recorded sales through 17 August 2026; NABOR July 2026 report; Freddie Mac rate of 24 September 2026).
| Twelve months to August 2026 | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| All qualified Ave Maria sales | 552 | $415,350 |
| Resales, all types | 175 | $390,000 |
| Builder-direct new homes, all types | 377 | $435,000 |
| Houses, all | 379 | $495,000 |
| Resold houses | 126 | $454,500 |
| Builder-direct new houses | 253 | $496,800 |
| Condominiums and attached condo homes, all | 173 | $235,000 |
| Resold condominiums | 49 | $246,000 |
| Builder-direct new condominiums | 124 | $230,000 |
Source: Collier County property appraiser public data files, DOR-qualified improved sales in Ave Maria's recorded plats, 1 September 2025 to 17 August 2026. Builder-direct means the first qualified sale of a home within a year of its year built; it is an estimate of the split.
Within villages, prices split further by product. Resold core Maple Ridge houses closed at a $550,000 median, while its Silverwood and Coquina sections, with smaller homes, closed near $338,000 to $358,000; single-family resales at The National closed at a $665,000 median against $245,000 for its condominiums.
The Naples Area Board of REALTORS tracks Ave Maria inside its Immokalee and Ave Maria reporting area, which is ZIP code 34142. In July 2026 that area recorded 21 single-family sales at a $419,000 median, flat with July 2025, with homes taking 111 days on average to sell and sellers receiving 97.5 percent of list price. Single-family inventory stood at 170 homes, or 9.3 months of supply. Condo sales rose to 13 at a $284,997 median with 7.9 months of supply.
For the whole Naples market NABOR reported a $590,000 median in July 2026 and 5.8 months of supply, so Ave Maria is one of the most affordable markets in Collier County and one of the slower-moving.
| Year | Resold houses | Median resale house price |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 82 | $294,500 |
| 2020 | 152 | $290,000 |
| 2021 | 239 | $356,000 |
| 2022 | 152 | $439,950 |
| 2023 | 152 | $460,000 |
| 2024 | 119 | $525,000 |
| 2025 | 159 | $486,300 |
| 2026, through 17 August | 92 | $472,000 |
Source: Collier County recorded sales, qualified resales of houses in Ave Maria's plats.
The median resale house price rose about 81 percent from 2020 to its 2024 peak and has given back about 10 percent since. For a buyer that means sellers who bought in 2021 or earlier still have room to negotiate, and a seller who bought at the 2024 top often does not.
Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.03 percent for the week of September 24, 2026, up from 6.30 percent a year earlier. At that rate the principal and interest on a $400,000 loan is about $2,670 a month. Builders in Ave Maria often advertise lower rates through their affiliated lenders; those offers are real, but they are usually paid for out of the home's price or other incentives, and we compare the total cost both ways.
With more than nine months of supply, many Ave Maria resale sellers are competing with the builders down the road. That usually leaves room on price, on closing-cost credits, or on repairs found in inspection. The exception is the well-priced resale in a sold-out village, such as Avalon Park, where no new home can be bought; those still sell quickly.
Buy new in Ave Maria when you want a home built to the current code with a builder warranty and you can wait for construction or accept a quick move-in; buy a resale when you want an established street, mature landscaping, a finished village, a lower median price, or a home you can close on in 30 to 45 days.
In the last twelve months resold houses closed at a $454,500 median and builder-direct houses at $496,800, per the county record, so a resale house cost about $42,000 less at the median. Part of that gap is size and finish: new homes carry current appliances, impact windows and, at Gatherpoint, natural gas.
| Question | New from a builder | Resale |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price, last 12 months | $496,800 | $454,500 |
| Who writes the contract | The builder, on its own form | Usually the Florida Realtors and Florida Bar AS IS contract |
| Deposit | Set by the builder, often larger and sometimes non-refundable | Negotiated, held by a title company or broker |
| Inspection | Builder walk-throughs; independent inspections at key stages are worth paying for | Full inspection period in the contract |
| Warranty | Builder warranty on workmanship, systems and structure | None, unless purchased |
| Timing | Quick move-ins close in weeks; a to-be-built home takes months | 30 to 45 days is typical |
| Price negotiation | Incentives and closing-cost credits more often than price cuts | Price, credits and repairs |
| District assessment | Newer lots often carry newer bond series with higher debt lines | Older bond series are often lower |
Builder incentives change weekly. On September 26, 2026 Pulte advertised up to $17,000 off select move-in-ready Gatherpoint homes through September 28, Del Webb advertised up to $90,000 off select move-in-ready homes in Del Webb Naples through the same date, and CC Homes advertised a Tesla Model 3 with a Maple Ridge contract from August 15 to September 30. We check what is current the week you shop and ask for it in writing.
