I actually owned a lake house in Polk County. It was in Auburndale though, not Lakeland. Although at the time I worked in Lakeland so I am familiar with the area.
So, this house I bought was bank owned at the time. It was a product of the 2008 real estate crash. It was on Lake Lena, a pretty small lake. When I bought it there was a dock, but no beach area, and all the water surrounding the dock was overgrown with weeds and brush much like one of the listings you linked. You have to take into consideration that brush. There will be an initial cost to remove it, and then a monthly cost to maintain it. I don't know if you can do it yourself but I was too scared to do it myself so I hired someone. I think I payed like $75 to $100 a month to maintain the waterfront area. The cost for initial removal can vary but could cost a few racks. The house in the link had so much growth around the dock that you really couldn't use it until it was cleared so keep that in mind.
The guy that maintained the lakefront area for me told me that he wasn't that worried about gators. He said that if you leave them alone they pretty much leave you alone. He said that if he saw a water moccasin that he would try and kill it because they were aggressive and will go after you even if you are not going after them. For the most part he would wade in the water and pull the weeds by hand. For my lakefront I actually kind of had a beach put in? I found an ad on Craigslist that was selling sand. I had like two truckloads delivered and the guy that cleared my waterfront just took wheelbarrows of it into the lake and covered the grass along the lake. A lot of the FL lake houses have this kind of set up. Surprisingly I don't think the sand cost that much.
So the neighborhood I lived in was kind of sketchy area. I've seen a few meth heads walking around the area. There was an RV 'resort' next door. At one time there was a 'lady of the night' walking in the area in front of my house during the day. My neighbor had a conversation to tell her that this was a residential area with families and was not a place for that type of work and she left. He didn't just call the cops which I thought was considerate. The houses that were actually lakefront were nice, but any house behind the lakefront was only a small step up from a trailer park type setting. Having said that, I guess make sure you check the surrounding area for shadiness.
One time I had a guy ask if he could fish off my dock. I told him yes, go for it. I was trying to be the 'cool' neighbor. I even went out and fished with him a few times. Eventually I found out this guy didn't work and he started fishing off my dock every day. Then I would come home from work and he was out there all the time. Eventually I told him that if he wants to come over to fish, call me first. Don't just fish off my dock without asking. He didn't listen. I got my neighbor who ran the RV resort to keep an eye out for me. One afternoon I called the RV resort owner, he told me that dude was fishing off my dock, I called the cops and told them the situation. The cops stopped by and told him to leave, and not to come back unless he checked with me first. I never saw the guy on my dock again, but who knows if he ever did come back. I think he was freaked out because of the cops involvement so he may have stayed away because of that.
My neighbor 2 doors down had a huge bay boat that he would sometimes fish from in our small lake. He kept the bay boat in his driveway which wrapped around the side and back of his house. He told me that someone attempted to steal the outboard off of his boat but he heard them before they could get it. It was a HUGE motor so I don't see how they could have carried it anyway. My neighbor told me that he had experienced thieves stealing outboard motors in the past so he didn't recommend me keeping my boat at the dock. So, another tip, make sure the area isn't so shady that people steal stuff. My lake did have a ramp that I used with a jon boat a few times, but the ramp was across the other side of the lake, and it really sucked. There was a canal to a bigger lake, but the canal was completely overgrown and not passable.
I finally sold the house around 2012? The FL real estate market was extremely slow to recover and it took me a long time to sell and even though it was bank owned when I bought it, I still sold it for a loss. For a period of about 6 months the house was vacant while it was for sale. I paid the lakefront guy to also cut my grass so it looked good enough for a showing. Well, while it was vacant the lakefront guy and the RV resort guy both reported that there was a young couple that took my picnic table, moved it behind a tree next to my dock, and used it for getting it on. My parents would stay at this house during the winter as snowbirds while the house was still for sale, but the house was vacant for a few months until they went down there. That is when they found out this news. My mom even told me that she saw the girl sitting on my dock one afternoon waiting for her boyfriend. She did not realize my parents were there. My mom had to go out and tell her that this was private property and she was not allowed to be there. We didn't see them again.
Well, eventually I sold the house and the economy somewhat recovered. I visited the house about a year ago while visiting FL for a vacation and it didn't look bad. The new owner build a covered boat dock, with a boat lift, and had his boat in the lift. I would imagine the area has improved since I was there. So what is my message to you? I don't know. I guess just make sure the lake is a 'nice' area of Polk county and that the surrounding area isn't shady. A gated community is a bonus. The more established neighborhoods and lakes are a better bet compared to a small lake in Auburndale. And if there are canals in the lake, as already mentioned, make sure water levels are good.
You know, I did keep my boat at a boat barn on the Winter Haven chain of lakes prior to buying a house. I definitely like the Winter Haven chain and would recommend that area. It was a bit rough during the economy bust, but since Legoland took over Cypress Gardens it looks like the local economy has bounced back some and there are a lot of lakes to choose from there. Also, the lakes are connected by canals, and I think the water levels are better compared to the past. Well... GLGB and if you have any questions for me let me know. I seriously doubt you would have to deal with any of these things in most places... just choose wisely I guess haha.
