Looking for a luxury home without rules, dues or special assessments, where you decide the environment you live in? Would you like to park your truck in the driveway or select the outside color scheme of your home, or leave that decision up to others? Homeowner associations vary widely in many communities as to what they control and are responsible for, such as lawn maintenance, landscaping and swimming pool upkeep. All this and more for a fee. But if you like to go your own way, check out these wonderful move-in ready and fee-free homes in Winter Park, Naples, Sarasota and Tampa, Florida, and Newland, North Carolina.

1350 Place Vendome, Winter Park, FL 32789 | Listed by Drew Henner

With about 4,049 square feet under air, this opulent residence provides enough space for comfort and relaxation. The first and only owners have put meticulous care and attention to detail throughout this four-bedroom, 3.5-bath custom traditional home designed by esteemed builder George Driscoll. Luxury can be found everywhere, from its brick drive, motorized screen-enclosed lanai, resurfaced heated pool and fully fenced yard with enough space for pets to roam.

257 14th Street NE, Naples, FL 34117 | Listed by Amanda Mueller Stanosheck

This farmhouse-style home in Golden Gate Estates sits behind a gate on a spacious 2.5-acre lot, offering you all the tranquility you could ask for. This custom-built home features 10-foot ceilings, a farmhouse kitchen, clay farm sink and an oversized pantry. The living room offers a splendid fireplace with custom stone chimney, attractive shiplap walls and wood-look tile floor. All this and a 2,400-square-foot metal building at the back, ideal for business, storage or anything else you might want.

1310 S Lake Shore Drive, Sarasota, FL 34231 | Listed by Steve Wexler

Talk about a Tuscany-like refuge! On Little Sarasota Bay with 140 feet of frontage, this 1.26-acre site is where you’ll find a spectacular Italian neo-classical Renaissance walled and gated estate. With four bedrooms, four full baths and two half-baths, this palatial home has 9,225 square feet of space offering hand-wrought gates, highly detailed interior and exterior, imported marble floors, Venetian plaster walls, rich paneling, handmade moldings with gold leaf accents, frescos, a Clive Christian-inspired kitchen and accompanying caterers' kitchen, just to name a few of its amenities. Old World opulence at its finest.

1189 & 1195 Ivey Heights Road, Newland, NC | Listed by Amy Pepin

Looking for lots of space? Look no further than your own retreat on 62 acres of breathtaking beauty. The extraordinary property comes with two exceptional homes that include a main home of 3,461 square feet and a guest home of 800 square feet, totaling six bedrooms and four baths. What makes this property stand out is its land. With two streams running on either side of the property, a pretty pond adjacent to the guest home, many apple trees, an expansive grassy lawn and trails for exploring, it’s like living in nature's paradise.

648 Geneva Place, Tampa, FL 33606 | Listed by Michelle DiGiore and Carol Pooley

If you desire a boating, fishing, swimming, paddleboarding and bike-riding Florida Keys-like lifestyle where every day is island time, look at this waterfront Davis Islands home. Inside this five-bedroom home with an open floor plan are breathtaking canal and pool views. The main house has four bedrooms and 3.5 baths, and the inviting guest house comes with an additional bedroom, bath, kitchenette and family room. Outside, an oversized lot offers paradise life with a dock and lift for boating and fishing, a recently redone 122-foot seawall and a sparkling 25,000-gallon heated pool.