We register you with the builder on your first visit, read the purchase agreement and addenda with you, flag deposit, delay and warranty terms, compare the builder's lender offer with at least one outside quote, and arrange independent inspections before drywall and before closing. Builders in Ave Maria work with outside buyer's agents, and a buyer does not pay more for the home because an agent is involved.
For the full builder-by-builder picture, see our guide to new construction homes in Ave Maria.
Where to buy in Ave Maria depends on three choices: whether you want an age-restricted community, whether you want golf, and whether you want new construction or a finished street. Del Webb Naples is the 55-plus choice, The National is the gated golf choice, Maple Ridge and Gatherpoint are the all-ages new-construction choices, and Avalon Park is the finished, walkable one.
Every Ave Maria village shares the town's school, parks, water park, town center and Stewardship District. What changes from village to village is the builder, the association and its amenities, the age rule, the lot and home sizes, and the price.
| Village | Builder | Who it suits | Recorded sales, last 12 months | Median, last 12 months | New homes today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The National Golf and Country Club | Lennar | Gated golf; condos, coach homes and single-family | 219 | $260,000 | Coach homes from $349,999 and Terrace condos from $256,862 |
| Maple Ridge | CC Homes | All ages; single-family with its own clubhouse | 135 | $464,400 | From $334,990 to $674,990 |
| Del Webb Naples | Del Webb (Pulte) | 55-plus active adult | 103 | $475,000 | Villas and single-family from $299,990 |
| Avalon Park | Pulte | All ages; walkable to the town center and Donahue Academy | 68 | $505,000 | Sold out; resale only |
| Gatherpoint | Pulte and Lennar | All ages; newest village, gated, natural gas | not yet on the county file | n/a | Townhomes from $279,990; single-family from $297,999 |
| Emerson Park, Hampton Village | Pulte | All ages; finished single-family | 11 | about $392,000 to $440,000 | None; resale only |
Sources: Collier County recorded sales, 1 September 2025 to 17 August 2026; builder sites on 26 September 2026. The National's median is low because most of its recent sales were new condominiums.
Del Webb Naples is Ave Maria's age-restricted village, planned for 2,449 homes at build-out under its association's 2026 approved budget, with two clubhouses and optional golf at Panther Run next door. Resales closed at a $425,000 median in the last twelve months and builder-direct homes at $482,000. Our Del Webb Naples guide covers the recorded age rule, the fee stack and flood zones address by address.
The National is Lennar's gated golf community, with a course by Gordon Lewis and a clubhouse that opened in 2025. Most of its remaining new homes are coach homes and mid-rise Terrace condominiums, which is why its recent median sits at $260,000; its single-family resales run higher. Del Webb Naples owners can also buy optional membership at Panther Run. See our guide to The National.
Maple Ridge and Avalon Park are Ave Maria's two established all-ages single-family neighborhoods. Maple Ridge is CC Homes' largest community in town, still selling, with a 10,000-square-foot clubhouse; resales closed at a $410,000 median in the last twelve months. Avalon Park is Pulte's sold-out neighborhood of about 400 homes around Donahue Academy, walkable to the town center, where the few resales closed at a $538,000 median. Gatherpoint, Pulte and Lennar's newest village, adds new single-family homes next to the new Ave Maria Elementary.
Condominiums and townhomes are the Ave Maria entry point. Resold condos closed at a $246,000 median in the last twelve months, many of them in The National's Terrace and Veranda buildings and the Mayflower Way condos in Del Webb Naples, and Pulte's Gatherpoint townhomes start at $279,990 new. A condominium carries its own association budget and reserve obligations, so read those before you offer.
Avalon Park, the Mayflower Way area and The Residences at La Piazza sit closest to the Oratory, the Publix-anchored town center and Ave Maria University. Maple Ridge, Del Webb Naples and The National are a short drive or golf-cart ride away.
The Ave Maria Stewardship Community District is the special-purpose government, created by the Florida Legislature in 2004, that built and maintains Ave Maria's roads, water management and common infrastructure. Every Ave Maria home pays it through a flat assessment on the county tax bill, $1,616.98 to $2,531.25 a year for a single-family home in 2025-2026.
