The Layout: Westbrook Builders, ~2002, Five Lake Sub-Divisions

Lakes of Laguna is a 24-hour manned, guard-gated community of about 690 single-family homes built by Westbrook Builders around 2002, in the Villages of Palm Beach Lakes area off Military Trail. Homes are concrete block and stucco (CBS) with a Mediterranean look, one and two stories, ranging from roughly 1,500 to over 3,000 square feet, many with three-car garages and some with private pools.

The community is organized into five sub-divisions — Superior, Huron, Tahoe, Catalina, and Victoria — and the lakes are the namesake feature: the largest sits in the Tahoe area, with smaller lakes between the other neighborhoods and freshwater canals along the northern and eastern edges. Many homes have direct lake views. (Note: the "Catalina" here is an internal sub-division of Lakes of Laguna — not the separate Catalina townhome community elsewhere in West Palm Beach.)

Amenities and the HOA

Residents have two community swimming pools — one near the Military Trail gates on the north side, one on the south near Lake Tahoe — plus tennis and basketball courts. The HOA has run low for a gated community: recent dues in the range of roughly $180 to $206 (and around $166 for a townhome), covering common-area and grounds maintenance, the community pool, security, and water.

Confirm the exact current dues for the specific home and sub-division, and pull the reserve study. A low fee is attractive, but across nearly 700 homes with two pools and shared lakes and canals to maintain, you want to see that reserves are adequately funded so the monthly figure doesn't become a special assessment.

Pre-Offer Checklist

Inspection focus for early-2000s homes: the original roofs are now around 20 years old — many have already been replaced, so confirm roof age and whether it's been redone; check whether windows are impact-rated or original; and review the age of the HVAC and water heater. (These are 2002-era CBS homes, so polybutylene plumbing and Federal Pacific/Zinsco panels aren't era concerns here.)

School zone: Verify assignment at palmbeachschools.org with the specific address before any offer. Confirm by address rather than assuming, and never rely on Zillow or a listing agent's verbal confirmation.

HOA financials: Pull current dues, reserve funding percentage, and any pending special-assessment disclosures — and confirm which sub-division and any townhome-specific dues apply. Brian Wilder at 561-201-4717.