Vero Beach Florida Homes

It is very important to make a great first impression to the potential buyers of your home. Every seller wants their home to sell fast and bring top dollar. Does that sound good to you? Well, it’s not luck that makes that happen. It’s careful planning and knowing how to efficiently unclutter your home that will excite buyers. Here is how to prep a house and turn it into an appealing and marketable home.

Get rid of those items that have been sitting around for years without being used or even handled. This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house. After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Buyers and real estate agents should see your house in its best condition from the very first day it’s on the market.

Here are a few approaches to take to unclutter your home and get it ready to sell. Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don’t want buyers scratching their heads and saying, “What is this room used for?”

Another way to unclutter your home and get it ready to sell is to make those minor repairs and best of all, make the house sparkle! Only do one room, or even one small area, at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Your best friend is the trash bag; when in doubt, throw it out. Many find it easier to use boxes to sort items, so you don’t have to find a home for everything as you unclutter. Most important, be quick and decisive when sorting. Tell yourself:

• If you don’t need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
• Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.
• Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.

If you are getting your house ready to sell in the Vero Beach, Hutchinson Island, Indian River Shores Florida areas, then take a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point out areas where you can unclutter your home and let myself, Ginny Mitchell, your agent help you to get your house ready to sell.

We are watching the construction progress of Ocean Park of Vero Beach located adjacent to Humiston Park on the island in Vero Beach, Florida.  Ocean Park will offer upscale commercial shops and restaurants on the ground floor and luxury oceanfront condominium living on the upper floors of this low rise structure. 

Since the 1980’s Vero Beach maintains stict 35 ft height limits on construction.  As a result, the low density development of the greater Vero Beach area well deserves the widespread acclaim for prudent zoning. 

Ocean Park’s 12 residences under construction range from 2800 to 7300 sq ft of living space.  Schulke Bittle and Stoddard are the structural engineers and Palm Coast Construction is the general contractor. 

Ocean Park Construction on November 20, 2008

Construction is progressing nicely at Sexton Plaza

on the Island at Vero Beach, Florida.  Although we                     

have endured limited access for several weeks,

the Grand Opening ceremony with ribbon cutting         

and concert is planned for Saturday, November

22^nd. The new palm trees soften the entrance to

the parking plaza at the oceanfront end of State

Hwy 60.  This small plaza is often the first view

of the ocean enjoyed by new visitors and a frequent

destination for residents who enjoy the adjacent

oceanfront eateries.  Vero Beach enjoys several

oceanfront parks both north and south of Sexton

Plaza that are also undergoing renovations.   

Vero Beach and North Hutchinson Island, Florida real estate sales showed mixed results in October 2008.  Single family homes sales and condominium sales on the barrier island in Indian River County and North Hutchinson Island vary according to the location and market sector.  The accompanying graphs compare sales month by month for the past 5 years in each market sector. 

Island Home Sales experienced the best October in 4 years. Prices are attracting buyers, and buyers are becoming less timid about making offers. Prices ranged from under $300,000 in the central beach resort area to $1,700,000 in Orchid Island. Of the 15 total single family home sales on the island, there were 7 that sold under $500,000, 6 that sold between $769,000 and $999,000 and 2 that sold for over $1,000,000. Only 3 homes sold in 6 months or less, while 3 homes took over 2 years to sell.   Average time on the market was 19 months, average sale to price ratio was 70%. The 2 homes that sold for over $1,000,000 were on the market for 30 and 35 months and sold for 52% and 72% of list price. One mid-priced home was on the market for 26 months and sold for 42% of list price.  

Island Condo Sales:   Only 5 units sold in October, one of the lowest sales months in 5 years. The sales prices ranged from $245,000 for a Villa Del Sol townhouse to $775,000 in Bay Colony. Time on the market averaged 13 months, and the average sale-to-purchase-price ratio was 70%. Most of these sale prices were close to 2003 sale prices.

Indian River Mainland Condos:  Sales are down again to the lowest level in 4 years. The highest sale price was $167,000 at Reflections on the River, and there were 3 in Vista Royale under $50,000. This condo section of the market is more impacted by the winter snowbird seasonal residents. The graph indicates good sales during the season and the couple of months into the summer, and then sales drop fast. Remember the actual sale normally occurs approximately 30 to 60 days after the contract. Let’s hope the sales pick up again this winter.

Home Sales on the Mainland in Indian River:  Sales dropped from the previous month and were about level with October 2007. The median sale price county wide was $160,000. On the mainland, the median price was $145,000 and prices ranged from under $100,000 in Vero Beach Highlands, Sebastian Highlands and other older subdivisions. There were only 3 homes that sold for over $500,000, in Hobart Landing and Grand Harbor. Time on the market and the sales ratio moved in a favorable direction for mainland homes. This is a result of more realistic listing prices and quick reductions in price.

North Hutchinson Island sales rebounded a little but still are very slow considering that there are 229 properties for sale and only 2 condos and 2 homes sold this month. All were what we would consider excellent prices for the buyer. Time on the market averaged 21 months, and the sale-to-list price ratio was 53%. The 2 homes were located in Riverpoint in the Sands; they were new and were sold below cost by a worried developer. One condo sold in Ocean Harbour South on the 9th floor for $215,000. It was a very nice unit that had been recently remodeled. The other condo sold was # 1406 in Atlantic View. It was more or less in original condition and sold for $225,000. Even though prices are not down far enough to entice many buyers, the aggressive buyer is making a low bid, and in many cases getting the sale.