The district is not a homeowners association. It is a public body with its own board of supervisors, and its assessments are collected by the Collier County Tax Collector with your property taxes each November. Because it was created by special act rather than under the general community development district statute, it is sometimes called a CDD but has its own charter.
| Part of the assessment | 2025-2026 budget | Proposed 2026-2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Operations and maintenance plus reserves, per home | $841.98 | $984.20 |
| Total for a single-family home, lowest bond series | $1,616.98 | $1,759.20 |
| Total for a single-family home, highest combination | $2,531.25 | $2,673.47 |
| Total for a condominium or attached home | $1,244.98 to $1,902.29 | not yet final |
Source: Ave Maria Stewardship Community District, final 2025-2026 budget and proposed 2026-2027 budget (revision 1, June 4, 2026). Amounts include the early-payment discount and collection costs built into the district's schedule.
The operating charge is the same for every home. The debt line depends on which bond series financed the infrastructure for that lot. Homes in newer phases often sit under newer bonds, and some lots carry two series. We read the district's current assessment schedule and the parcel's last tax bill for every home you consider, so the number in your budget is the real one.
Bond debt assessments can typically be prepaid in full under the district's rules, which removes the debt line from future bills while the operating charge continues. Ask for a payoff figure from the district's manager before you decide; the prepayment amount is set by the district, not the seller.
Most Ave Maria homes pay three layers on top of property tax: a neighborhood association, the Ave Maria Master Association for town-wide common areas, and the Stewardship District on the tax bill. Builders publish only some of these, so the estoppel certificate for the specific home is the number to trust.
Florida caps a homeowners association's estoppel fee under section 720.30851 of the Florida Statutes, at $299 plus $119 for delivery within three business days under the inflation adjustment in effect since July 1, 2022, and a seller must give you the association's disclosure summary before you sign under section 720.401.
Ave Maria sits about 24 miles inland, beyond the reach of Gulf storm surge, and the developer reported no significant damage in Hurricanes Irma, Ian, Helene and Milton. But its FEMA flood maps date from May 16, 2012, before most of the town was built, and many addresses still map in Zone AH, a Special Flood Hazard Area that triggers flood insurance on a federally backed loan.
We checked addresses across three villages against FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer in September 2026: 7 of 8 Maple Ridge addresses, 4 of 10 Del Webb Naples addresses and 4 of 7 Avalon Park addresses mapped in Zone AH, and the rest in Zone X. Zone AH marks shallow ponding of one to three feet on the pre-development land.
Homes built on fill above the base flood elevation can often be removed from the Special Flood Hazard Area by a Letter of Map Amendment or a Letter of Map Revision based on Fill, issued parcel by parcel, and Pulte has said its Ave Maria homes are built a foot or more above the base flood elevation. Those letters do not appear on the map layer, so we check FEMA's Map Service Center for each address you consider and ask the seller or builder for the elevation certificate.
Ave Maria's town center sits at about 23 feet of elevation, its power and telecom lines are underground, and the Ave Maria Utility Company runs on-site generation at its water and wastewater plants. Fire Station 32 and Collier County EMS Medic 32 are in town, and Ave Maria Elementary serves as the area's hurricane shelter from August 2026.
| Coverage in Collier County | Average annual premium |
|---|---|
| Homeowners policy including wind | $5,534 |
| Homeowners policy excluding wind | $3,169 |
| Condominium unit-owner policy including wind | $2,271 |
| Condominium unit-owner policy excluding wind | $1,566 |
Source: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Property Insurance Stability Report, July 2026, data as of March 31, 2026. OIR computes these as total premium divided by policies, so a newer Ave Maria home with impact glass will often quote below the county average.
Citizens Property Insurance, the state insurer of last resort, had 2,904 policies in force in Collier County on August 31, 2026, down from 6,111 a year earlier, as private insurers returned to the market. Citizens will require flood coverage on every homeowners policy it writes from January 1, 2027.
Unincorporated Collier County, which includes Ave Maria, holds a FEMA Community Rating System Class 5, a 25 percent discount on every National Flood Insurance Program policy in the county, inside or outside the Special Flood Hazard Area. Under FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0, a newer home built above the base flood elevation often prices far below an older coastal home.
Get the elevation certificate or map amendment, a wind-mitigation report for a resale, and at least two insurance quotes, one with flood, before your inspection period starts. We ask for the seller's current declarations page too, so you can see what the home costs to insure today.
Your Ave Maria property taxes reset to the home's market value on the January 1 after you buy, and Ave Maria's combined millage is about 12.12 mills before the Stewardship District assessment. A homesteaded $455,000 home would pay about $5,015 in property tax plus $1,617 to $2,531 to the district.
| Levy | 2025-2026 millage |
|---|---|
| Collier County, countywide | 3.2449 |
| Collier County, unincorporated area general fund | 0.6844 |
| Collier County School Board | 4.2490 |
| South Florida Water Management District | 0.0948 |
| Big Cypress Basin | 0.0978 |
| Immokalee Fire Control District | 3.75 |
| Combined, our sum | about 12.12 |
Sources: Collier County fiscal year 2026 adopted budget; Collier County Public Schools budget; South Florida Water Management District final millage; Immokalee Fire Control District Resolution 2025-018. The combined figure is our arithmetic, not a published number; confirm it against the tax bill for the parcel you buy, because special taxing units can differ by address.
| $455,000 home | With homestead | Without homestead |
|---|---|---|
| Ad valorem property tax | about $5,015 | about $5,515 |
| Stewardship District, single-family | $1,617 to $2,531 | $1,617 to $2,531 |
| Estimated total | about $6,630 to $7,550 | about $7,130 to $8,050 |
The homestead exemption takes $25,000 off the value for every levy and a second $25,000 off for non-school levies, and the Save Our Homes cap then limits annual increases in your assessed value to 2.7 percent for 2026 or the change in the consumer price index, whichever is lower. A second home or rental has no homestead, and its non-school assessment increases are capped at 10 percent a year.
A long-time homesteaded owner's assessed value can sit far below market value because of Save Our Homes. When you buy, the Property Appraiser resets the assessment to market value the next January 1. Always budget from the purchase price, never from the seller's last bill. If you are moving from another Florida homestead, portability can carry up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes benefit to the new home.
Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, cut the non-homestead assessment cap from 10 percent to 5 percent, and give people who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026 the larger exemption only from their fifth year. It needs 60 percent of the vote.
A buyer in Ave Maria usually pays about 2 to 4 percent of the price in closing costs when financing: the lender's fees, Florida's documentary stamp tax on the mortgage note, the intangible tax on the mortgage, the lender's title policy, prepaid insurance and taxes, and any association capital contribution. Cash buyers pay less.
| Item | Rate | Who usually pays |
|---|---|---|
| Documentary stamp tax on the deed | $0.70 per $100 of price | Seller, by custom and contract |
| Documentary stamp tax on the mortgage note | $0.35 per $100 of the loan | Buyer |
| Intangible tax on the mortgage | 0.2 percent of the loan | Buyer |
| Owner's title insurance | $5.75 per $1,000 to $100,000, then $5.00 per $1,000 to $1 million | Set in the contract |
| Lender's title policy issued with the owner's policy | $25 plus endorsements | Buyer |
| Association estoppel certificate | Up to $299, plus $119 if rushed | Set in the contract, often the seller |
Sources: sections 201.02, 201.08, 199.133 and 720.30851, Florida Statutes; Florida Administrative Code Rule 69O-186.003.
On a $455,000 purchase with a $364,000 loan, the buyer's state charges come to about $1,274 in note stamps and $728 in intangible tax. An owner's title policy at the promulgated rate would be about $2,350, and whether the buyer or seller pays it is written into the contract. Lender fees, the appraisal, the survey, the inspection, prepaid homeowners and flood insurance, and escrow for taxes and the district assessment come on top.
A builder's contract often charges a community or capital contribution at closing, may require use of the builder's title company to receive an incentive, and can include a lot premium and option charges that are not in the base price. We read those lines before you sign, not at the closing table.
Program funds and limits change; a participating lender confirms eligibility. We work with lenders who close these loans in Collier County.
Since August 17, 2024, a buyer working with a Realtor must sign a written buyer agreement before touring a home, the agreement must state the agent's compensation as a specific amount or rate, and offers of buyer-agent compensation no longer appear in the MLS. Compensation is negotiable, and a seller or builder can still agree to pay it.
The written agreement names the agent, the compensation, how it is paid, and the length of the agreement, and the agent may not be paid more than the agreed amount from any source. Under section 475.278 of the Florida Statutes, a Florida licensee works as a transaction broker unless you agree in writing to a single-agent relationship, and the brokerage relationship must be disclosed before the agreement is signed.
In practice, Ave Maria's builders work with registered buyer's agents and many resale sellers still offer to pay a buyer's agent; we confirm it and write it into your offer so you know before you sign. If a seller will not pay it, the agreement says what you owe, and we can ask for the amount as a seller credit instead. We explain our compensation in writing before your first tour.
Builders typically pay an outside agent only when the agent registers the buyer, usually on the buyer's first visit to the sales center. Call us before you visit, or bring us with you, so the builder's incentives, our representation and the contract review all come at no extra cost to you.
Ave Maria children attend Collier County Public Schools: the new Ave Maria Elementary, which opened on August 11, 2026, Corkscrew Middle, graded A by the state in 2026, and Palmetto Ridge High, graded B in 2026 and A in 2025. Ave Maria is also home to Donahue Academy, a private Catholic school, and Ave Maria University.
| School | Type | 2026 state grade | 2025 state grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ave Maria Elementary, 4050 Anthem Parkway North | Public elementary | none yet, opened August 2026 | none |
| Corkscrew Middle | Public middle | A | A |
| Palmetto Ridge High | Public high | B | A |
| Donahue Academy | Private Catholic, K to 12 | not graded by the state | not graded |
| Ave Maria University | Private Catholic university | n/a | n/a |
Sources: Florida Department of Education school grades 2026; Collier County Public Schools. Every Ave Maria address we checked on the district's address lookup in September 2026 returned Ave Maria Elementary, Corkscrew Middle and Palmetto Ridge High; confirm the address you buy on the district's school locator, because zones change.
Ave Maria Elementary is Collier County's 33rd elementary school and was expected to serve about 400 students in its first year. Donahue Academy's campus sits inside Avalon Park, and Ave Maria University's campus anchors the town center.
Life in Ave Maria is small-town and outdoor: a walkable town center around the Oratory with a Publix, restaurants and weekly events, a water park, sports fields and parks, and village clubhouses, about 37 miles from downtown Naples. The town is Catholic in founding and open to everyone, and its residents include young families, retirees and university faculty, staff and students.
| Destination | Approximate distance or time |
|---|---|
| Downtown Naples | about 37 miles, about 53 minutes |
| Southwest Florida International Airport | about 37 miles |
| Gulf coastline | about 24 miles inland, straight line |
| Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary | about 25 minutes |
| Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge | about 30 minutes |
Source: Ave Maria town guide. Oil Well Road links the town to Immokalee Road and Interstate 75.
The NCH Immediate Care Center opened in Ave Maria in spring 2025, and NCH has announced a 150-bed hospital campus on 18 donated acres at Oil Well Road and Arthrex Commerce Park Drive, starting with a 24-hour emergency department targeted to begin construction around late 2027. Full hospitals are in Naples today, about 30 to 45 minutes away.
The 2020 Census counted 6,242 people in Ave Maria, and the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey put the median household income at $102,949, the owner-occupancy rate at 81.8 percent and the median value of owner-occupied homes at $459,200. About 19 percent of residents are under 18 and about 24 percent are 65 or older, a mix that reflects both the family villages and Del Webb Naples.
The developer reports more than 5,500 homes sold, and Ave Maria has ranked among the country's top-selling master-planned communities for years: No. 20 for 2025 in John Burns Research and Consulting's national list, with 515 sales, as reported by the developer. In June 2026 Collier County commissioners approved an expansion of 2,042 acres and 6,738 homes, raising the town's maximum to 17,738 homes, including a separate age-restricted area east of Camp Keais Road with its own amenities.
Ave Maria trades distance from the beach for price: a resold Ave Maria house closed at a $454,500 median in the last twelve months, while Collier County's single-family median was $760,000 in August 2026. Against Babcock Ranch, the other large inland new town in Southwest Florida, Ave Maria offers a university town center, an established 55-plus village and Collier County schools and services.
| Question | Ave Maria | Coastal Naples | Babcock Ranch |
|---|---|---|---|
| County | Collier | Collier | Charlotte, with part in Lee |
| Typical house price | $454,500 resale median, last 12 months | Collier single-family median $760,000, August 2026 | varies by neighborhood; mostly new construction |
| Distance to the Gulf | about 24 miles inland | at or near the coast | inland, northeast of Fort Myers |
| Town center | Oratory, Publix, restaurants, university | many | Founder's Square |
| 55-plus option | Del Webb Naples | many | yes |
| Special district on the tax bill | Ave Maria Stewardship Community District | varies, many areas none | community development districts |
| Storm surge exposure | none at this distance | varies by address | none at this distance |
Sources: Collier County recorded sales; Florida Realtors August 2026 metro summary for the Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island area.
A Naples address puts you minutes from the beach, the hospitals and the airport, at a higher price and, near the coast, with storm-surge and flood exposure. An Ave Maria address costs less, sits beyond surge, and gives you a newer home, at the cost of a 50-minute drive to downtown Naples. A common Ave Maria buyer is moving out from Naples or Golden Gate Estates for more house per dollar.
Both are master-planned inland towns with builders still selling. Ave Maria is older, with finished villages and a resale market of its own, a university and a Catholic parish at its center, and Collier County schools. Babcock Ranch is newer and built around a solar-powered utility model. A buyer choosing between them usually decides on commute direction: Ave Maria faces Naples and Immokalee Road, Babcock Ranch faces Fort Myers and Punta Gorda.
Golden Gate Estates and the Immokalee Road corridor offer larger lots and no master association, but also no town center, fewer amenities and, in the Estates, well and septic. Ave Maria's trade is a planned town with shared amenities, paid for through association dues and the district assessment.
The biggest advantages of Ave Maria are price, newer homes, a walkable town center, beyond-surge inland location and strong middle and high school grades; the biggest drawbacks are the drive to the coast and hospitals, the Stewardship District assessment on top of association dues, a 2012 flood map that still places many homes in Zone AH, and slower resale than coastal Collier.
To see every Ave Maria home for sale today, including builder quick move-ins and resales, search our team's listings at DomainRealtyGroup.com or ask us for a custom search, which we send as soon as a matching home is listed. Builder inventory that never reaches the MLS we pull from the builders directly.
You can browse current Ave Maria listings on DomainRealtyGroup.com, our team's home search, and set up alerts there for new listings and price changes. For a short list built around your budget, village and flood-zone limits, including builder homes that are not on the MLS, call Marc at (239) 287-5873.
Seasonal buyers in Ave Maria should check four things: whether the village allows leasing and for how long, how the home will be protected in storm season while you are away, how a non-homestead tax bill works, and whether the association or a service will look after the home. Del Webb Naples and The National draw many part-time owners.
Every Ave Maria village sets its own leasing rules in its declaration, typically a minimum lease term and a cap on leases a year. We read the declaration and any amendments for the specific village before you offer if you plan to rent the home part of the year.
A home with impact glass needs no shutters; a home with removable shutters needs someone to put them up. Associations in Ave Maria set when shutters may go up and must come down. Hire a home-watch service, set the thermostat and humidity controls, and keep your insurer's requirements for unoccupied periods in mind.
A seasonal home has no homestead exemption, so it pays the full combined millage on its market value, and its non-school assessment can rise up to 10 percent a year. On a $455,000 home that is about $5,515 in ad valorem tax, plus the district assessment. If you later make Ave Maria your permanent home, you can apply for homestead by March 1 of the following year.
Many seasonal buyers are selling a home in the North or elsewhere in Florida. We time both sides, and for a Southwest Florida sale our guide to selling a home in Ave Maria explains how we price and market it.
Get a personalized Ave Maria buyer consultation by calling Marc at (239) 287-5873 or Jesse at (239) 898-6072, or by using the buyer consultation form on this page. We will compare new homes and resales in your budget, check flood and district details for your short list, and set up alerts for new listings.
Register with us before your first sales-center visit so the builder recognizes your representation. Call Marc at (239) 287-5873, or see how we represent buyers.
If you own a home in Southwest Florida that you plan to sell, get your free Ave Maria home valuation or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072.
Marc Comisar is a top-reviewed Ave Maria buyer's agent and Jesse McGreevy is a top-reviewed Southwest Florida realtor; every review below is copied from our Google Business Profile, where you can read them all in full. Those reviews are how Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008 are measured in practice: by the clients who closed with us.
★★★★★ "Marc was great! He helped us find a place that matched our needs, without trying to upsell us into something too big. And he's helped us settle into the area. 100% recommendation!" Verified Google review
★★★★★ "He knew the area and therefore knew exactly where to take us to find the exact kind of neighborhood we were looking for and he was right on the money." Verified Google review
★★★★★ "Marc's attention to detail and deep understanding of the Southwest Florida market gave us so much confidence." Verified Google review
★★★★★ "Very professional, knowledgeable and responsive. We have had experience with them in both selling and buying a home. We recommend them highly." Verified Google review
These are the questions Ave Maria buyers ask us most, answered from the county deed record, builder and district documents, and Florida law. If yours is not here, call Marc at (239) 287-5873.
Across all qualified sales in the twelve months to August 2026, the Collier County deed record shows a $415,350 median on 552 sales. Resold houses closed at a $454,500 median and resold condominiums at $246,000.
Resale house prices have eased from a $525,000 median in 2024 to $486,300 in 2025 and $472,000 in 2026 through mid-August, per the county record. NABOR's July 2026 report showed the single-family median in the Immokalee and Ave Maria area flat with a year earlier at $419,000.
By the usual measure, yes: NABOR's July 2026 report put single-family supply at 9.3 months in the Immokalee and Ave Maria area, above the six months usually called balanced, and homes took 111 days on average to sell.
It depends on timing and priorities. Resold houses cost about $42,000 less at the median over the last twelve months and close faster; new homes carry a builder warranty and current features. We price both for your budget before you choose.
Yes. Ave Maria's builders work with outside buyer's agents, usually when the agent registers you on your first visit. Using an agent does not raise the builder's price.
A condominium or townhome. Resold condos closed at a $246,000 median in the last twelve months, and Pulte's Gatherpoint townhomes start at $279,990 new.
As of September 2026, Pulte and Lennar at Gatherpoint, CC Homes at Maple Ridge, Del Webb at Del Webb Naples, and Lennar at The National, where only coach homes and Terrace condominiums remain. Pulte's Avalon Park is sold out.
No. Only Del Webb Naples is age-restricted. The rest of Ave Maria's villages are open to all ages.
No. The town was founded around a Catholic university and parish, but homes, schools and services are open to everyone, and residents come from every background.
A special-purpose government created by the Legislature in 2004 that maintains the town's infrastructure. Every home pays it on the tax bill, $1,616.98 to $2,531.25 a year for a single-family home in 2025-2026.
The district's proposed 2026-2027 budget raises the per-home operating charge from $841.98 to $984.20, which puts single-family totals at $1,759.20 to $2,673.47 if adopted as proposed.
They vary by village. Lennar's 2026 fee sheets for The National list the Ave Maria Master Association at $812 a year, and Lennar's Gatherpoint estimator shows association fees of about $438 to $444 a month. The estoppel certificate gives the exact figure for any home.
Yes. The Ave Maria Master Association maintains town-wide common areas, and every Ave Maria home belongs to it in addition to its village association.
Many addresses are. Ave Maria's FEMA maps date from May 16, 2012, and 15 of 25 addresses we checked across Maple Ridge, Del Webb Naples and Avalon Park mapped in Zone AH. Homes built above the base flood elevation may have a map amendment that removes that requirement.
A lender will require it on a federally backed loan if the home is in Zone AH without a map amendment. Even outside the zone, flood coverage is inexpensive for a newer elevated home, and Citizens will require it on every homeowners policy it writes from January 1, 2027.
The Collier County average was $5,534 a year including wind, per state data as of March 31, 2026. Newer Ave Maria homes with impact glass often quote below that average.
The developer reported no significant damage in the town from Hurricanes Irma, Ian, Helene or Milton. Ave Maria is about 24 miles inland, beyond storm surge.
About 12.12 mills combined before the district assessment. A homesteaded $455,000 home pays about $5,015 in property tax plus $1,617 to $2,531 to the district.
By March 1 of the year after you buy and occupy the home as your permanent residence, with the Collier County Property Appraiser.
Ave Maria Elementary, which opened on August 11, 2026, Corkscrew Middle, graded A in 2026, and Palmetto Ridge High, graded B in 2026. Confirm any address on the district's school locator.
Yes. Donahue Academy is a private Catholic school on a campus inside Avalon Park.
About 24 miles inland in a straight line; the drive to the Naples beaches is roughly an hour.
About 37 miles, roughly 53 minutes to downtown Naples, per the Ave Maria town guide.
Not yet. The NCH Immediate Care Center opened in spring 2025, and NCH has announced a 150-bed hospital campus in town beginning with an emergency department. Full hospitals are in Naples today.
The town center around the Oratory with restaurants and a Publix, the water park, North Park's sports fields and courts, village clubhouses, golf at The National and Panther Run, and nearby nature preserves including Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
Yes. Collier County approved an expansion of 2,042 acres and 6,738 homes in June 2026, raising the town's maximum to 17,738 homes, and the developer reports more than 5,500 homes sold.
Usually, within the village's leasing rules, which set minimum lease terms and limits. We read the declaration for the specific village before you offer.
Yes. A seasonal home pays full property tax without homestead, and its association will have rules for storm shutters and absent owners.
Conventional loans can start at 3 to 5 percent down, FHA at 3.5 percent and VA at zero, and Florida's Hometown Heroes and Florida Assist programs can help eligible buyers. Condominiums and new construction can have their own lender requirements.
Freddie Mac's average 30-year fixed rate was 7.03 percent for the week of September 24, 2026. Builder-affiliated lenders often advertise lower rates tied to their incentives.
Usually 2 to 4 percent of the price with a loan, including note stamps of $0.35 per $100 of the loan, intangible tax of 0.2 percent of the loan, lender and title charges, and prepaid insurance and taxes.
The contract decides. The Florida Realtors and Florida Bar contract lets the parties choose, and it is often the seller in Collier County; with a builder, the builder's contract usually names its own title company.
Yes, with a Realtor. Since August 17, 2024, a written agreement stating the agent's compensation is required before touring, under the NAR settlement practice changes.
It is negotiable. Builders and many resale sellers still offer to pay it, and we write it into your offer. If a seller will not, your agreement says what you owe, and we can ask for it as a seller credit.
Typically 30 to 45 days from contract to closing with a loan, and sooner with cash.
Builders quote their own schedules, often several months to a year for a to-be-built home. Quick move-in homes can close in weeks.
Yes. An independent inspection before drywall and again before closing catches problems while the builder can still fix them easily.
A home the builder has already started or finished, sold at a set price, often with the largest incentives because the builder wants it closed.
Gatherpoint by Pulte is Ave Maria's first natural gas community, for its single-family homes and attached villas; its townhomes are all-electric.
Gatherpoint, a gated village of 947 planned homes by Pulte and Lennar, launched in January 2026 next to the new Ave Maria Elementary.
No. Pulte reports Avalon Park sold out in September 2026, so every Avalon Park purchase from here on is a resale.
Maple Ridge is CC Homes' larger, still-selling community with its own clubhouse and owner-kept yards; Avalon Park is Pulte's finished, walkable neighborhood around Donahue Academy with lawn care in its fee. Our Maple Ridge guide compares them side by side.
Yes. The National Golf and Country Club at Ave Maria is Lennar's gated golf community, with a Gordon Lewis course and a clubhouse that opened in 2025.
It depends on the village. The National's membership rules and Panther Run's optional memberships for Del Webb Naples owners differ; our village guides explain how each works.
Yes. A foreign seller later faces federal FIRPTA withholding of 15 percent of the sale price, with an exemption for a residence sold for $300,000 or less to a buyer who will live in it.
Call Marc at (239) 287-5873 for a short list of new homes and resales that fit your budget, village and flood limits, and to register you before any builder visit.
An Ave Maria specialist knows which villages carry which association and district costs, which addresses have map amendments out of Zone AH, which bond series sits on each phase, how each builder's contract and incentives really work, and what comparable homes recorded for at the county. That knowledge turns a list price or a builder's price into a fair offer.
We represent buyers and sellers across Ave Maria's villages, from Del Webb Naples to Maple Ridge and The National, and across the rest of Collier and Lee Counties. McGreevy and Comisar, Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008, bring the same county-record discipline to every purchase we negotiate. Our Ave Maria community guide covers the town in full.
Many of our buyers are moving within Southwest Florida. Our guides to selling a home in Ave Maria and what your Ave Maria home is worth explain how we time the sale and the purchase together.
If you're searching for the best buyer's agent in Ave Maria, Florida, McGreevy and Comisar represent buyers across Ave Maria, Naples, Estero and Bonita Springs with honest market guidance and partner-level negotiation. As the leaders of Domain Realty Group, our team has closed over $2.5 billion in real estate, and McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in personal sales.
Ave Maria market record, last 12 months: we tracked 552 qualified Ave Maria sales in the county deed record, 377 of them builder-direct, at a $454,500 resale house median and a $246,000 resale condo median, per the Collier County file dated August 29, 2026.
Use the buyer consultation form at the top of this page, call Marc at (239) 287-5873, or talk to Jesse direct: (239) 898-6072. Selling first? Get your free Ave Maria home valuation.
Marc Comisar is a top-reviewed Ave Maria buyer's agent and Jesse McGreevy is a top-reviewed Southwest Florida realtor; you can read every review on our Google Business Profile. McGreevy and Comisar have represented buyers and sellers across Southwest Florida since 2008.
Jesse McGreevy (Sales Associate) and Marc Comisar (Broker Associate) are licensed Florida REALTORS® with Domain Realty; Florida real estate licensure is regulated by the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC). Florida license numbers: Jesse McGreevy SL3101296, Marc Comisar BK3060671.
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McGreevy and Comisar lead Domain Realty Group, a full-service Southwest Florida real estate team. Learn more about our team at DomainRealtyGroup.com. Read more about McGreevy and Comisar, see how we represent buyers, or contact us.
Every fact on this page traces to one of the primary sources below: the Collier County deed and tax record, state and federal agencies, Florida law, the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District, the builders' own sites, the town's developer and news reporting. We do not cite real estate brokerage or listing sites. All sources were retrieved between 24 and 27 September 2026 unless a publication date is shown.
These are the forms, statutes and reference files an Ave Maria buyer is most likely to need, each linked to the official source that publishes it: the State of Florida, Collier County, the Stewardship District or the federal government.
Market data from the Collier County deed record (county file dated 29 August 2026), pulled 27 September 2026, and NABOR's July 2026 report. Southwest Florida MLS figures were not available for this edition and will be added in a dated update. Brokered by Domain Realty.